The Guardians Will Face A New Villain in Vol.3: The High Evolutionary 

The Guardians have been up against some of the strongest forces in the galaxy but now, it’s time for them to face one of Marvel Comics’ most menacing characters: the High Evolutionary.

The High Evolutionary, played by Chukwudi Iwuji, is the main villain in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. He is a brilliant scientist who is obsessed with advancing human evolution and is particularly interested in elevating animals’ self-awareness. 

Adam Warlock, played by Will Poulter, is another character from the comics making his MCU debut in the same movie. 

In the comics, Adam Warlock and the High Revolutionary have a history together; the High Evolutionary named Warlock and used to send him on missions before the two eventually became foes.

Although Warlock is also being portrayed as a villain in GOTG Vol.3, he won’t be as big a threat as the High Evolutionary, especially since we know that the scientist has a role to play in Rocket’s backstory. 

Warlock’s villain arc could be short-lived, and he may soon join the Guardians’ side, much like how his character in the comics slowly turns from anti-hero to a good guy.

1. Who is the High Evolutionary?

The High Evolutionary first appeared in Marvel Comics in the 1966 issue of The Mighty Thor #134. Born Herbert Edgar Wyndham, he was a geneticist who took inspiration from the works of Nathaniel Essex (better known as Mister Sinister from X-Men). 

Wyndham’s first experiment was transforming his pet dog into a humanoid creature with the intelligence of a chimpanzee. From here, he would go on to have larger aspirations of creating a perfect world populated by perfect humans.

Wyndham began performing many unethical experiments on animals from his base in Mount Wundagore. This eventually led him to create responsive and talking animal-humanoid creatures who he called “New Men”. 

He would train these New Men to be the “Knights of Wundagore” so that they could eliminate any threats to his base. He even engineered a replica of the Earth, called “Counter Earth”, for his New Men to live on, a glimpse of which we get in the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 trailer. 

2. What powers does he have?

Herbert Wyndham’s greatest assets are his scientific knowledge and intellect that put him at the same level as, if not higher than, Marvel geniuses like Doctor Doom, Tony Stark and Hank Pym. But once he started treating himself as a lab rat, his powers extended way beyond his intelligence.

Like how it goes with most mad scientists, Wyndham’s creations backfired when Man-Beast took over Counter Earth and one of his New Men seriously injured him. 

The incident caused him to start carrying out genetic experiments on himself, and thus, he became the High Evolutionary. 

The High Evolutionary is an excellent fighter with powers like telekinesis and telepathy. His evolutionary experiments further gave him abilities like increased strength, durability and foresight, as well as the power to blast energy from his hands.

The High Evolutionary’s armor helps him withstand attacks from heroes as strong as Thor and the Hulk by providing him with a regenerative healing factor. 

His god-like powers made him even more unhinged, and he got more ambitious in his attempts to mutate the human population.  

3. What is his connection to Rocket in the MCU?

The trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 has a scene where the High Evolutionary is performing experiments on Rocket as a part of his plans to create superior humans. 

This suggests that the High Evolutionary was responsible for creating Rocket and his friends and that the main plot of the movie will revolve around Rocket’s traumatic experiences with the mad scientist.

The MCU might be keeping most of the High Evolutionary’s backstory from the comics because in the trailer, Rocket mentions that the High Evolutionary “just hated things the way they are” and even the scientist himself talks about wanting to make the “perfect society”.

This is exactly in line with comic book version of the character, who genuinely believed that his experiments would be for the greater good, when in reality he was only causing more problems.

The MCU hinted at his arrival in Phase IV by giving us a glimpse of Mount Wundagore in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Given how powerful and influential the High Evolutionary can be, we can probably expect him to play a major part in Phase V. 

Another thing about the High Evolutionary is that in the comics, he was heavily involved in giving Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver their abilities. Maybe this could factor into his storyline in GOTG 3. Not to forget, he could potentially have connections to Adam Warlock as well.

There is so much to explore when it comes to this character but only time will tell how much of it the MCU and James Gunn have decided to utilize.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 will be out in theatres on May 5, 2023. 

4. About Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The High Evolutionary, Rocket’s creator, emerges to reclaim his creation threatening to destroy the Guardians to get what he wants. Star-Lord must lead his team and protect one of their own while dealing with his emotional turmoil over Gamora. The stakes are even higher as Adam Warlock hunts the team on the orders of The Sovereign’s leader, Ayesha.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to hit theaters on May 5, 2023. Previous cast members will reprise their roles, including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, and Pom Klementieff. Will Poulter and Chukwudi Iwuji will join the cast as Adam Warlock and The High Evolutionary.