Why Guardians of the Galaxy 3 cast Will Poulter as Adam Warlock

"I wanted somebody who was youthful."

By Dan Seddon

19 Jan 2023

Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImageGetty Images

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 director James Gunn has explained why Will Poulter was cast in the role of Adam Warlock.

The superhero has been teased in the MCU ever since the days of Thor: The Dark World, and recent trailer footage for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 finally offered fans their first look at what Sovereign boss Ayesha grew in that mysterious cocoon.

According Gunn, Warlock isn't here to simply wreak revenge on the Guardians, who double-crossed Ayesha.

"It's kind of more complicated than that," he told Empire Magazine. "But he's definitely not a good guy. What we're seeing is the infant form of Warlock, newly out of the cocoon, and he does not understand life very well. He's basically a baby."

On his casting decision, the filmmaker (who now sits as DC Studios co-CEO alongside Peter Safran) suggested online calls for Top Gun hero Tom Cruise were never considered.

"I wanted somebody who was youthful, and I wanted the person who had the dramatic chops and the comedic chops, not only for this movie but for what Marvel will use Adam Warlock for in the future," said Gunn.

"He could become this really important character."

guardians of the galaxy vol 3, adam warlock

Marvel Comics

Back in 2019, Zac Efron's name became momentarily attached to Warlock too, a rumour that Gunn denied at the time.

Dave Bautista, who plays Drax, recently reflected on potentially moving on from his character following the third film.

“I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him,” he said. “But there’s a relief [that it’s over]... I just don’t know if I want Drax to be my legacy – it’s a silly performance, and I want to do more dramatic stuff."

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 and Vol 2 and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special are streaming on Disney+. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 arrives in cinemas on May 5.