Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 may have joined the long list of recent Marvel projects that disappointed the critics, but if the early fan reactions are anything to go by, we’re in for another treat from James Gunn’s tried and tested filmmaking chops.
Among the things that are receiving the most praise from fans is Chukwudi Iwuji’s High Evolutionary, who is the main antagonistic figure in the threequel. Iwuji makes his MCU debut following the success of Peacemaker, where he portrayed the leader of the Butterfly Project.
Now, the High Evolutionary is being hailed as a better villain than Kang the Conqueror, which — even barring Jonathan Majors’ recent controversies, including a run-in with the law — is another terrible blow to the MCU’s future plans, especially those involving the next two Avengers movies.
Kang was supposed to be the next Thanos and go up against the might of the MCU in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, but those plans don’t seem so appealing anymore. It’s not just the fact that Majors is facing serious allegations of domestic abuse. Kang simply proved himself to be a subpar villain in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and if a one-off villain like the High Evolutionary has managed to outplay him as a character, then what chance does he stand when faced with the prospects of carrying Marvel’s most prized Phase Five projects?
Besides, something tells us that even if Marvel were to recast Kang, it wouldn’t solve the main problem afflicting characters like him, which is terrible writing. For some reason, MCU creatives just can’t seem to get it right when it comes to villains, so perhaps Guardians Vol. 3 can give them an opportunity to look at the High Evolutionary and take a page out of Gunn’s book.