Movies

Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 Finds Its Adam Warlock In Will Poulter

Will Poulter Midsommar A24
By Joshua Meyer/

Big news, Marvelites: your favorite superhero film studio has cast Will Poulter as Adam Warlock in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."

Adam Warlock is a major comic book character who played a huge role in the original "Infinity Gauntlet" and "Infinity War" miniseries. Outside a credits tease in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," he hasn't been introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet. As such, he wasn't included in "Avengers: Infinity War" or "Avengers: Endgame." However, we heard back in 2017 that he was originally a big character in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" but was now being saved for "Vol. 3."

Director James Gunn himself has confirmed that Poulter is playing Adam Warlock. On Twitter, he wrote, "As you guys know I often strike down false rumors, so... um... Welcome to the Guardians family, Will Poulter. He's an amazing actor and wonderful guy. See you in a couple weeks."

You can see his tweet below:

Poulter is known for his work in films like "Midsommar," "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch," "Detroit," and "The Revenant." He almost played Pennywise the Clown in "It," but had to back out due to scheduling conflicts, so the role went to Bill Skarsgard instead. No, we didn't get to see Poulter in white clown makeup, but with his casting as Adam Warlock, we should be able to see him in orange (or gold?) body paint.

On Twitter, Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter noted that Rege-Jean Page and George MacKay were also considered for the coveted role of Adam Warlock prior to Poulter's casting.

Adam Warlock: Hero or Villain?

Adam Warlock Marvel Comics

Adam Warlock has a long, convoluted comic book history in which he's functioned mainly as a hero but also as an occasional villain. The end credits scene in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" did seem to set him up as a potential antagonist for the Guardians. It showed Elizabeth Debicki's gold-skinned character, Ayesha, unveiling a gold growth chamber with a new artificial being she had created to destroy the Guardians.

This is Adam Warlock, who once led the Infinity Watch and was a keeper of the green Soul Stone in the comics. Based on the character's history, it wouldn't be surprising if he started out as an enemy of the Guardians before coming over to the side of the heroes by the end. Either way, Poulter is a good actor and a fantastic choice for the role.

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" arrives on May 5, 2023, but before that, we'll get to see the Guardians in their holiday special on the Disney+ streaming service in December 2022.

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