Adam Warlock will apparently debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and not The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, avoiding a major MCU problem. While the idea of an interconnected universe is novel, the MCU has grown so large that its many branching stories can sometimes be hard to keep up with. Because of this and the status of Adam Warlock, it is a good idea to introduce him in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 rather than in the Holiday Special.

Initially teased in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's post-credits scene, Adam Warlock is an immensely powerful character that is set to be introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Adam Warlock will be played by Will Poulter, and the character will serve a key role in the conclusion to the GOTG trilogy. While it has been several years since he was initially teased, MCU audiences can expect to finally see the Avatar of Life in Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

Related: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Features A Secret Iron Man Legacy

Before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 releases in 2023, James Gunn will actually be releasing The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, a TV special that will release on Disney+. Although it isn't a full film, the special will actually lead directly into Vol. 3, sharing continuity with the Guardians films. It isn't known how much the special will play into the film, though, leading some to speculate that Adam Warlock may appear in the Holiday Special. However, as a Tweet by writer and director James Gunn has revealed, Warlock's first appearance will be in Guardians of the Galaxy 3 not The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. While this means it will be a little longer before Adam Warlock makes his MCU debut, him not appearing in the special is actually a good thing, as it would be a bad idea to require Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 viewers to watch a one-off Disney+ special in order to understand the film.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 poster & characters

While the Disney+ shows playing into the MCU movies is fun, it can only go so far. It makes sense that a viewer can watch one show before a movie, as is the case with WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, the Holiday Special seems like a fun but unnecessary story, so making it required viewing to understand the overall series would be a horrible idea. While it is likely that The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will succeed, due to its nature as a streaming service spin-0ff, many Guardians of the Galaxy 3 viewers will probably not see it. It is fine for the special to lead into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but introducing the film's most important new character would only lead to confused audiences.

The MCU has started getting too big for general audiences to keep track of, so toning down Guardians of the Galaxy 3's required viewing is a good idea. Even if the Holiday Special was advertised as immensely important, there are still a lot of viewers that would ignore and disregard the special. Because of this, it is a good thing that Adam Warlock is being introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and not The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

Next: Guardians of the Galaxy 3: Everything We Know About James Gunn’s Story

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