Marvel’s new villain is the fiercest of them all, says James Gunn

At the world premiere event of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” writer-director James Gunn stated that the film’s main antagonist, the High Evolutionary, is “the most ruthless villain in the MCU” (Marvel Cinematic Universe, in the acronym in English).

Commenting on the character for ExtraTV on the red carpet at the premiere, Gunn said, “This guy right here [Chukwudi Iwuji] plays the fiercest villain in the MCU. So you can see how it’s going to negatively impact Rocket and his friends.”

The director said the character plays a key role in the storyline, especially in the journey of Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper). Gunn revealed that the talking raccoon’s past will be explored in depth and that the High Evolutionary will have a devastating effect on his life.

Iwuji also explained the atrocities to be committed by the High Evolutionary. The Nigerian actor, who previously worked with Gunn on the ‘Peacemaker’ series, wants to avoid any attempts to make audiences feel sympathy for the villain, which has been done with previous MCU villains such as Thanos (Josh Brolin) and Killmonger . (Michael B. Giordano).

“I didn’t pass any judgment and just embraced the idea. A lot of times we forget that they’re actually evil because we’re always trying to find a way to make them human, you know? But that was something James and I knew we weren’t going to get away with this boy. We were going to hold on to the end,” Iwuji said.

“As extreme as that sounds, when you think about some of the most horrific figures in human history, there’s a sense of bigotry and narcissism and commonality,” the actor said.

In another interview, this time with GameMe+, Iwuji offered more details on the villain’s personality. Described as a brilliant scientist with a penchant for genetic engineering, the actor warns there is no humanity in Marvel’s new villain.

“He has no redeeming qualities. He’s a real villain, with a capital T. There’s something terrifying about it, he makes you feel very uncomfortable and everyone expects him to get his just comeuppance. And these [características] they are great fun to play, without needing to apologize or want sympathy for the audience”.

The actor also commented on the High Evolutionary’s resemblance to real-life figures. “There’s something terribly recognizable about him when you look at the world and the despots of the past,” adds Iwuji of his character’s dark motivations.

However, he’s not just on the villain list for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’, as Will Poulter makes his MCU debut as Adam Warlock. The character was first shown in the second film’s post-credits scenes.

In the comics, he’s depicted as a perfect being, but Gunn’s version is a little different. Adam may be incredibly powerful, but he’s still in his infancy, which Poulter says may surprise audiences.

“A lot of what James does is about subverting people’s expectations, putting unique and distinctive characteristics on things,” he explains. “I think the way Adam is presented is no different. This is Adam in the early stages of developing him, hopefully with the intention of exploring the evolution of him.”

Like Iwuji, playing the villain (who later becomes a hero in the comics) was a joy for the actor, who is already known for his roles in ‘Midsommar’ and ‘Maze Runner’ franchise. “It was really fun playing him in his childhood because he gave me the opportunity to show someone who was really on a path of self-development in the early stages, making mistakes,” Poulter says. “He might surprise people, but he looked like James Gunn.”

While the MCU is best known for its soulful villains like Thanos, Killmonger, and even someone like Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, the Marvel comics have some villains who are just brutal forces of nature, who show no remorse.

The studio took this approach with villains like Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull in “Captain America: The First Avenger,” who sought to use the power of the Tesseract to supercharge his army and prove his superiority over the Nazis.

At the end of the “Infinity Saga”, fans saw the same brutality with Thanos. While he had a somewhat friendly plan to ensure the prosperity of the universe, his methods of achieving that goal were downright cruel, wiping out half of all life and killing his adopted daughter, Gamora (Zoë Saldaña).

In Phase 4, this evil nature continued with the Green Goblin in “Spider-Man: Never Go Home” when Willem Dafoe was given the opportunity to truly explore the villain’s insane side.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” will premiere in Brazilian theaters this Thursday (4/5) – one day before the US release.

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.