Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 teases an awesome new character we can look forward to seeing
in the future Marvel Cosmic Universe, including Guardians Vol. 3, the final movie in James
Gunn's trilogy.
Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers, it's Jan here and in this this video, I'm going to explain
and break down what the end-credits tease of the comic-book character Adam Warlock means
for potential storylines in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and also Avengers 4.
Don't forget my Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 giveaway is also running here and for a
chance to win just subscribe and leave a comment on this video.
And there'll be full details about the giveaway and prizes at the end.
Obviously, there are spoilers ahead for Guardians Vol. 2 and speculation about the future MCU.
So, if you prefer, a spoiler-free video, you can tap in the top-right of the screen for
my Guardians 2 movie review.
Let's start with a brief reminder of the mid-credits scene, which opens with Ayesha, the High Priestess
of the Sovereign race, sitting slumped in front of a wall of gold birthing pods.
Ayesha reveals that she's created "the next step in [the Sovereign's] evolution", a being
"more powerful, more beautiful, more capable of destroying the Guardians of the Galaxy",
who she says she'll call Adam.
All of which is a huge tease for Adam Warlock appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.
3.
By the way, Adam's birthing pod in this scene has some similarities to the cocoon we saw
with the Collector in the first Guardians movie and which many people at the time thought
could have been an Adam Warlock easter egg.
This time around though, the pod definitely is a nod to the cocoon in which the gold-skinned
Adam Warlock was formed in the comics.
Warlock was created in Fantastic Four #66 by a group of scientists called the Enclave
who sought to genetically engineer a perfect race of human beings that could rule over
the world.
Initially, the character had no name, and was only referred to as "Him", and I liked
the movie's subtle call-out to that fact when Ayesha says, "I think I shall call him…
Adam."
Ayesha thinks she's created a powerful antagonist to the Guardians of the Galaxy.
But I wonder if she might get a nasty surprise when Adam finally emerges from his birthing
pod, as in the comics, Adam's creators were also going to manipulate him to do their bidding,
but that did not end well for them as he didn't like their nefarious plans and escaped pretty
sharpish, leaving behind a scene of devastation.
On the other hand, it's possible that when Adam appears properly in the next Guardians
movie, he'll feel a kind of kinship or connection with Ayesha because they've both been created
in birthing pods, and designed to be physically and mentally impeccable, as all the Sovereign
people are.
By the way, in the comics, like Adam Warlock, Ayesha was also created by the Enclave group
of scientists and lashed out against them.
Her comic-book backstory is rather complicated, but suffice to say that in one of her early
forms, she was known as "Her", before taking on the name of Kismet, and later Ayesha.
OK, getting back to Adam Warlock: in the comics, later he becomes a member of the Guardians
of the Galaxy.
However, in the MCU, at the moment, it looks like he's being set up to work with Ayesha
as an antagonist to the Guardians, which is intriguing because, in the comics, there's
an evil version of Adam Warlock known as the Magus.
The Magus is actually a god who is worshipped by the Universal Church of Truth, and I think
there's a really interesting link here with the MCU's Ayesha, who is the High Priestess
of the Sovereign race.
So, could the Sovereign actually be the MCU's own take on the Universal Church of Truth,
the intolerant religious sect that went on an expansionist rampage throughout the comic-book
universe?
And could the film's version of Ayesha play a similar role to the Matriarch, who was the
leader of the Church in the comics?
I'd love to know your thoughts on that.
In the comics, the Guardians of the Galaxy stood up against the Church, so perhaps this
could be a future storyline we'll see in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
And I wonder whether there's also a potential link to another cosmic dark force in the MCU?
That is, Dormammu and the Dark Dimension, which was introduced in the Doctor Strange
movie.
It'll be fascinating to see if they connect these up.
Now, one of the major comic book storylines that Adam Warlock is crucial to is the Infinity
Gauntlet and, in particular, he has a very strong connection to the Soul Gem in the comics.
It's a complicated and lengthy story which involves masses of Marvel's heroes, Warlock
included, joining forces against Thanos, but one of the highlights is that Adam Warlock
not only wields the Gauntlet himself, but he also puts together the Infinity Watch,
which was basically, individuals who each protected one of the Infinity Gems.
If you're thinking this means we'll get Adam Warlock introducing the Soul Stone in or before
Avengers: Infinity War, this is sadly very unlikely because James Gunn doesn't plan to
introduce the character until Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which takes place after
the Infinity War movie.
Gunn has said, though, that as Guardians Vol. 3 is happening after the culmination of Marvel's
Phase 3, the third Guardians movie will launch both new and old Marvel characters into the
next ten years and beyond, and there are big plans ahead for the character of Adam Warlock
in the Marvel cosmic universe.
Speaking of which, a comment by Zoe Saldana, who plays Gamora, suggested that Avengers
4, which is the next Avengers movie after Infinity War, may be titled "Infinity Gauntlet".
So, given Adam Warlock's connections to the Infinity Gauntlet in the comics, could he
pop up in Avengers 4?
Not if we take James Gunn at his word, as he's tweeted that Guardians Vol. 3 will take
place after Avengers 4 as well.
At this point, it seems likely that Avengers: Infinity War will feature Thanos gathering
the infinity stones to unite them all in the gauntlet by the end of the movie, facing opposition
from Marvel's heroes along the way.
After all, we did see Thanos wield the Gauntlet complete with all the Infinity Stones in a
promo Marvel released in 2014.
According to Kevin Feige, the MCU's Thanos has similar motives to his comic-book counterpart.
In the comics, Thanos' desire to wield the Infinity Gauntlet is tied up with his desire
to impress Mistress Death, who he adores.
By the way, it wouldn't surprise me if Marvel decide to use Goddess of Death, Hela, who's
played by Cate Blanchett, as a suitable substitute to save introducing the comic-book character
Mistress Death in the Avengers movies.
So, Avengers 4 could find Thanos wielding the power of the Gauntlet and also still battling
Marvel's heroes, hence its rumoured subtitle, Infinity Gauntlet, as in the comics, Thanos
used the Gauntlet to obliterate half the population in the universe for Mistress Death.
It would seem a shame, given Adam Warlock's history with the Infinity Gems in the comics,
if he had no role whatsoever in getting the Infinity Stones back from Thanos.
Or if he wasn't put in charge of safekeeping the Gauntlet and the Stones, as he did by
forming the Infinity Watch in the comics.
But maybe that could happen in Guardians Vol. 3?
So, are you excited to see Adam Warlock joining the Marvel Cosmic Universe?
Do you have any theories on how he could fit into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the
rest of the MCU?
And who would you like to see cast in the role?
Don't forget to comment and subscribe to enter my Guardians 2 giveaway.
The prizes include two awesome hardback books from DK, Guardians of the Galaxy: The Ultimate
Guide to the Cosmic Outlaws, which takes an in-depth look at iconic characters, issues
and storylines from the comics.
And I've also got a selection of three very cool Guardians Funko Pop vinyl figures.
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Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers!