Adam Warlock Was the Most Difficult Character to Weave Into Guardians 3, James Gunn Says

If it felt like Adam Warlock was maybe a bit too much when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was already juggling so many storylines, you’re not alone. Plus, writer/director James Gunn even had a bit of trouble weaving him into the story.

In an interview with io9, Gunn was asked what among Vol. 3’s many pieces – including Rocket’s origin story, Peter and Gamora’s reunion, and dealing with the High Evolutionary – was the hardest to fit in organically. Hands down, he said, it was Will Poulter’s cosmic being Adam Warlock.

“There’s no doubt it was Adam Warlock,” Gunn said. “It was really difficult. I promised Adam at the end of the other movie. The High Evolutionary has created Adam Warlock’s species, that was the whole way in.”

As Gunn explained, the High Evolutionary is obviously a large part of Rocket’s past and the Recorder characters, Theel and Vim, that were introduced.

“So [Adam Warlock] was the thing that was the most kind of separate that we put back into it,” he continued. “Except that we had also teed up Ayesha in the second movie. So we had all of that. But it was definitely a more difficult part to make a part of it.”

Asked if he felt pressured to put Warlock in, Gunn admitted that he did, and that the character was originally supposed to be in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. He explained how he always likes to have a second opposing force for the protagonists, with Yondu serving that purpose in the first Guardians movie and Ayesha taking that role in Vol. 2.

In Vol. 3, Ayesha and Warlock are the alternate opposing force together.

“I always had him in mind from [Vol. 2], and then he seemed to fit better in this movie than he did in that movie,” Gunn said.

Adam Warlock was first introduced in 1967 in a Fantastic Four book, and his story in the comics heavily revolves around the Soul Gem, which is embedded in his forehead. In addition to having a deep connection to the gems, he’s one of Marvel’s most significant cosmic characters.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hit theaters on May 5. In IGN’s 8/10 review, Joshua Yehl wrote, “Ultimately, Guardians 3 finishes the story that began in 2014 and delivers well-earned answers and closure for this family of misfits. There’s a sophistication to Gunn’s storytelling that’s completely singular to the Guardians movies, where humor, heart, and song intertwine.”

Luis Joshua Gutierrez is a freelance writer who loves games. You can reach him at @ImLuisGutierrez on Twitter.