Spoilers ahead for Guardians 3.
Phase Five of the MCU is currently in full swing, with the first two movie projects already released. The latest blockbuster to hit theaters is James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which wrapped up the story of the current team. The movie also introduced a new villain to the shared universe in the form of Chukwudi Iwuji’s High Evolutionary. Gunn recently clarified that villain’s fate at the end of Guardians 3, and I’m psyched about it.
James Gunn wrote and directed the third Guardians movie, which might end up being his swan song at the MCU– especially given Gunn’s new role as co-CEO of the DCU. The blockbuster featured a few of his frequent collaborators including Iwuji, who also starred in Peacemaker. The ending of Guardians 3 saw the High Evolutionary defeated, but it was unclear what happened next. Gunn tweeted out the answer after taking questions from fans on social media, revealing he is:
Imprisoned on Knowhere.
Well, I’m definitely intrigued. The fact that the High Evolutionary is still alive and resident on the Guardians HQ on Knowhere seems to open the door that he could appear in an upcoming Marvel movie. And considering just how dynamic Chukwudi Iwuji’s performance was, this seems like some very exciting news for the future of the franchise.
While James Gunn and some of the cast of the cosmic franchise are seemingly done with the MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s credits scenes revealed the new incarnation of the team led by Rocket. I’d love to see more of Rocket’s relationship with the High Revolutionary play out in a possible sequel. Really, I’d love any opportunity to see what Iwuji could do with the role.
In another tweet by James Gunn, mused on why Rocket ultimately gave his torturer/creator mercy. Despite his traumatic backstory that played out throughout Guardians 3, he ultimately chose not to get revenge. As the filmmaker put it:
Yes! It’s the whole culmination of Rocket’s journey. His shift comes in that he doesn’t kill him - he goes from being the least empathetic to the most empathetic Guardian. It seems silly & hollow that he’d refuse to kill him & then leave him on an exploding ship. And, yes, there is a deleted scene. It’s really great actually but it messed up the pacing of the end. But you’ll see it in the extras eventually.
I’m not crying, you’re crying. And it looks like there were originally more scenes with Rocket and High Evolutionary at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but they were left on the cutting room floor. But hopefully we’ll get to see them once the movie moved from theaters to digital/home media.
It should be fascinating to see what comes next for the various characters from Guardians of the Galaxy. Zoe Saldaña seems ready for a break from green make-up, and Dave Bautista has said goodbye to Drax. And while we’re expecting to see Star-Lord return, I’d also love to see Mantis’ adventures. Then there’s the superheroes of Guardians 2.0, and (hopefully) more High Evolutionary.
Guardians 3 is still in theaters and making money at the box office. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
