When Jams Gunn announced that work had started on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with a photo of the movie's cast, eagle-eyed fans noticed Peacemaker star Chukwudi Iwuji was among them. Who is he playing? Well, Screen Geek claims to have learned that he's been cast as The High Evolutionary.
We've been hearing rumblings about the villain appearing in the threequel for well over a year now, with his introduction reportedly connected to Gunn's plans to explore Rocket Raccoon's origin story.
In the comic books, The High Evolutionary is known for his biological experiments, which include creating animal/human hybrids. With this in mind, it's easy enough to imagine how that could be tied into Rocket's creation and plans to introduce the character's beloved love interest Lylla.
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1966, this villain (also known as Herbert Edgar Wyndham) was first mentioned in The Mighty Thor #133 before making his full debut in The Mighty Thor #134. Throw in The High Evolutionary's ties to Adam Warlock - who will be played by Will Poulter in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - and it does make sense for him to factor into this story.
As for Iwuji, Gunn was clearly impressed enough by his work in Peacemaker to give him a leading role in this movie. Work on the Marvel Studios threequel continues, though Gunn did recently cast doubt on the chances of us seeing a trailer this year despite its May 5, 2023 release date.