From Guardians Of The Galaxy to Eternals, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is rapidly expanding beyond Earth’s reach. While a lot of the audience might be focused on the multiversal threats on the horizon thanks to the popularity of series like Loki and What If…?, there are also some cosmic storylines on the horizon. Eternals will explore a race of powerful beings created by the Celestials in the comics, Thor: Love And Thunder sees Thor teaming up with some of the Guardians, and there’s still a third Guardians of the Galaxy on the way.
It’s that third Guardians of the Galaxy movie that could still provide the audience with one of the most anticipated cosmic beings in the MCU. The second volume teased the birth of “Adam,” created by Ayesha in her anger at being bested by the Guardians. Adam Warlock is both a hero and a villain in the comics as his power manifest in a future timeline in a being called Magus. Though the character has ties to the Soul Stone in the comics, that may still be rewritten in the MCU as fans eagerly await to see who could play Adam Warlock.
Freddie Stroma
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 has a lot of potential storylines to pay off, so it’s still possible that Adam Warlock could appear in another project down the line. His first appearance in the comics, after all, was opposite the Fantastic Four. Even if the character doesn’t appear until later in the MCU, Freddie Stroma would be an interesting choice to play him.
He’s no stranger to joining large franchises as he brought Cormac McLaggen to life in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Stroma also is no stranger to high-profile parts with a variety of roles in projects like Bridgerton and the DC series Peacemaker. He’s already charmed audiences as romantic leads in shows like UnREAL, so it’s time he gets the chance to be a little intimidating as well.
Manish Dayal
When fans voice their potential casting for Adam Warlock, they tend to be very blond actors with a history of action movies under their belt. That doesn’t have to be the case. Some of the best comic book movie castings haven’t strictly adhered to what the character looks like on the page - like Jurnee Smollett as Black Canary in Birds Of Prey, who is now getting her own movie. Manish Dayal might not look like what Adam Warlock looked like when he debuted in comics in 1967, but he could nail the role.
Dayal is largely working in television these days as a lead in The Resident, which might prove a difficult thing to work around. Chris Pratt, however, found a way to do Parks And Recreation while still committing to the MCU, so it can be done. He’s already appeared in a Marvel project as Vijay Nadeer in Agents Of SHIELD, an Inhuman whose storyline was never explored when his transformative cocoon was left at the bottom of the ocean. This time around, he’d be able to fully realize his Marvel role.
Henry Golding
Some fans might hope for Henry Golding to get a very different role in the MCU, like that of team leader Cyclops in a potential X-Men project, but Adam Warlock would certainly be an interesting role for him. Like Stroma, he’s been at the center of some big projects. He captured the world’s attention in Crazy Rich Asians, and got a chance in a superhero project in Snake Eyes.
Golding has the talent to lead a superhero franchise, but Snake Eyes wasn’t as well-received as some might have hoped. Stepping into an established franchise like the MCU would give the actor a chance to stretch his talents with a bit of a bigger safety net. It would certainly be fun for the audience to see him move from the naive Adam to the bitter Magus over the course of a movie or two.
Sam Claflin
Best known for his role as Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games movies, Sam Claflin actually has an impressive resume. He’s done romantic leads in Love, Rosie, tragic action heroes like Finnick, villains in Charlie’s Angels, and even pretentious misogynists in Enola Holmes. Claflin effortlessly transforms for every role.
Playing the dual role of Warlock and Magus would allow audiences to see just what he can do in one character instead of spanning several movies. He’d be a great addition to the MCU if he was interested in taking on another long-term contract. With several projects already in various stages of development, like the mini-series Daisy Jones & The Six on the way, he might be a slightly harder catch for the MCU.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
One name that pops up in a lot of fan castings for Adam Warlock is Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and it’s easy to see why. He does resemble Adam in comic book build and frequently rocks a long hairstyle in his period projects, so those fans focused on the right look know he could embody the role. He also, however, has the acting chops.
Coster-Waldau has made his career out of playing hard-edged men with secret soft sides. He spent eight years as Jaime Lannister in Game Of Thrones though - and his character didn’t exactly get an ending fans hoped for. He might not want to jump into another lengthy contract, and Marvel is rumored to lock newer actors in for longer contracts just in case their characters are written into multiple movies. He’s certainly got the action and dramatic chops to pull of the role though.