Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will finally introduce a classic comic book character into the MCU that folks have been waiting to see in the franchise for years. Namely, Adam Warlock, one of the most powerful comic heroes in the Marvel universe. Fans had been pitching the likes of Henry Cavill and Zac Efron for the part, so it was a surprise when We’re the Millers star Will Poulter landed the role last fall.
The much-anticipated conclusion to the Guardians trilogy is now in production, but writer/director James Gunn isn’t revealing too much about what we can expect from it just yet. Having said that, he did have a few words to say about Poulter’s Adam while speaking to ScreenRant. Gunn praised The Revenant actor as “the best,” as well as promising that fans will definitely “appreciate” his portrayal.
“Oh, he’s the best. He’s the best. He’s killing it,” Gunn said. “People are going to really love Adam — or love? They’re going to appreciate Adam Warlock, I’ll say.”
It’s intriguing that Gunn initially went to say people will “love” Adam before correcting himself and choosing the word “appreciate” instead. This may tell us that Adam won’t be the nicest character or even much of a good guy in the movie. That’s not surprising given his origins, as revealed in one of Guardians Vol. 2‘s post-credits scenes, which told us Adam was created by Sovereign queen Ayesha specifically to destroy the Guardians.
Adam’s traditionally a hero, though, so there’s a high chance that he’ll be redeemed by the end of the film and maybe even go on to have further adventures in the MCU afterward. As for his role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it sounds like he’s going to be one of Gunn’s patented loveable jerk characters. For another of those, check out the filmmaker’s Peacemaker TV series, premiering Jan. 13 on HBO Max.