For all the criticism the Multiverse Saga has both rightly and wrongly received over these last couple of years, one has to admit that it’s done a great job of setting up excellent villains for Earth-199999’s champions to face off against. Indeed, from Green Goblin to Namor to Gorr to Xu Wenwu, the baddies of the last phase and a half have really stolen the show.
That trend continues with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the introduction of the High Evolutionary. Brought to life by one Chukwudi Iwuji (Peacemaker), the High Evolutionary just might take the cake as the nastiest, most irredeemably evil villain we’ve seen yet, and the fact that he can stand alongside the grayer, more complex villains despite his whacked-out moral compass is a testament to Iwuji’s handling of the role.
And Iwuji’s co-stars, specifically his minions, can’t praise him enough for it; in an interview with Screen Rant, Vol. 3 faces Miriam Shor and Nico Santos, who each play one of the High Evolutionary’s Recorders, had nothing but the best to say about working with Iwuji behind the scenes, with Shor pointing out how the actor has a tendency to bring out the best in his co-stars.
“First of all, what you should know about Chuk is that he’s a delight of a human. He’s just kind. He’s dreamy and he’s a brilliant actor. He comes from the stage. He can do anything. He really can. So getting to work with an actor, that is just the fun. That was what it was like to work with him because he elevated every scene he was in, and he wasn’t afraid to give it every ounce of his emotional truth. So then it makes you do that, and then it just makes it such a joy. It’s so thrilling. It’s really, really fun.”
Santos echoed Shor’s sentiment, noting her and Iwuji as important pieces of the puzzle for his own performance.
“You got it. You can prepare for the character as much you can. But something happens when you get on set, you see what your scene partners are giving you, and you’re then able to recalibrate him. Then that last piece of the puzzle makes sense of how you are supposed to portray your character. That’s what it was. Working with Chuk and Miriam.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be in the Recorders’ best interest to speak negatively against their gravity-manipulating boss, but we get the distinct impression that they’re preaching to the choir here; there’s a reason Iwuji has become a James Gunn regular, after all.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now playing in theaters.
