Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Who is Adam Warlock?

After years of anticipation, the Cosmic Adventurer known as Adam Warlock is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From the earliest days of development of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it's been apparent Adam would be a part of the production in some form. Now that we're just days away from the debut of Vol. 3, we know Will Poulter is playing the Golden God in what's sure to be just the first of many MCU appearances.

Regarding a character like Adam Warlock, few are as complex as the cosmic icon. Not only is he one of the longest-tenured heroes amongst the stars, but the character has swapped sides from heroics to villainy on more than one occasion. In fact, his archnemesis The Magus is even a manifestation of his own worst attributes.

Is Adam Warlock a Villain?

For the first five years of his publishing history, the character that would go on to be known as Adam Warlock was known by no more than Him. Created by a group of space occultists named the Enclave, appeared trading blows with many Asgardians throughout his earliest tales including Thor and Lady Sif.

Fast forward five years from his first appearance in 1967's Fantastic Four #66 and...

Enter, Adam Warlock

After one of his tussles with an Asgardian left him near death, Him retreated into his cocoon to regenerate. He was then reborn thanks to the High Evolutionary, who gifted him the Soul Gem and set him on his path. It's right around here when things will likely start deviating from the source material when it comes to the movie.

As we all saw in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) created Adam Warlock as a part of her duties with The Sovereign. Within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it would appear The Soverign has taken the place of the Enclave, and it appears the group isn't connected to the High Evolutionary—as far as we know as of this writing.

Not only that, but the Soul Stone—the live-action version of the Soul Gem—was destroyed as a part of the plot to Avengers: Endgame. Given the MacGuffin plays a sizable role in Warlock's comics story, especially when it comes to groups like the Infinity Watch, it's likely James Gunn and the filmmakers behind Vol. 3 have altered the stone that'll be placed in his head.

What powers does Adam Warlock have?

Since Adam Warlock has control of the Soul Gem in the comics, most would say the character is about as close to omnipotent as one can be in the Marvel Universe. An artificial being, Adam Warlock has longed stalked the stars with a traditional superhero skillset—incredible speed, invincibility, and sufficient energy projection.

Throughout the years, the character has also demonstrated the ability to communicate telepathically with others in addition to practicing clairvoyance. While he's still not quite to the level of, say, Gladiator or Sentry in becoming Marvel's "Superman," he is one of cosmic Marvel's toughest characters nonetheless.

Does Adam Warlock join the Guardians of the Galaxy?

Powers aside, it's incredibly likely Warlock will be both hero and villain in Vol. 3. Given he's essentially a cyborg, he's probably starting the movie by hunting down the Guardians on behalf of Ayesha and The Sovereign. At some point, however, don't be surprised to see the character turn babyface as he joins up with the Guardians to help take the High Evolutionary down. After all, Adam Warlock is one of the most popular members of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 enters theaters May 5th.

To celebrate the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, ComicBook.com is teaching you everything you need to know about the newest movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Check out ComicBook CRAM every day before the release of Vol. 3 and click here for even more content to find out everything you need to know about the new movie!