Warning! This article contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.Adam Warlock finally made his MCU debut with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in disappointingly underwhelming fashion. Despite the film having exceptionally well-rounded arcs for each of its central characters, Warlock's was underwhelming in that it did not receive as much attention. Granted, this was to be expected given the film acted as a send-off for the titular team, meaning much of the film was focused on the Guardians themselves as opposed to other ing characters.
This also is not to say Warlock was completely wasted in the film, with Guardians of the Galaxy 3's ending leaving him off for more adventures. Will Poulter does an excellent job with what he is given and has some of the film's funniest moments by playing up Warlock's specific personality in the film. However, from the amount of time that has ed since Warlock was first teased to the choices made for him in the film and the wasting of the character's most iconic comic book story, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a serviceable if underwhelming MCU debut for Adam Warlock.
Adam Warlock's MCU Debut Was First Teased 10 Years Ago
One of the first reasons why Adam Warlock's MCU debut felt underwhelming was simply the amount of time that ed in between the character's various set-ups. The first ever tease for Adam Warlock came back in 2013 with Thor: The Dark World. In the scene where Lady Sif is delivering the Reality Stone to the Collector, a large cocoon can be seen in the background of the shot. While different from the cocoon eventually used to birth Warlock in the MCU, the scene was widely regarded as housing the first Easter egg to Warlock in the MCU.
With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 though, the MCU officially began the set-up of Adam Warlock's inclusion. In that film, the Guardians make an enemy of the Sovereign, a race of golden humanoids who were genetically engineered by the High Evolutionary. At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Ayesha - the Sovereign's leader - begins creating a new being who would be the next step in their evolution. The post-credit scene of the film shows this, with Ayesha stating she will name the child Adam, officially setting the stage for Adam Warlock's introduction to the MCU.
The MCU Ignored Adam Warlock's Biggest Marvel Story - So The Pressure Was On GOTG 3
The foreshadowing of Adam Warlock came in 2017 when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was released, a year before Avengers: Infinity War. As a result, many assumed Warlock would reappear in the latter film, due to the character's connection to Thanos and the Infinity Stones. In Marvel Comics, Warlock is the archenemy of Thanos, dedicated to stopping the Mad Titan's quest for power. In the Infinity Gauntlet comic book run, partly the basis for Avengers: Infinity War, Warlock led the Avengers against Thanos after the latter eradicated half of all life in the universe.
That being said, Warlock was completely absent from Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, meaning he did not contribute to the battle against Thanos in the MCU. With the MCU ignoring Adam Warlock's most iconic storyline from the comics, the pressure was always going to be on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to deliver a compelling replacement. Ultimately, Warlock served as muscle for the High Evolutionary in the film. While his arc does leave him in an interesting position by the end of the story, it was ultimately not enough to make up for his absence in the Infinity Saga.
Guardians of the Galaxy 3's Adam Warlock Appearance Isn't Even A Proper Debut
Similarly, the arc given to Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy 3 means it is not a proper debut of the comic character. The reason for this comes from Warlock's premature "birth" in the MCU. It is revealed that the High Evolutionary removed Adam Warlock from his birthing pod early as a means of capturing Rocket, meaning Warlock's mind was underdeveloped. This meant that Warlock acted like a child, with little to no knowledge about the universe, for the entire run time.
As a result, Warlock served as the comic relief of the film, alongside the main muscle for the High Evolutionary. While again, this worked for a story centered so intensely on the Guardians themselves, it was underwhelming knowing the importance of the comic book character. Adam Warlock's Marvel Comics debut was similar; he did not know much of the universe upon his creation. However, this did not last long, and Warlock was quickly reborn as the stoic, heroic character who fought against Thanos. Although, with Guardians of the Galaxy 3 leaving Warlock off for future adventures, the character will likely serve a longer arc to transition into his comic character.
How The MCU Can Do Better By Adam Warlock In Future Movies
The first post-credit scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 presents Adam Warlock as a member of the new Guardians team led by Rocket, something that bodes well for his MCU future. If a Guardians of the Galaxy 4 were to be made, the character would likely receive a much deeper focus by being a central member of the team. His role as the antagonist worked for Guardians of the Galaxy 3, but there is no denying it was underwhelming compared to his heroic comic book counterpart.
In the future though, Warlock can transition into the comic character many wished to see in Infinity War, Endgame, or Guardians of the Galaxy 3. While James Gunn will not be returning to the MCU to make another Guardians film, hopefully, the writers and directors of this potential project give the characters of the film as well-rounded arcs as has been the norm for the first Guardians trilogy. By giving the character more development, Warlock could easily become one of the Multiverse Saga's best new additions, especially with an actor as talented as Will Poulter in the role.
Also, the MCU could give Warlock a big role to play in the Multiverse Saga's overall story in order to make up for his lack of presence in the Infinity Saga. By making Warlock instrumental in the fight against Kang, the character would be given a story as big as it was in the comics. While not tying to Thanos or the Infinity Stones like the comics Warlock did, including the MCU's Adam Warlock as a major player in Phase 6, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Avengers: Secret Wars could make up for the somewhat underwhelming debut he was given in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
