Newly-released footage from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 revealed Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock unleashing his cosmic superpowers.
MCU fans might recall that in one of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s five post-credits scenes, Ayesha, ruler of the Sovereign unveils a cocoon-like housing for a creation she called “Adam.”
There hasn’t been any mention of Adam Warlock since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in 2017, but Ayesha’s intent was always to get revenge on the Guardians for their crimes against her people.
Will Poulter will play Adam Warlock in the third Guardians film, but thus far, he’s been absent for much of the threequel’s marketing.
New Guardians Vol. 3 Footage Shows Off Adam’s Power
A new TV spot for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 showed a snippet of footage showing Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock firing an energy blast from his hand.
Adam charges up the blast as he takes the spotlight in his costume:
Another view is shown with the Sovereign just about to fire:
This previously-released piece of promotional art from the film also depicts Warlock using this ability:
As for the exact nature of the character’s powers, according to the biographical page for the comic book version of Adam Warlock from the official Marvel website: “Warlock could project blasts of cosmic energy from his hands as concussive forces.”
Here’s a look at Adam utilizing this particular superpower in the pages of Marvel Comics:
You can watch Will Poulter's Adam Warlock firing his cosmic energy blast at :18 of the spot below:
What Will Adam Warlock’s MCU Role Be?
Considering that, for much of his publication history, Adam Warlock has been portrayed as a superhero, it’s unlikely that his villain status in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is going to stick.
In fact, Guardians director James Gunn himself teased that Adam “could become a really important character” in the MCU going forward. This basically confirms that Will Poulter’s character makes it out of Vol. 3 alive.
Some might argue that Adam’s introduction into the franchise is coming too late, given that he plays a significant part in the Infinity Gauntlet storyline in the books. Marvel Studios has already told the tale of Thanos and the Gauntlet during Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
But it’s always quite possible that Warlock could be used in a big way in either of the upcoming Avengers films. In most incarnations, he’s something of a powerhouse, so he’d serve as a very good ally to the heroes as they go up against Kang the Conqueror.
Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on Friday, May 5.