Who Is Adam Warlock? Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 Character Explained

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The archenemy of Thanos in Marvel Comics, Adam Warlock's origin and powers will be an interesting story to see unfold in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Who is Adam Warlock in the MCU? The Revenant actor Will Poulter has been cast as Adam Warlock for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3. This means that years after being teased for the first time in 2014, the Golden Gladiator is finally set to cross paths with Star-Lord’s team and potentially become an MCU superhero. Like Nova, Silver Surfer, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, Adam Warlock is one of the most important characters in the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe. In fact, he was the central figure in some of Marvel’s biggest crossovers in the 1990s, including Infinity Gauntlet.

The first big tease of Will Poulter's Guardians of the Galaxy 3 character came in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, when a cocoon identical to his was spotted at the Collector’s museum. Then, Marvel went even further by introducing his gold-skinned race, namedropping him, and revealing his real cocoon in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Given Adam Warlock's importance in the comics, Poulter’s appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 may not be the last time audiences see him on the big screen. Here’s who Adam Warlock is in Marvel Comics, what his powers are, and what to expect from his MCU counterpart.

Adam Warlock’s Origin In Marvel Comics Explained

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Adam Warlock Will Poulter

Undoubtedly, the MCU's introduction of Kang the Conqueror, Zeus, America Chavez, and Adam Warlock - Marvel characters who possess immense powers in the comics - reflects the epic direction of MCU Phase 5 and the Multiverse Saga. Before getting the superhero codename he’s known for, Adam Warlock burst onto the scene in a Fantastic Four comic as "Him", a powerful being genetically engineered by a group of evil scientists called the Enclave. After escaping from his cocoon to forge his own path, Adam tried to pick Lady Sif as his mate, thus leading to a heated showdown with Thor. Following his loss, Adam Warlock spent some time trying to gain a better understanding of who he is and his purpose in the world.

While contemplating his future, Adam Warlock had a fateful meeting with the High Evolutionary, who gifted him the Soul Stone, named him “Warlock”, and send him off on a series of adventures. During this time, Adam Warlock befriended a group of children who taught him a great deal about morality and humanity. Unfortunately, Adam Warlock also struggled to control the Soul Stone — the strongest Infinity Stone in the MCU — and much to his disgust, it drained the life forces of his enemies. After beating the villain known as Man-Beast, Adam Warlock moved on to the next chapter of his life and began his storied rivalry with Thanos.

A team-up with the Avengers and the original Captain Marvel led to Adam Warlock sacrificing himself and seemingly receiving a happy ending by finding a new life in the Soul Stone’s pocket dimension, Soulworld. Many years later, Marvel brought Adam back in a huge way, and made him its main protagonist in a number of Thanos stories, including Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity Crusade, and Infinity War. It was ultimately Adam Warlock who spearheaded the heroes’ plan to beat Thanos and the acquisition of the fully-assembled Infinity Gauntlet. In the aftermath of the battle, Adam Warlock formed the Infinity Watch to protect the Stones and is still deeply connected to them today.

Adam Warlock’s Powers & Abilities

Adam Warlock's birthing pod in Guardians of the Galaxy 2

In the comics, Adam Warlock's powers make him an immensely forceful being with abilities that put him on par with the highest tier of Marvel superheroes. In fact, he’s capable of engaging in prolonged standoffs with characters as strong as Thor. However, it’s worth noting that Adam Warlock's physical strength isn’t quite on the same level as the God of Thunder, Hercules, and the Hulk. That being said, Adam Warlock's powers easily make up for what little he lacks in that department. Adam can draw upon cosmic forces to enhance his strength, fly, project blasts of energy from his hands, and he can regenerate from fatal wounds by retreating to a new, self-made cocoon.

Plus, with all the changes that Adam has experienced over the course of 50 years of comic book history, the character’s power set has been revamped on numerous occasions. Will Poulter's Guardians of the Galaxy 3 character may just change the course of magic in the MCU. In Marvel Comics, some of the additions to Adam's arsenal include teleportation, transmutation, and Quantum Magic, a form of magic that involves using the metaphysical energy around him. Among his greatest weapons was the Soul Stone, which had a vampiric effect on his foes.

What To Expect From Adam Warlock In The MCU

Obviously, several of Adam Warlock’s biggest stories have been taken off the table in the MCU by Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In the comics, he was instrumental to the Mad Titan’s defeat, but had no role whatsoever in the MCU version of Thanos' defeat. Unfortunately, there’s no room for his relationship with Thanos to be represented on the big screen now, but that doesn’t make Adam Warlock's MCU Phase 5 introduction pointless. His MCU storyline could incorporate other characters tied to him in the comics, such as Man-Beast, or Adam’s evil counterpart Magus. With the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 villain confirmed to be the High Evolutionary — played by Chukwudi Iwuji — it seems the MCU will be keeping this part of Adam's origin intact.

As for how Marvel brings him in, it’s expected that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will follow up on the second movie’s setup, which indicated that Adam Warlock’s first mission will be to seek revenge for Ayesha by going after the Guardians. Similar to the comics, Adam could begin questioning his place and purpose in the world. He could abandon his mission and join up with Star-Lord’s team. In the comic books, the first phase in the Golden Gladiator’s life was a journey of self-discovery, and it makes sense that Marvel will lean in the same direction in the MCU.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is likely only the beginning of Adam Warlock’s MCU story. In addition to being a candidate for Guardians of the Galaxy 4's team, Adam has a ton of potential for movies and shows outside the franchise. While his arc in Gunn's movie could be about finding himself, future appearances could serve as the next steps in his evolution toward becoming the MCU’s main cosmic hero. Adam may have missed the fight with Thanos, but he could still be the one who rallies the heroes of the MCU to victory in whatever the Multiverse Saga has in store for Earth.

Adam Warlock Will Be Very Different On Screen

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is bound to take huge liberties with the origin and overall arc of Adam Warlock, whose comic book stories have always been deeply tied to Thanos and/or the Infinity Stones. With Thanos dead and the Infinity Stones seemingly out of the picture, there are huge narrative gaps in Adam's character development that the MCU will need to fill. That said, even without the Adam Warlock vs Thanos rivalry or many other elements from Adam Warlock's Marvel Comics origin, the MCU has already proven that making huge changes to comic book characters can still result in compelling stories. Just like how the MCU turned Ms. Marvel into a mutant, unceremoniously killed off Professor Xavier and Reed Richards, and made Iron Man into Marvel's most important superhero, Will Poulter's Guardians of the Galaxy 3 character is unquestionably headed for a unique and interesting future.

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