Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Who Is Chukwudi Iwuji Playing?

Monday morning, the cameras began to roll on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, with director James Gunn sharing a snapshot of himself along with the film’s cast celebrating the momentous occasion. As you might expect, Will Poulter was visible alongside the rest of the primary Guardians cast. There was one surprise, however, as the photo included Chukwudi Iwuji, an actor that’s set to appear in Gunn’s Peacemaker series on HBO Max in January. Shortly after the photo was released, Gunn confirmed Iwuji has been cast in the film, teasing what seems to be a hefty role.

“Chuk has indeed joined the cast,” the filmmaker confirmed. “A 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.”

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With a tease such as that, the biggest question remains—who is Iwuji going to end up playing?

The first character that pops to mind is someone along the likes of Silver Surfer, one of the biggest cosmic characters that has yet to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Furthermore, Gunn also teased the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special including one of the oddest character in the Marvel canon.

Then there’s the idea he could be playing the film’s primary antagonist. While Poulter’s Adam Warlock will probably come to blows with the eponymous group at first, it’s possible there’s someone pulling the strings elsewhere behind the strings. Think of it as the Ego and Ayesha set-up from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. If that’s the case, there’s the possibility Iwuji landed the role of the High Evolutionary.

Since it’s expected the film will largely focus on Rocket, a popular theory amongst most is that means fans will see the High Evolutionary in live-action, as he produces various of his different experiments, including Rocket.

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.

Who would you like to see the actor play in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!

Cover photo by Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage