Guardians of the Galaxy 3 actor teases secret role – and Marvel fans think they know who he's playing

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Chukwudi Iwuji revealed his Guardians of the Galaxy 3 character is "complex" and "powerful"

Guardians of the Galaxy 2
(Image credit: Disney)

Chukwudi Iwuji was so impressive in the Peacemaker TV series that the show's creator, James Gunn, wanted the actor for a highly-secretive, very important role in his upcoming Marvel movie, Guardians of the Galaxy 3. 

Little has been revealed about the role, but, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Iwuji teased the character. 

"Powerful. Extremely powerful. Complex," he told the publication. "James and I were talking about it, but he’s certainly one of, if not the most complex characters we’ve seen in the freaking Marvel universe. So he’s deeply complex and deeply powerful, and I hope intriguing. I hope I bring that to it."

Now, while that may not seem like much to go on, there's a character in the Marvel comics who has a history with the Guardians of the Galaxy and has long been rumored to appear in the sequel. Iwuji's choice of words has done nothing but convince fans that he is playing the villain the High Evolutionary, a former Oxford university student expelled for doing untoward things with genetic manipulation and later becomes a universe-threatening villain.

The High Evolutionary has integral ties to Adam Warlock, who was teased during Guardians of the Galaxy 2's post-credits scene and will be played by Will Poulter in the upcoming sequel. Gunn has also previously said that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 will put a spotlight on Rocket, the Racoon voiced by Bradley Cooper. 

"Rocket is a big part of what’s happening in the future – and a lot of this stuff (like the scars we’re about to see on his back) sets up what I’ve been planning for Rocket all along," Gunn wrote on Twitter.

Although Rocket's origins are wildly different in the comics, it would be no surprise to learn that someone as powerful as the High Evolutionary created Rocket. It all ties together!

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is currently filming and is set to reach cinemas on May 5, 2023. However, we do know a whole lot about what's coming to the MCU. Here are a few pieces of suggested reading for those Marvel-heads out there:

Jack Shepherd
Jack Shepherd
Freelance Journalist

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.