Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3will finally introduce the all-powerful Adam Warlock to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and now, directorJames Gunnhas teased the fan-favorite character’s debut. In a conversation withScreenRant, Gunn begins by saying that audiences are going to “love” the Marvel character, before quickly backtracking and changing this to “appreciate.” Could this suggest an uncertain, unpredictable nature for Adam Warlock?
“Oh, he’s the best. He’s the best. He’s killing it. People are going to really love Adam — or love? They’re going to appreciate Adam Warlock, I’ll say.”
So, what exactly could James Gunn’s use of the word “appreciate” mean? Notably, it certainly sounds like audiences won’t out-and-out love him, suggesting that, seeing as he is likely to begin the story as an adversary to theGuardians of the Galaxy, Adam Warlock could do something to the titular team that will upset audiences. Thankfully, describing the likely reaction to the character as “appreciate” rather than “love” further suggests that Gunn is at least confident that, whatever Adam Warlock gets up to during the events of the Marvel threequel, audiences will find value in it.
Will Poulter Will Play the Supremely Powerful Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy 3
Marvel fans have been waiting for Adam Warlock to enter the fray for some time, and while many actors were posited to play the role, many were surprised whenThe Maze RunnerandMidsommarstarWill Poulterwas cast. The news of Poulter’s involvement was rumored at first before being confirmed by James Gunn himself who said, “As you guys know I often strike down false rumors, so… um… Welcome to the Guardians family, Will Poulter,” Gunn wrote. “He’s an amazing actor and wonderful guy. See you in a couple weeks.”
Adam Warlock, who sometimes goes by the name Him, was first teased in a post-credits scene at the end of 2017’sGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. A vastly powerful being who possesses a cavalcade of superpowers including, superhuman strength, speed, agility, durability, flight, energy manipulation and absorption, and matter manipulation, Adam Warlock was created by Marvel legendsStan Leeand Jack Kirby before being significantly developed by Roy Thomas and Jim Starlin.
The casting of Will Poulter has since been endorsed by Jim Starlin,who is confident that Marvel Studios have made the right choice. “I never pictured [Josh] Brolin as Thanos. I had a couple of other actors in mind,” Starlin said back in December. “But now I can’t imagine anyone but Brolin playing Thanos. They’ve been good at casting the characters. This actor will probably turn out to be just as good as the others.”
Further plot details remain largely unknown, butGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3is expected to be the final outing for many of the main players. The likes ofChris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, and Sylvester Stallone, are all on board to return and thus are all potentially in the firing line when they come face-to-face with Adam Warlock.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3is scheduled to be released in the United States on August 17, 2025, as part of Phase Four of theMCU.
