Adam Warlock Will Play a Big Role in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is still over a year away, but we already have tons of theories about what awaits our favourite team of superhero misfits in space. Topping that list is the new character of Adam Warlock, a much-teased new character who could either be a great addition to the Guardians or destroy them – we’re not sure which it’s going to be.

Let’s start with what we know about Adam in the MCU so far. His appearance is teased at the end of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.” In a postcredits scene, viewers find out that the Sovereign, led by Ayesha, have created a superweapon they call “Adam,” and they plan to use him to destroy the Guardians once and for all. Further details, other than the fact that Will Poulter has been cast in the role, have been hard to come by in the nearly five years since “Vol. 2.”

That mysterious, evil-seeming origin story does line up with Adam Warlock’s origins in the Marvel comics. He’s created by the Enclave, a shadowy organisation dedicated to pursuing scientific research, often with nefarious plans on how to use it. They create Adam as the pinnacle of AI technology, with powers like superstrength, energy manipulation, and telepathy. Those powers they imbue him with backfire, however, as he reads their minds, discovers their evil plans, and destroys their lab before fleeing to space.

Eventually, through a metaphysical series of events, Adam becomes basically the guardian of a “Counter-Earth” and is entrusted with the Soul Stone. Later on, he becomes a direct enemy of Thanos across multiple different storylines. His allies include the Avengers, as well as Drax and Gamora, and he’s involved at the founding of the Guardians of the Galaxy. His storylines also often involve the Soul Stone, which he has a symbiotic, voluntary connection with that’s more powerful than any normal wielder of an Infinity Stone.

In the comics, as you might guess from all of this, he’s definitely a good guy, despite having been literally created to do the bidding of an evil organisation. Director James Gunn has only dropped a few hints about the version of Adam we’ll see in the movie.

“Oh, he’s the best. He’s the best. He’s killing it. People are going to really love Adam – or love? They’re going to appreciate Adam Warlock, I’ll say,” Gunn told Screen Rant when asked about Poulter’s performance as the character. We can’t wait to see how “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” puts a new spin on this classic comic-book character!