Why Is Adam Warlock So Stupid in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’?

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ concluded (for now) one of the best franchises in the MCU. For some of the characters, it was a new beginning, and for some end of a great era as the original team disbanded. Some characters that will most likely play a big role in future installments had their first appearance in the movie. Of course, we’re talking about Adam Warlock, an iconic character from the source material. The thing is, fans were disappointed and underwhelmed by the way Warlock’s character was written in the movie, and we’re here to explain why exactly Adam Warlock was so stupid in GotG Vol. 3. 

Adam Warlock was portrayed as stupid in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.’ because he was just born and had no understanding of how he was supposed to behave and no experience regarding real life. Ayesha, Warlock’s mother and High Evolutionary who took part in his creation, commented how Warlock was pulled from the birth pod earlier than expected, and this is why some aspects of his cognitive development suffered and why he seemingly did stupid things. 

Now that we’ve given you the best answer we had, it’s time to analyze it in more detail. If you’re interested in whether Warlock’s character followed the source material and in what aspects the two versions differ, stay with us and keep reading! 

Why do fans think that Adam Warlock is stupid in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’? 

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ was a highly anticipated movie for several reasons, and among them was the fact that it was the first full appearance of Adam Warlock, one of the most iconic Marvel characters ever created. 

Fans are familiar that Warlock is also among the most powerful and smartest characters in Marvel, both due to his nature and because of his symbiotic connection with the Soul Gem. Warlock is immortal, omniscient in some aspects, and has enough juice to alter reality and access levels of existence unimaginable to some characters. Now that you better understand what fans expected, it’s time to explain what they instead got. 

From the first minute on screen, Warlock acts like a buffoon, and even though he is powerful, he can fly and has super strength and incredible durability, this doesn’t change the fact that he struggled to capture and deliver a raccoon. Don’t get me wrong, Guardians of the Galaxy members are by no means weaklings, but Warlock, at least in the comics, is supposed to be on another level. 

Adam Warlock was included more like a comedy relief than a serious character, especially when he got his hands on Blurp, his new abominable pet. So what happened? Was yet another character ruined for the sake of comedy, or is this something that made sense overall in the context of character development? 

Adam Warlock was acting stupid because he never finished developing

Now Warlock’s story makes sense if you recall how he came to be. Warlock was created in the joint efforts of Sovereign High Priestess Ayesha and High Evolutionary to create a perfect Sovereign specimen in an attempt to get their vengeance on Guardians of the Galaxy as a team for the events that took place during ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ and to capture Rocket Racoon. 

Ayesha used a different type of advanced Sovereign birth pod where Warlock was developing. It was designed to make Warlock faster, stronger, better, and smarter than your average Sovereign. And everything was going according to plan until Ayesha and High Evolutionary actually sent Warlock on an assignment. 

He was supposed to deliver Rocket Raccoon but managed to botch the mission despite having all odds on his side when we take into account his potential powers and abilities. As soon as he returned from the mission, High Evolutionary was mad at him and started insulting both him and his entire race. Warlock was acting juvenile and spoiled, and he lacked all common sense altogether. 

Ayesha reminded High Evolutionary that Warlock was pulled from the birthing pod too soon because of High Evolutionary himself, and this is why they need to approach him differently, as he never actually finished developing.

Warlock was stupid and acting juvenile because he was, at best, a few days or weeks old and was still mentally a child with no real-world experience whatsoever. 

Warlock’s behavior in the movie is consistent with the comics, sort of 

Warlock’s origin story in the comics is different than the one from the MCU. In the comics, he was created by the evil scientists of the Enclave for the purpose of creating a superior specimen of human beings so they could rule the world. 

Adam developed in special conditions, and he was bombarded with various forms of energy so they could accelerate his growth, but the thing is, Adam was so highly advanced that as soon as he could sense the evil intentions of his creator, he turned on them and escaped. 

When he escaped, he had no idea what he was doing and no real-world experience. He had to rely on his instincts only. He eventually came across Lady Sif and attempted to mate with her. After this act, Thor beats him silly. In fact, Thor almost killed him. Warlock was forced to retreat into his cocoon to save his dear life, and the experience changed him completely. 

As you can see, Warlock wasn’t exactly a genius in the comics soon after he was created. His intelligence and mind went up a notch only after High Evolutionary gifted him the Soul Gem, which was famously embedded into his forehead. 

I’m certain that Warlock will play a massive role in future movies and that his character will undergo a pretty big development in terms of his behavior and powers. For now, he is acting stupid because he is a newborn and has no real-world experience. 

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!

Liked this article? Join the community on Reddit for the latest Marvel & DC news!