Evidence Suggests GOTG 3 Has a Secret Villain (And We Might Know Who)
Evidence in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Trailers and Comic Book Links Suggest a Marvel Character Is the Movie's Secret Villain
There's evidence that Marvel Comics' secret villain is lurking in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The trailer for the upcoming Phase 5 movie suggests that the Guardians' next antagonist is Chukwudi Iwuji's Advanced Evolver, but it's not out of the question that completely different characters will be a major source of conflict in the movie. As for who that person might be, the comics and trailer offer some huge clues.
So far, Guardians of the Galaxy have at least two hurdles to overcome in their return to the big screen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. First, the team has to deal with the MCU's Adam Warlock, who is mocked as an enemy of the Future Guardians in one of the second film's end credits scenes. However, Warlock's reputation as a hero in the comics makes him an unlikely true villain. Advanced Evolvers, on the other hand, have a long history of causing trouble in the Marvel Universe and fighting heroes like Thor and the X-Men. He's the obvious choice for the film's main villain, but he's not the only candidate. Another Marvel Comics Character May Be Revealed as the Real Mastermind Behind the Battle Movie.
Adam Warlock's Original Mission In Marvel Comics Explained
The movie's relationship to Adam Warlock and Advanced Evolution dates back to a lesser-known storyline in Marvel Comics' Bronze Age. Years after Adam first made his comic book debut as Him, the genetic super-creature who fought Thor and the Fantastic Four, he resurfaced under the name he's known today. Strange Tales' Adam Warlock arc picks up after the events of his battle with Thor, seeing him wander aimlessly through space. His life's directionless days are over when he meets the High Evolutionary, a scientist and Thor's recurring villain. Seeing an opportunity in Adam, the Advanced Evolvers tried to ally with him.
Advanced Evolution entrusts Adam Warlock with an important mission to Counter-Earth, a replica of his Earth, with its own population. Adam's task is to investigate the activities of man and beast. Man-Beast started out as a wolf that scientists "evolved" into an anthropomorphic humanoid with superpowers. After developing the ability to think intelligently, humans and beasts became Thor's enemies, and finally set their sights on Anti-Earth. In order to defeat him, the advanced evolutionary gave The Soul Stone Adam knew its power would be invaluable to him in battle.
With the Soul Stone in hand, Adam enjoyed many adventures on the Reverse-Earth, and even made a few friends along the way. His stay on Earth culminated in a team-up between Adam and the Hulk, who must work together to take down the Man-Beast in the pages of The Incredible Hulk #178.
Since their decisive battle, Adam and Beast have mostly gone on different paths, but despite their rivalry being short-lived, Adam's conflict with Beast is remembered as a key part of his Marvel Comics story. People remember. Everything he's been through (including his acquisition of the Soul Stone) set the stage for him to become a cosmic superhero and an enemy of Thanos in the years that followed.
Why Man-Beast May Be Hiding In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Interestingly, the MCU seems to loosely interpret this particular episode in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. After all, it's hard to imagine a coincidence that Adam Warlock and Advanced Evolution appeared in the same movie. Looking at what happened in the manga, the latter would make perfect sense Recruit Adam on-screen or off-screen. By all indications, his goals may be similar to those of his comic book counterpart. The trailer shows the Guardians visiting an Earth-like planet populated by humanoids that resemble Rocket Raccoons. If this place exists as a product of advanced evolution, it could be the MCU's take on the Anti-Earth concept. If that's the case, Will Poulter's Adam Warlock might have been cast as Guardians Against Earth.
Currently, Marvel appears to have borrowed several different elements of the story from the original comics. Adam Warlock, advanced evolutionaries, animals transformed into intelligent beings, and possibly the Anti-Earth will all appear in the film. Presumably its biggest omission is Man-Beast. But there's no sign of him in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer, there's actually no evidence that he's not in the movie. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising if he was included. He is Adam's first villain, a creature of advanced evolution, the main character in the Counter-Earth story, and a creature with animal features, not unlike Rocket. Based on knowing him, he fits in seamlessly Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
How Man-Beast Can Explain The Guardians' Final MCU Mission
The trailer makes it clear that the Advanced Evolver is the long-awaited answer to all questions about Rocket's MCU origins, but the exact reason why the Guardians fought him has not yet been explained, nor has Marvel revealed why they went Travel to the mysterious planet featured in the trailer. But if Man-Beast is really Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the real villain, and his addition will make everything that happens in the trailer clear. Similar to how Advanced Evolution required Warlock Adam to fight Man-Beast on Anti-Earth, he could find Guardians and send them to Anti-Earth for the same purpose. If so, his intention may have been for Star-Lord's team to join Adam against the Man-Beast.
The MCU version of Beast could serve as the opposite of Rocket, making him an ideal candidate for the film's central villain. In a way, Rocket and Man-Beast represent two very different paths taken by High Evolutionary's experimental product. Unlike Rocket, who became part of the Guardians, Marvel Comics' Beast allowed himself to be consumed by hatred This turned him into a full-fledged supervillain. By battling the beasts in Guardians of the Galaxy. 3. Rocket can look in the mirror and see what he can become in the MCU.
