Back in 2017, speculation arose that Darkhawk may be set to appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 after the character was spotted alongside the main team members as part of a Marvel Legends action figure line. Director James Gunn dismissed the reports at the time, but it seems there may have been some truth to the rumor after all.
Responding to a fan on Twitter, Gunn confirmed that Darkhawk "almost" made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in the GOTG sequel.
Darkhawk, aka Christopher Powell, was introduced back in the early '90s in a self-titled series from by writer Tom DeFalco and artist Mike Manley. He'd later appear in the likes of New Warriors, Avengers and The Runaways, teaming up with Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the Guardians at various points.
We have no idea why Gunn ultimately decided against utilizing the hero for Vol. 2, but both he and Adam Warlock showing up in Vol. 3 seems like a long-shot. Gunn did recently confirmed that the upcoming GOTG Holiday Special will introduce a new character to The MCU - could it be Darkhawk?
Specific Vol. 3 story details are still a closely guarded secret, but a few nuggets have been revealed over the past year or so. We do know that Gamora (Zoe Saldana) will be a big part of the movie, and a recent report indicated that her relationship with Nebula (Karen Gillan) is going to be the main focus. Of course, this Gamora is a Variant of the original who doesn't know any of her teammates, so we can probably expect a very different dynamic.
Saldana and Gillan will be joined by the returning Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Dave Bautista (Drax), Chris Pratt (Star-Lord), Sean Gunn (Rocket/Kraglin), and Sylvester Stallone as Stakar Ogord/Starhawk, with Will Poulter on board as Adam Warlock and Peacemaker actor Chukwudi Iwuji in an undisclosed role.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to hit theaters on May 23, 2023.