While we’re not sure yet if we’ll ever be getting a third Guardians of the Galaxy, the likelihood remains that Marvel Studios will find some way of working Adam Warlock into the saga after the character was so heavily teased in Vol. 2.
Though the cosmic being’s impending arrival was practically spelled out in the one of the movie’s multiple post-credits scenes, a user on Reddit has observed that the character was given a subtler nod near the beginning of the picture.
The Guardians’ most recent standalone adventure set up Adam’s origins to suggest a new type of man created by the Sovereign people, the same civilization that the Guardians do business with in the first section of the film. It’s during this opening mission that a distinct golden design can be seen in the background, and as this Reddit post highlights, the prop bears a striking resemblance to Adam Warlock’s Karmic Staff.
From the look of things, Gunn – or at least one of his colleagues – really had their heart set on bringing Adam into this franchise, but while there’s many a fan and celebrity alike who’d love to see him return to the series, Disney CEO Bob Iger continues to stand by the studio’s controversial decision to fire the writer-director. It also remains to be seen whether another filmmaker will be brought in to take over Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Whoever does take this job would be in a pretty awkward position, given both the inevitable backlash from the fans and the cast’s various displays of solidarity with their old director.
In any case, though Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 looks to be Gunn’s final contribution to the MCU, and perhaps the final proper Guardians movie, too, the seeds have definitely been sown for some future project in which Adam Warlock finally steps into the fray.