The Guardians of the Galaxy continue to be one of Marvel Studios' biggest names in the MCU, and that won't change as Phase 4 continues. After what will likely be a short appearance in this year's Thor: Love and Thunder along with the team's Disney+ Holiday Special, the galactic group of misfits will headline the MCU's Summer 2023 with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
While director James Gunn is currently enjoying the streaming run for his latest project in DC's Peacemaker, he and the team at Marvel are looking to change the cosmic game in the MCU as the Guardians have multiple times. Part of this will come with the introduction of Will Poulter as the superbeing Adam Warlock, although rumors have teased big things for Chukwudi Iwuji's undisclosed role as well.
Iwuji's role is being kept under lock and key, as is the case with many MCU newcomers, although Gunn and the team at Marvel have teased that he will make his presence felt upon his MCU arrival. While Iwuji has remained mum on the matter, for the most part, the actor's most recent interview may have teased something massive coming in the Guardians threequel.
An Ultra-Powerful Character in Guardians 3
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 star Chukwudi Iwuji reflected on the process behind his inclusion in the MCU threequel and teased how powerful his character will be.
Iwuji revealed that he was first offered the role in Guardians 3 "near the beginning of production" on Warner Bros' Peacemaker, where he is also working with director James Gunn. The actor did screen tests for the role in May 2021, and he felt confident that he would be able to bring something new to the MCU with this new role:
"It was near the beginning of production. I knew very early. It was a crazy time. For that to be offered to me so early in production, it was a big deal for me. I think it was around April, maybe March [of 2021], but we didn’t do the screen test until May or something like that. So it was pretty early. James had seen enough of me at that stage to decide he wanted me to be a part of Guardians."
When asked to vaguely describe his undisclosed role in Guardians 3, Iwuji used the terms "extremely powerful" and "complex," possibly more so than any character in the Marvel universe.
"Powerful. Extremely powerful. Complex. James and I were talking about it, but he’s certainly one of, if not the most complex characters we’ve seen in the freaking Marvel universe. So he’s deeply complex and deeply powerful, and I hope intriguing. I hope I bring that to it."
Who Does Iwuji Play in Guardians 3?
Marvel Studios is bringing some of the biggest comic names to Phase 4 projects. That can already be seen with plans to finally adapt the Fantastic Four and the X-Men into the narrative at a future date. However, that doesn't mean the MCU is holding back in the present, as appears to be the case with Iwuji's yet-to-be-named character in Guardians 3.
Gunn and Iwuji have both spoken about the character's strength and importance numerous times during their work on Peacemaker, although they are both keeping quiet on what the specifics of that role entail.
The most prominent rumors thus far have centered on Iwuji playing the MCU's High Evolutionary, who might be Guardians 3's big bad following up from Ronan the Accuser and Ego the Living Planet. The actor wouldn't even attempt to confirm or deny those rumblings, being well aware of Marvel's penchant for secret-keeping, although this casting would certainly mean big things for the completion of Gunn's threequel.
Capable of telepathy and matter manipulation, amongst other intense powers, the High Evolutionary would bring quite the fight to the Guardians as they search for Gamora and likely come face-to-face with the Sovereign from Vol. 2. again. It will almost certainly be some time until Iwuji's role as the High Evolutionary is confirmed or denied, but considering the chatter, his impact will be something to behold.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently filming and will release in theaters on May 5, 2023.
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