Marvel Studios prevented one particular major character from appearing in The Marvels.
The most recent MCU outing, which serves as a sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel, brings together three massive heroes for a notably cosmic team-up: Brie Larson's Carol Danvers, Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel.
The Marvels, which is the shortest MCU movie to date, sees the trio team up to take down the villain Dar-Benn, who will be "hellbent on saving the Kree home planet of Hala:"
Turns out that, in an alternate world, Carol and her team would have been joined by another cosmic character.
Adam Warlock Almost Partook in The Marvels
In an interview with Jake’s Takes on YouTube, The Marvels director Nia DeCosta shared how she was prevented from using Adam Warlock in the movie.
When asked what the director might have done if she could have had complete reign within the MCU without worrying about Marvel Studios’s bigger plans, DaCosta shared that, at one point, she pitched “having Adam Warlock” and “time travel” for the sequel:
“Actually, interestingly, one of the first things I pitched with way back when was having Adam Warlock and time travel in the movie. But Adam was going to be in 'Guardians 3,' and I think they have enough time travel on 'Loki,' so we didn’t do that, but we have some fun stuff in that realm in the movie anyway.”
She went on to describe how Warlock would be “[brought] into the present:”
“So, my big plan, which is part of what’s amazing about doing something in such a big universe, so many films, was like, ‘Well, if we introduce Adam Warlock here, we bring him into the present and then in another movie we understand where he was coming from sort of thing,’ so it was into our contemporary for the movie.”
From the sounds of it, Warlock would’ve likely been an antagonist—though the director didn’t share any further concrete details on what his role was.
While Warlock isn't The Marvels, Will Poulter’s character did make his official debut earlier this year in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. By the end of the movie, he was even a part of the team’s new roster.
Maybe in a future project, the group can come into contact with Carol Danvers and her allies. After all, the actor admitted that he’d love to crossover with the likes of the Avengers in a future storyline.
The Marvels' Many MCU Connections
While Will Poulter's Adam Warlock doesn't join the titular team for The Marvels, Carol Danvers and the trio are joined by a surprising number of familiar faces.
For one, Tessa Thompson's King Valkyrie briefly showed up, with the scene heavily hinting towards a past relationship between her and Carol. The movie even managed to bridge the gap to the X-Men through its post-credits scene, finally bringing other mutants into the fold.
One interesting omission from the movie though was that of Josh Brolin's Thanos. A recent trailer for The Marvels seemed to tease the return of the Mad Titan with dialogue that's never been used elsewhere, but he was nowhere to be found in the final cut. Perhaps the promotional footage was a misdirect, or from a scene left on the cutting room floor.
The Marvels is out in theaters now.
