Avengers 5 & 6 Must Give Us The Adam Warlock That 4 MCU Movies Failed To

:0:0

After Adam Warlock's introduction in the MCU's Phase 5, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars need to put Marvel Studios' new hero in the spotlight. Will Poulter was revealed to be joining the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in October 2021, confirmed to be playing Adam Warlock, adapted from the cosmic character of the same name from Marvel Comics. Adam Warlock's debut in the MCU's Phase 5 paid off years of teasing the character and is sure to change the power levels of the MCU significantly, as Warlock is one of the most formidable heroes in Marvel Comics, but Poulter's casting has also been criticized.
Adam Warlock first appeared as Him in Marvel Comics' 1967 story, Fantastic Four #66, before being dubbed Adam Warlock in 1972. Created on Earth by the Enclave, Adam was to be the next step in human evolution before he rebelled against his creators and escaped to forge his own path. In the MCU, his origins were changed drastically, though he is connected to the High Evolutionary and the Guardians of the Galaxy in both the MCU and the comics. However, since four MCU projects have failed to deliver a comic-accurate Adam, it seems Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars have a lot of work to do.
Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 Only Briefly Teased Adam Warlock

Marvel Studios provided their first tease of Adam Warlock's debut back in 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's post-credits scenes. James Gunn's second MCU project broke the records by including five post-credits scenes, one of which showed Ayesha, the High Priestess of the Sovereign, vowing revenge after being betrayed by the Guardians of the Galaxy. This scene established a huge change in Adam Warlock's origin story in the MCU, as it was revealed that the Sovereign had created him, though he wasn't actually seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 outside of his iconic cocoon.
Many have criticized Marvel Studios for teasing storylines in their post-credits scenes that would fail to see a payoff for years, and while this has become much more prominent in Phases 4 and 5, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 also fell victim to this scrutiny. There was an expectation that Adam Warlock would debut prior to Avengers: Infinity War, as he plays such a huge role in the Marvel Comics storyline, but this didn't come to fruition. Before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the glimpse of Adam Warlock's cocoon was the only hint audiences had at the introduction of this super-powerful cosmic hero.
Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame Ignored Adam Warlock's Big Comics Story

In Marvel Comics, the High Evolutionary gifted Adam Warlock the Soul Gem (the MCU's Soul Stone), which made him a key player in the Infinity Gauntlet storyline that saw Thanos embark on his quest to collect the six Infinity Stones. Though Warlock and Thanos had previously been tentative allies, Thanos' conquest soured their bond and transformed Adam into the Mad Titan's staunch adversary. This storyline led to Adam Warlock establishing the Infinity Watch in Marvel Comics, with each member watching over a single Infinity Gem to ensure that nobody could ever complete the Infinity Gauntlet again.
After Avengers: Infinity War was confirmed to be in development at Marvel Studios, many expected Adam Warlock to be introduced to play a major role in the Phase 3 crossover film. However, since he had only been teased in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and the whereabouts of the Soul Stone was still unknown, Adam wasn't written into the Russo Brothers' Infinity Saga spectacular at all. Avengers: Endgame could have debuted Adam Warlock, perhaps bringing him in to aid the remaining Avengers in finally defeating Thanos, but this didn't occur either, leaving many die-hard Marvel Comics fans confused and questioning when exactly Adam would finally make his appearance.
Adam Warlock Was Very Different In Guardians Of The Galaxy 3

James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 finally brought Adam Warlock into the MCU, portrayed by Will Poulter of The Maze Runner, Midsommar, and The Revenant fame. However, Poulter's depiction of Adam Warlock was a far cry from what many Marvel Comics fans were expecting, as the character wasn't seen to be the confident, poised, and supremely powerful hero that many are familiar with. Instead, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's Adam is child-like, bumbling, and unaware of the sheer level of his power - proved when he unwittingly incinerates a Ravager that he and Ayesha were intent on interrogating.
This change was explained as Adam Warlock being removed too soon from his cocoon, an action granted by the High Evolutionary so that he could use Adam to track down and capture Rocket. While this does suggest that Adam Warlock will have a bright future in the MCU, as the franchise will watch him grow and develop into the superhero from Marvel Comics, it was slightly disappointing to witness Adam's MCU debut being downplayed so much. Of course, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was the ending of the titular team's story and only an introduction for Warlock, but he still wasn't done justice in the Phase 5 film.
How Avengers 5 & 6 Can Deliver The Adam Warlock Everyone Expected

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's post-credits scenes saw Adam Warlock join the new Guardians of the Galaxy team alongside Rocket, Groot, Kraglin, Cosmo, and MCU newcomer Phyla. While it's unclear where this new team might appear next in the MCU, the fact that they were teased in the film's post-credits scene suggests they'll make further appearances and develop their stories significantly. This is great news for Adam Warlock, as it means that a potential Guardians of the Galaxy 4, and most likely Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars will see him learn more about his abilities and perhaps start to resemble his super-powerful Marvel Comics counterpart.
The Guardians of the Galaxy joined the Avengers for the first time in the MCU's Avengers: Infinity War, and Infinity War and Endgame saw Rocket form bonds with several Avengers, so it's possible he could lead his new Guardians of the Galaxy team into battle against Kang the Conqueror in the MCU's Phase 6. This means that Adam Warlock could get his time to shine in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, perhaps paving the way for him to be a pivotal character for the MCU's cosmic future. Adam Warlock's involvement in the MCU's Phase 6 could quickly help to fix Marvel Studios' past failures with the character.
Key Release Dates