Guardians of the Galaxy 3: Is Peacemaker's Chukwudi Iwuji Playing Marvel's High Evolutionary?

We know for a fact Chukwudi Iwuji has joined the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, having last worked with Guardians helmer James Gunn on HBO Max's Peacemaker series. Outside of that, little has been revealed about the character's role. Fast forward to Monday, and word quickly spread of a rumor positioning Iwuji as the overarching villain of Vol. 3.

According to a new report from ScreenGeek, Iwuji will appear as the High Evolutionary, a fan-favorite Marvel villain who many have expected to appear in the feature due to the anticipated storylines involving Rocket Raccoon. In the Marvel source material, the High Evolutionary has "played God," if you will, and dabbled in various different types of experimentations. 

Interestingly enough, Gunn himself has yet to comment on the matter, and the filmmaker is typically adamant when an actor has been miscast by media outlet or social media reports.

"It's been a strange & long & at times challenging journey to get here, but the obstacles along the way have only made this moment more blissful. Back on set with my Guardians family for the first day of shooting," Gunn wrote in his initial tweet commemorating the start of production on Vol. 3.

"Chuk has indeed joined the cast," he continued in a second tweet. "After working with him on [Peacemaker] I wasn't about to let go of one of the best actors I've ever worked with – so I gave him the role most every big name actor in Hollywood wanted."

Iwuji has even praised Gunn for casting him in the MCU film, though he stopped short of confirming who he was playing.

"As an artist you hope to encounter a champion to open doors for you," Iwuji wrote last year. "Thank you [James Gunn] for practically kicking the doors off the hinges. Let's Play!!!" 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is due to hit theaters May 5, 2023. I Am Groot and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special have yet to receive release dates.

What other Guardians characters would you like to see spinoffs of? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!