What James Gunn's Firing Means For Adam Warlock

Disney's decision to fire James Gunn over offensive tweets has sparked all kinds of questions about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, especially since Gunn had a big role in shaping the cosmic side of the MCU. The future of one character in particular, Adam Warlock, is unclear.

James Gunn was fired from Disney after right-wing bloggers shared numerous offensive tweets made by James Gunn several years ago. Disney immediately cut all ties with the filmmaker, leading to a heavy amount of backlash for the decision from members of the media, celebrities and the Guardians actors. At the time of writing, it's up in the air if Gunn will return to Disney and in what form.

Related: Celebrities Defending James Gunn After Guardians of the Galaxy Firing

Gunn's vision for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 possibly included cosmic superhero Adam Warlock, who was teased in one of the post-credits scenes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. In the comic books, Adam Warlock is a genetically-engineered superhuman and the protagonist of Infinity Gauntlet, the storyline that inspired Avengers: Infinity War. As the guardian of the Soul Stone, Warlock is often a central figure in battles with Thanos and other cosmic villains.

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James Gunn Is Adam Warlock's MCU Champion

James Gunn has long described Adam Warlock as one of his favorite characters. In fact, according to Gunn, Warlock was included in an early treatment of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but was written out due to a crowded cast of characters. Gunn says he had a unique idea for Warlock, but decided to save it for another movie.

The reference to the Golden Gladiator in the post-credits scene was intended by Gunn to set up a future role in the MCU for the character. When hasn't been divulged, but Gunn has spoken a great deal about his interest in using Warlock in a later film and while working on the script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gunn teased the research he was doing on Warlock.

Of all the people involved in making Marvel films, no one has spoken of Adam Warlock more than Gunn, which makes it seem like he's the core reason the character is even in the discussion. In fact, Gunn had to fight to get that post-credits teaser into the movie.

Related: Can Dave Bautista Actually Quit Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

Infinity War Removed Adam Warlock From His Biggest Story

In Infinity Gauntlet, it was Adam Warlock who united members of the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and more after Thanos used the Infinity Gauntlet to destroy half of the universe. Though the six-part miniseries consisted of characters from all over the Marvel Universe, at its heart it was an Adam Warlock story. Infinity Gauntlet cemented the character's role as the archnemesis of Thanos.

However, despite Warlock's importance to the story, the character had no part in the big screen adaptation. Avengers: Infinity War writer Christopher Markus explained that there were already too many characters for Warlock to be included, and that he needed a proper introduction in his own movie before getting involved in the fight with Thanos. He isn't going to appear in Avengers 4, either. So by the time Warlock does make it into the MCU, his biggest comic book story arc will already be wrapped up.

This doesn't mean that Marvel won't have more stories to tell about the Golden Gladiator. Adam Warlock was also the protagonist of two other major comic book events, Infinity War and Infinity Crusade. Further, following the inclusion of the Warlock teaser in Guardians 2, the hero saw a resurgence in Marvel Comics and is currently a central figure in the ongoing Infinity Wars crossover.

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