If you’ve ever read “Infinity Gauntlet,” you probably noticed one major player missing from Avengers: Infinity War. Or if you’ve never read that book, but have any passing familiarity with Marvel’s cosmic side, you still probably noticed someone missing. That would be Adam Warlock, a complicated character who, FYI, does not show up in the movie.
Some fans saw the Captain Marvel symbol in the Avengers: Infinity War end credits and thought, “oh man, is that for Adam Warlock?” If so, you’re both a very good nerd, and a very bad nerd. Because it was pretty clearly Captain Marvel. I’m sorry.
But just because he won’t be showing up here, doesn’t mean Mr. Warlock doesn’t have a big future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Who is Adam Warlock?
Here’s the short version! He was created a group called the Enclave. He battled a bunch of superheroes, died, and came back. Multiple times, and usually thanks to a cocoon.
He’s essentially a sorcerer, and connected with the Soul Stone: often on dying, his spirit will return to it. When he comes back, he usually brings someone (or someones) with him.
More importantly, he’s the guy who rallies all the heroes in “Infinity Gauntlet,” and eventually wrests the shiny glove from Thanos. He takes the stones (called gems in the books), and distributes them to a bunch of friends. He leads a team called The Infinity Watch, participates in a bunch of cosmic events, and dies a bunch more times.
Also, he’s got an evil twin from the future named The Magus who has mucked with the universe a lot.
Who is Adam Warlock in the MCU?
He’s actually been referenced a few times. In The Collector’s (Benicio del Toro), er, collection, there’s a cocoon that’s based off Adam Warlock’s cocoon in the comics. You can sneak a peek at it in Guardians of the Galaxy, and Thor: The Dark World.
But that isn’t actually Adam. The first time we really “see” him is the post-credits sequence in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. After her defeat, Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) decides to take revenge on the Guardians by creating a new, powerful being.
“That, my child, is the next step in our evolution. More powerful. More beautiful. More capable of destroying the Guardians of the Galaxy. I think I shall call him… Adam.”
…she says. That’s Adam Warlock, so there’s every chance we’ll see him next in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3.
Will Adam Warlock be in Avengers 4?
Nope. There are already more than enough characters and plotlines to deal with in Infinity War 2 (or whatever it ends up being called). Adam Warlock was tentatively talked about at one point, but Marvel decided adding him in the mix would be too complicated.
*whispers* They’re correct.
Anyway, if you’ve got to have your Adam Warlock fix, I recommend checking out the currently running “Infinity Countdown.” Or, you can wait a few months for “Infinity Wars,” the next massive crossover from Marvel. He’s in both!
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