Adam Warlock Is Completely Wasted In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
This article contains spoilers for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."
While he may not possess the clout of a Spider-Man or Incredible Hulk, the Marvel Comics character of Adam Warlock is nonetheless a significant figure in many of the company's larger stories. Indeed, Adam Warlock was perhaps the key figure in the fight against Thanos, and the Mad Titan's quest to acquire the Infinity Stones (called Infinity Gems in the comics). It's unusual that Marvel Studios made a long series of films that hovered around Thanos and climaxed with a fight against him, and never thought to incorporate Adam Warlock. Indeed, Adam Warlock is only now being introduced in "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3," long after Thanos was a threat. His absence in "Avengers: Infinity War" — at least to deep-cut Marvel Comics readers — was noticeable.
Briefly: Adam Warlock was, in comic book form, a longtime holder of the Soul Gem. At the end of the "Infinity Gauntlet" story — the one where Thanos wiped out half the universe — Adam Warlock ended up in possession of all the Gems. It would be Warlock's use of the Gems that would inspire additional all-Marvel crossover events like "The Infinity War," "The Infinity Crusade," and several others. His aloof, Olympian, weirdly spiritual nature (he could steal people's souls) was a good balance for Marvel's usual "soldiers of fortune."
Frustratingly, now that Adam Warlock has been brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in chapter 32, he remained largely sidelined. He wasn't the central villain of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," nor even the henchman of the central villain. He was the gofer of a Sovereign Priestess who worked for the central villain. Actor Will Poulter captured the aloof character of Adam Warlock accurately, but his role is so minor, one wonders why they bothered at all.
The sub-sub villain
There are moments in the MCU, when the characters take a moment to stop being flip and quippy, and people look into the heavens and scrape against the infinite. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) finds himself looking into the eyes of Eternity in "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2." The Eternals' very existence is predicated on a timeline billions and billions of years long. One of the series' main characters is literally an ancient Norse deity. But because of the comedic tone of the MCU, most characters tend to look at the problems in front of them in a dismissive and/or practical fashion. They rarely bother to contemplate or discuss the largesse of the cosmic problems they face.
In the comics, this was Adam Warlock's stock in trade. He was often seen laying about on asteroids, having inner debates about the ethics of taking people's souls, and whether or not he can count himself as a legitimate Messiah. He's the kind of character that could have stepped into the MCU as a teacher, a parent, a sage, or an actual adult in the room. There was every opportunity for Warlock to sit down with goofy characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy and try to humble them with the enormity of the cosmos. Comedy would ensure, naturally, when the Guardians were inevitably unable to understand.
But "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3" has no such interest in giving Adam Warlock any kind of significant time to talk, nor even a heady attitude to espouse. Instead, director James Gunn made him into an indestructible fight machine. He is appropriately aloof, thank goodness, and has affected an air of superiority, but it was more because he was born only a few months previous and doesn't quite understand most social cues.
Tiny roles or tiny actors
Adam Warlock's role in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is almost not necessary. He was sent by the High Priestess (Elizabeth Debicki) to retrieve Rocket Racoon's brain for the High Evolutionary, and he behaves like a cudgel, smashing through walls to get it. It seems the only reason the Priestess couldn't do that herself is because of her royal propriety and to add an element of mystery to the film's opening. By the end of the film, Adam Warlock has been smacked around a few times, and his threatening nature is dissolved. Luckily, he learns to recognize the familial warmth between the Guardians, so his shift from villainy to heroism feels natural. In a mid-credits stinger, Adam Warlock is a member of the group. He announces that he is now a big fan of King Crimson.
It's in keeping with the character that Warlock should be made warm and gentle; he's not a typical action badass. The issue is that he is a deep-thinking character who wasn't allowed to think deeply. The issue is that his appearance could have warranted a lot more talk and discussion. Instead, he was a supporting player in a sub-plot related to the High Evolutionary.
Indeed, the entire plot with the Sovereign Priestess and Adam Warlock could easily have been cut from "Vol. 3" without much changing the basic beats. The High Evolutionary wants Rocket Racoon and has some of his own agents on the case. That the High Priestess also wanted to deliver Rocket to the High Evolutionary — for ego reasons, I suppose — didn't much add to the film's mystery or drama.
It's upsetting to think that Adam Warlock was finally, finally dusted off for a live-action appearance, and he wasn't more gracefully incorporated into the movie.