With all of the announcements out of San Diego Comic Con, one of the most interesting was the confirmation of a rumor concerningGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.While there have been plenty of casting announcements concerning the movie, it’s only now that the audience has learned who some of those cast members are playing. Maria Bakalova is giving voice to Cosmo the space dog while Chukwudi Iwuji will play the High Evolutionary, a part he was long rumored for.
Iwuji most recently worked withGuardiansdirector James Gunn in the HBO Max seriesPeacemaker,andhe appeared at Marvel’s Hall H panel in full costume to confirm his role as the character. Comic book fans will be intrigued at the prospect of the sometimes-villain appearing in the MCU, but for movie fans who are unfamiliar with the character, there is a lot of comic book history from which to draw.
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The High Evolutionary And Mount Wundagore
The High Evolutionary made his comic book debut in Thor’s series in 1966. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character was originally born Herbert Edgar Wyndham, and he became obsessed with studying evolution. So obsessed, in fact, that he found ways to experiment on animals and “evolve” them into human-like beings. He was also pushing for evolution to its ultimate point - whether the life-form he experimented with wanted to evolve or not.
Wyndham made his base at a location fans have seen in the MCU - Mount Wundagore. The mountain iswhere Wanda Maximoff found her throne inDoctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness,where theDarkholdwas carved into stone, allowing her to access its magic without a physical copy of the book. It’s also a magical location in the comics, the home to Chthon’s tomb. When Wyndham learned about the magical history of the mountain, he made his “new men,” the animals he had evolved the guardians of the mountain, dubbing them the Knights of Wundagore, to prevent Chthon’s rise.
That location provides a base for a lot of his experimentation. He even had a hand in the births of both Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver there, but it’s not the only place he’s called home. The High Evolutionary has also had a role in more cosmic stories as he actually evolved enough himself to have the capability of creating his own planet.
The High Evolutionary And Counter-Earth
When the High Evolutionary set out to create his own planet, he gave it largely the same attributes as Earth. It’s a place where his New Men could grow and evolve in their own society, and he could study them, but he also populated it with average humans.
The idea was that the new planet would be a paradise once the population had fully evolved. Unfortunately, one of the HIgh Evolutionary’s experiments prevented that from happening. Man-Beast corrupted the work of the scientist.
Fans have already speculated that the audience will beseeing Counter-Earth in the MCU thanks to some photos that have been circulating. Fans managed to get images from the location shoot in the Atlanta area that seemingly depict an average neighborhood, but with some not-so-average inhabitants.
It would make sense as Counter-Earth also has a connection to another character finallymaking his MCU debut inGuardians 3- Adam Warlock.
The High Evolutionary And Adam Warlock
Adam Warlock might not have been created by the High Evolutionary in the comics, but he was adopted by the scientist. It stands to reason that a similar story might play out if Adam Warlock is the being created by the Sovereign at the end ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but ends up in the High Evolutionary’s care.
In the comics, Adam was gifted the Soul Gem. The High Evolutionary only trusted him to keep it safe. While that won’t play out in the MCU as all of the Infinity Stones of the main timeline are destroyed, that doesn’t mean that he can’t place his trust in Adam Warlock in other ways.
When the Man-Beast corrupts Counter-Earth, it’s Adam that the High Evolutionary turns to for help. He sends Adam after the Man-Beast to save Counter-Earth, and it’s the first story that sets Adam Warlock on a hero’s path. ThoughAdam Warlock does have a villainous persona in the comics, known as Magus, he’s more often a hero, which could mean a similar origin story for him to fit right in with the Guardians in the movie.
The High Evolutionary Could Connect To The Wider MCU
It’s unclear just yet if the Higher Evolutionary will have a wider connection to the MCU, but it does seem likely that the origin story of Rocket Raccoon will feature the character. While the two aren’t connected in the comics, a man who experiments on animals and gives them human intelligence would be a good way to flesh out Rocket’s MCU backstory. That seems incredibly likely since theGuardianstrailer shown at Comic Con is said to feature Rocketas a baby. Video games featuring the character haven’t shied away from featuringan emotional backstory for Rocket either.
Beyond that, the High Evolutionary has also come into conflict with Ka-Zar in the Savage Land, a universe the audience glimpsed during the universe hopping inMultiverse Of Madness. He’s also gone up againstthe Fantastic Four, who are making their way to the MCU. He’s even got a connection to Spider-Woman Jessica Drew as he once worked with her parents. The High Evolutionary also has an interesting connection to the Celestials of theEternalsmovie. When he learned they were going to judge whether Earth was a planet worth saving, he began eliminating all of his experiments to make sure the planet wouldn’t be judged poorly based on his work. He’s had a hand in a lot of surprising comic book storylines that could allow him to pop up again and again in the MCU.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3will land in theaters in 2023.
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