Adam Warlock, Marvel’s “perfect man”, is one of the most trailed characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). We’re finally going to meet him in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, with the promise that he has a significant role to play in the gigantic shared universe.
A creation of Marvel godfathers Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Warlock first appeared in the pages of Fantastic Four #66 and #67. Those two minor appearances gave little away about the character. It wasn’t until five years later, when Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane refreshed the character, that he became an immensely powerful messiah-like figure. Warlock’s role in Marvel comics has chiefly involved the Infinity gems, particularly in the astonishing high-concept arcs of writer Jim Starlin that inspired the climax of the MCU’s Infinity Saga. When Warlock missed that on the big screen, it looked like the ship had sailed for the fan favorite.
The MCU Multiverse Saga, which covers its fourth, fifth, and sixth phases, has something to say about that, as Adam Warlock is set to emerge into the multiverse in the form of British actor Will Poulter.
Emerging from his cocoon
If Warlock were never to appear in the MCU, it would have been one of the most infuriating near-misses in the franchise. The MCU has hinted at his arrival since Phase Two, but he never appeared to so much as scowl at Thanos. The first clue came during a mid-credit sequence in Thor: The Dark World when Asgardians Sif and Volstagg visited Taneleer Tivan, also known as the Collector. While he’s plotting the capture of all five Infinity Stones, a rather horrible-looking cocoon sits in a display tank among his collection. It was still there in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. There’s no doubt that it was meant to suggest the cocoon of Adam Warlock as seen in the comics, but it was retconned out of the universe in the post-credit sequence of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Still smarting from the destruction of Ego and the unlikely triumph of the Guardians, the High Priestess hopes to appease the angry High Council with a new creation – the next step of Sovereign evolution. A golden cocoon, admittedly much more impressive than the one we’d seen before, promises the emergence of Adam Warlock.
In 2018, Veteran MCU writer Christopher Markus revealed that Warlock almost appeared in Avengers: Infinity War as Marvel attempted to incorporate as many comic-faithful aspects as possible. He said: “You practically have to make an Adam Warlock movie to introduce him; he just can’t walk on screen”. If James Gunn hasn’t found a shortcut, we can expect Warlock’s emergence to play a massive part in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3.
That cocoon is a crucial hint of Warlock’s engineered origin. In the comics, his 1967 debut explained his creation by a dubious if talented group of scientists called the Enclave. They set out to create a perfect being they initially called “Him” to carry out their bidding. It wasn’t long, however, before their creation rebelled and headed into the cosmos.
A powerful new hero
The MCU may have adapted Warlock’s origin, but he’ll likely still appear as one of the most powerful creatures in the series. In the comics, he’s a being capable of wielding the Infinity Gauntlet, boasting incredible superpowers and an ability to resurrect himself. Warlock’s artificial body is capable of amazing feats, and his genetically enhanced brain can process information in a way that gives him cosmic awareness. His powers have included vast strength and speed, heightened agility, durability, and flight. He’s also manipulated matter and energy.
Writer Roy Thomas developed Warlock’s messianic traits in the early 1970s. Warlock’s early appearances were so brief and unconnected to his later comic career that some fans disregard them. What was one of Lee and Kirby’s great horror analogies — Frankenstein’s creature turning on its creators — took on new life as an unfortunate encounter with Thor led the inexperienced and damaged powerhouse to a cocoon and his first rebirth. That healing and resurrection ability would become a crucial part of Warlock’s story. When he first emerged, he came into contact with the High Evolutionary, who gave him purpose and a particular Infinity Stone that gave him a soul. That Stone also gave the emerging neo-god the ability to absorb other beings’ souls.
Tellingly, the High Evolutionary, whose high genetic science was almost imperceptible from magic, saw the being’s incredible powers and gifted him the name Warlock. Unlike in his MCU origin, Warlock would later gain the first name Adam from four Counter-Earth teenagers.
Early adventures pitched Warlock against one of the High Evolutionary’s renegade creations, Man-Beast, and had him serving as the first hero of Counter-Earth. After suffering the loss of friends and confronting a twisted and all-powerful future version of himself called Magus, Warlock began his epic role in Thanos’s continuing efforts to acquire and wield the Infinity Stones (or Infinity Gems as they were then known.)
Warlock has an impressive spec of abilities and a fantastic resume of achievements, but as with all super powerful beings, there are downsides. There is a cap to Warlock’s ability to create objects from other matter, as Thanos has knowingly remarked. He’s shown some vulnerability to magic, and the existence of a future evil version suggests that Warlock is purposefully suppressing a powerful evil side.
Warlock of the MCU
Despite being developed as a weapon by the Sovereign to battle irritants like the Guardians, it’s unlikely that Warlock will be an enemy for long in the MCU. Resisting the will of his creators is in the character’s comic roots, and despite his immense power and an excessive amount of time spent in between lives, Warlock is a force for good. He’s repeatedly taken on Thanos and, importantly for Phases Four, Five, and Six of the MCU, Kang the Conqueror. While the MCU will introduce Warlock into its broadening cosmic space opera, his comic book experience of inter-variant disputes will likely make him pivotal in The Multiverse Saga to come. Crucially, Warlock has also served as an occasional Guardian of the Galaxy.
Warlock’s arrival in the MCU was inevitable, but the timing wasn’t. In 2017, James Gunn stressed that Warlock was a character he loved, but “the time must be right.”
As if the cocoon at the end of Guardians Vol.3 wasn’t enough, Will Poulter’s casting as the character in 2021 made things as real as a space-hopping comic messiah could.
In the aftermath of the festive kidnapping romp that was The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, the teaser trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 revealed a first glimpse of the new wearer of the Soul Stone. A split second of footage suggests a run-in with at least Nebula, hinting at Warlock’s immense power and Poulter’s new golden role. It’s a look that’s more in line with the aesthetic of the MCU, rather than the character’s classic depiction in Marvel Comics, and naturally that split the fervent fanbase.
We’ll have to wait for a full trailer for the movie that’s releasing in May 2023 to get further hints about Warlock’s role. The cast isn’t likely to reveal anything in the meantime. Poulter has remained understandably tight-lipped, letting his nod to the hugely popular character at the time of his casting speak for itself.
I’m very grateful to James Gunn for entrusting me with this really respected and sought-after character. I just hope I do it justice.