Though Adam Warlock was a pivotal figure in the comics when it came to the Infinity Gauntlet storyline, Marvel Studios waited until the final Guardians of the Galaxy movie to introduce him. Though this is the Guardians’ last ride, director James Gunn teases the future for Will Poulter’s Warlock, and how he could be crucial to the next phase of Marvel stories.
Talking to Empire, Gunn talks about how they cast Poulter and how the character of Adam could be essential to Marvel Phase 5. He explains:
“People online were saying, ‘Oh, Tom Cruise should be Adam Warlock… I wanted somebody who was youthful, and I wanted the person who had the dramatic chops and the comedic chops, not only for this movie but for what Marvel will use Adam Warlock for in the future… He could become this really important character.”
With this movie said to be the final film for this iteration of the Guardians, the franchise could still move forward with a new roster—pretty much like the Avengers movies. With Adam being such a pivotal character in the comics, I think the movie could end with Adam being set up to be the new leader of the Galaxy’s Favorite A-Holes.
As for now though, Adam is going to be serving as an antagonist in the movie, with him sent to hunt down the Guardians by the Sovereign. Gunn describes the character:
“… He’s definitely not a good guy. What we’re seeing is the infant form of Warlock, newly out of the cocoon, and he does not understand life very well. He’s basically a baby.”
Despite the simple description, I think Adam could end up having one of the biggest emotional arcs in the film; but we’ll just have to wait and see till the movie comes out.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5.
