After being teased in one of Vol. 2's post-credits scenes, Adam Warlock made his MCU debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and it's probably safe to say that this iteration of the mega-powerful Marvel Comics character wasn't quite what fans were expecting!
Warlock makes a big impact early on when he infiltrates Knowhere in an attempt to retrieve Rocket for the High Evolutionary (who created the Sovereign), but is ultimately defeated by the combined efforts of the crew.
When he returns to his master, we learn that Adam is... not the fizziest bottle in the fridge!
As it turns out, the High Evolutionary "hatched" Warlock from his cocoon too early, resulting in a highly formidable being without the emotional maturity required to wield such power.
"It’s clear that James was putting a certain twist on Warlock," actor Will Poulter tells GQ Magazine. "In this movie, he’s in his infancy. He’s come out of the oven early and isn’t fully baked. He’s trying to orient himself in a world where there’s a lot of pressure to work out the difference between right and wrong. That was a really fun place to explore because there was the opportunity for drama and comedy in that. Warlock’s character typifies what I love personally about 'Guardians,' which is that these characters are funny, but they all feel psychologically genuine."
Warlock ends up saving Peter Quill's life when Groot gives him a second chance, and is part of Rocket's new crew of Guardians in the movie's mid-credits scene. We assume the character will return at some point (if not in a potential Vol. 4 then possibly in Avengers: Secret Wars), but if there are plans in place for Poulter to reprise the role, he's not saying!
Check out a new image of Warlock's furry pal Blurp - who is also, technically, a new Guardian - below.
"In Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 our beloved band of misfits are settling into life on Knowhere. But it isn’t long before their lives are upended by the echoes of Rocket’s turbulent past." "Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket’s life—a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them."
Gunn writes and directs Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, featuring Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Will Poulter, and Maria Bakalova. Kevin Feige is the producer and Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nikolas Korda, Simon Hatt, and Sara Smith serve as executive producers.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now in theaters.