UPDATE: James Gunn responded Tuesday to say that casting hasn’t begun.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
The Illuminerdi has learned that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently looking to cast the long-awaited cosmic hero Adam Warlock.
James Gunn’s highly anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to begin filming soon and a long-awaited character from the cosmic side of Marvel will finally make his debut.
ADAM WARLOCK IS COMING TO THE MCU
It has long been expected that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will finally introduce one of James Gunn’s favorite Marvel heroes. The Illuminerdi can exclusively reveal that Marvel is looking to cast a thirty year-old Caucasian man, who is described as both a “super hero type” and a “Zac Efron type”, as Adam Warlock.
Gunn originally planned to introduce the character in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but changed his mind noting the film was already chock full of characters.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 TEASED ADAM WARLOCK
One of the many Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 post credit scenes included the humiliated Sovereign Golden High Priestess, Ayesha. It found her sitting on her own when she is approached by another Sovereign informing her that the High Council is waiting for her, as she’s perturbed that she was defeated by the Guardians, along with losing the Anulax batteries and a number of ships.
The disheveled Ayesha boasts her new creation to the other Sovereign, showing off a new birthing pod that holds “The next step in our evolution, more powerful, more beautiful, and capable of destroying the Guardians of the Galaxy.” She then announces that she will call him Adam. This tease excited many Marvel fans as it pointed to the long-awaited introduction of the cosmic hero, Adam Warlock.
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With this post credit scene as the likely set up for the MCU’s Adam Warlock, it looks like the character’s origin will differ from the original comics. In the comics, Adam first introduced as “Him” was created by a group of human scientists called the Enclave who sought to create the perfect human. Once Him emerged, he sensed the malicious intent of his creators and rebelled against them to escape.
Adam Warlock eventually gained his name after the High Evolutionary sent him to Counter Earth to defeat one of Warlock’s greatest enemies, Man-Beast. Adam Warlock’s other major villains include Magus, an evil future version of himself corrupted by the Soul stone and Thanos. Warlock also has a complicated relationship with the Mad Titan throughout their tenure.
Many fans were surprised that Warlock wasn’t introduced during the eleven-year Infinity Saga, given the characters importance in the Infinity Gauntlet storyline. What should be interesting is how Gunn introduces Warlock and what changes are made from the comic book character. It looks like the MCU’s version of Adam will be created by Ayesha of the Sovereign instead of human scientists and he likely won’t be tied to the Infinity Stones in the same way that he is in the comics.
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Adam works with the Guardians of the Galaxy in the comics at points and is close with Gamora who in the comics is part of his team, the Infinity Watch. In the MCU Gamora is missing following the defeat of Thanos. Given the likely deviations from the comics it will be interesting to see Adam Warlock’s story within the MCU unfold.
Will Adam Warlock be an antagonist against the Guardians as Ayesha intends or will he rebel against his creator as he did in the comics? What will his role be within the cosmic side of the MCU especially given he isn’t involved in the Infinity Saga or defeating Thanos? And given that the Infinity Stones were destroyed by Thanos following the initial snap that erased half of all life in the universe the Soul Stone likely can’t come into play which is a major change from the comics.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to begin filming after the cast films their appearance in Thor: Love And Thunder and James Gunn finishes filming Peacemaker the HBO Max spinoff series of his upcoming DC film, The Suicide Squad. It was announced during the 2020 Disney Investor Day presentation that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to hit theaters in 2023. The franchise will be expanding with a Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special that will debut on Disney Plus in 2022 and a series of animated short following Baby Groot titled, I Am Groot, slated for Disney Plus release as well.
Are you excited to see Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? Do you want Zac Efron to play Adam Warlock? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media.
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