Will Poulter has officially debuted as Adam Warlock in the first trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.

The actor briefly appeared as the Marvel Comics character near the end of the trailer, sporting a comics-accurate look and seemingly fighting Karen Gillan's Nebula. Adam Warlock was first teased in one of the post-credits scenes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) when Sovereign High Priestess Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) revealed his cocoon, which was inspired by his original Fantastic Four introduction.

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The news that Poulter was cast as Adam Warlock broke in Oct. 2021, with the actor later disclosing that he originally had no clue who he was auditioning for at the time. "I first auditioned in June of last year [2021], and that was the first time I auditioned, and then I kind of got the role in September, I think," the actor said in May 2022. "I didn’t know what character, initially, I was auditioning for. I kind of knew sort of closer to the time [of casting] who I was reading for. Although I wasn’t familiar with Adam Warlock beforehand, I was very familiar with Guardians of the Galaxy, and it was kind of my favorite ‘planet’ within the Marvel universe, if you like."

Who Is Adam Warlock?

Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, Adam Warlock debuted across Fantastic Four #66 and #67 in 1967, where he was unnamed and referred to only as "Him." He was reintroduced as Adam Warlock in 1972's Marvel Premiere #1 by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane. The character became a crucial part of the Marvel Universe's cosmic side and played a significant role in the various Infinity storylines. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 serves as the character's live-action debut after previously only appearing in print and animation.

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Warlock's role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe threequel is currently being kept under wraps, with the only confirmed character details being that he is a powerful artificial being created by the Sovereign to destroy the Guardians. Although fans only saw a bit of Poulter's Warlock in the trailer, writer-director James Gunn has previously praised the actor's performance, believing audiences will quickly throw their support behind the new MCU character. "He's the best," Gunn said of Poulter. "He's killing it. People are going to really love Adam -- or love? They're going to appreciate Adam Warlock, I'll say." Gunn has also revealed that the film will put its "own take on Adam."

In addition to Poulter, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone, Chukwudi Iwuji and Maria Bakalova. The film is scheduled to open in theaters on May 5, 2023, as part of Phase 5 of the MCU.

Source: Marvel Studios