With each passing day, it’s sounding more and more likely that Mark Hamill will be hitching a ride from a galaxy far, far away to one a little bit closer to home.
Over the past few months, an assortment of rumors have attached the Star Wars legend to a villainous role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but for the time being, nobody has been able to figure out who he could possibly be in talks to play. Initially, it was believed the actor would portray the High Evolutionary, who is responsible for the creation of Rocket Raccoon. However, a new rumor has sparked speculation that Hamill will actually bring Annihilus, one of the all time great Marvel villains, to life on the big screen.
This fresh scoop comes from Cosmic Book News, who hasn’t been able to totally verify it, so take it with a grain of salt. That being said, the publication backs up their claim by pointing to the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, which finds the Nova Corps’ home world decimated by the Mad Titan. The Annihilation comic book arc began with a similar premise, and Nova has been rumored to appear in GotG Vol. 3. While it’s safe to say Marvel Studios is unlikely to adapt Annihilation in full, all the pieces seem to be in place to introduce the evil cosmic entity.
We know that Kevin Feige is interested in splitting the major villain duties of the next phase of the MCU into a street-level antagonist and a larger intergalactic threat. All bets were on Captain Marvel 2 to introduce the time-traveling half-human/half-futuristic computer Michael Korvac in the latter role, but Annihilus is a much more popular villain. Plus, as the insectoid leader of the Negative Zone, the character could further expand on Phase Four’s trek into the multiverse, one of the lasting effects of Thanos’ snap.
We won’t know for certain what Hamill’s involvement in the film will be for quite a while, as James Gunn isn’t set to start production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 until after he completes The Suicide Squad next year. However, there’s always a chance Marvel could surprise us when they supposedly drop their Phase Four plans later on this summer at D23, so keep your eyes peeled just in case.