No Thanos Means Adam Warlock Can Set Up An Even Bigger MCU Villain

Thanos’ death won’t be an issue for Adam Warlock, whose upcoming debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could set up an even bigger villain for the MCU. The introduction of Adam Warlock, played by Will Poulter, will be a key aspect of the third installment in James Gunn’s trilogy, which will presumably bring him into the fold by following up on the post-credits tease in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. As one of the most powerful and iconic characters in Marvel, his arrival raises several exciting possibilities for the burgeoning cinematic universe.

Considering how important the Thanos-Adam Warlock rivalry is to Marvel Comics, some thought that Adam missing out on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame meant that the opportunity for his arrival had passed. After all, it’s true that all of his biggest stories are connected in one way or another to the Infinity Stones or the Mad Titan. However, Thanos isn’t the only villain in Adam Warlock’s rogues’ gallery that’s worth exploring on the big screen.

One Adam Warlock villain, in particular, known as the Magus, is actually more dangerous to the universe than Thanos ever was. The threat he poses has been demonstrated on multiple occasions, beginning with Thanos’ first-ever meeting with Adam Warlock, who sought his aid in defeating a powerful intergalactic cult known as the Universal Church of Truth. The group was led by Magus, who was revealed to be an all-powerful, evil version of Adam Warlock from the future who was corrupted by the dark power of the Soul Stone. Years after his defeat, Adam encountered a new Magus, who was accidentally created when Adam used the Infinity Gauntlet. In that moment, Adam had purged all good and evil from his mind, unaware that the latter would transform into a separate entity. This deep history within the comics makes the Magus’ arrival within the MCU itself an incredibly exciting prospect.

Adam Warlock’s mere existence in the MCU makes the Magus a real possibility for the future. However, his introduction will have to differ from the source material since the Infinity Stones have been removed from the equation. Even so, that shouldn’t be a problem, as there should be other ways to create Adam’s evil half. If and when he emerges, he could form an MCU interpretation of the Universal Church of Truth and lead them in a crusade against Earth’s heroes.

As for what the scale of a story centering on the Magus should be, the original Infinity War crossover shows that he’s deserving of being a future big bad for the MCU. In the comics, Infinity War served as a sequel to the fight with Thanos in Infinity Gauntlet, except this time they had to fight alongside Thanos to win. As it stands, the Magus may be a bit too big to be used as early as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. However, as an immensely strong cosmic being with evil ambitions, Magus could wreak havoc on the entire multiverse if left unchecked, which is why a villain of his magnitude could work well as the main antagonist of a major crossover movie in Phase 5.

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