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Who Is Marvel's Adam Warlock?

We're taking a look at an iconic cosmic character from the Marvel universe to give you a better insight into who he is and where he came from.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which is in theaters internationally now and comes to the US on May 5, expands upon the Marvel Cinematic Universe by introducing new characters of the cosmic variety. The newest film in the studio's constantly growing universe debuts a slew of new characters during the five post-credit sequences, which we break down here.

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We're taking a closer look at Warlock, a character who has heavy ties to the Marvel cosmic universe.

Warning: Spoilers for the post-credit sequence of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 below.

During one of the after-credit scenes, we see a cocoon large enough to hold a person as Ayesha says "I think I will call him… Adam." The Adam she is referring to is Adam Warlock. Who is he and where did he come from?

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Warlock is first mentioned in Fantastic Four #66 back in 1967, although we don't get to actually see him until issue #67. He was created by the iconic Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Originally, the character was simply known as "Him." He was scientifically engineered by a group called The Enclave as part of its attempt to create the perfect being. He started out in a cocoon and eventually emerged into the world as a He-Man-looking character.

Of course, the perfect being is going to have an outstanding power set. Aside from the standard superhuman strength and durability, Warlock is capable of absorbing and storing cosmic energy. He can project this energy as a weapon or use it to augment his own physical abilities. In addition, he could also spin himself into a regenerative cocoon to heal himself or prevent death.

What makes Warlock such an important character is that his story is intertwined with the Infinity Stones and Infinity Gauntlet, which have been and will continue to be a big part of the Marvel films. He was once granted the Soul Gem and became ruler of the pocket universe that existed inside of it. The gem could peer into someone's soul and had the ability to steal and trap it.

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Of course, because of his ties to the Soul Gem, Warlock has been a part of numerous storylines where the Infinity Gauntlet was involved. Most notably, Warlock joined the other heroes in the Marvel Universe to battle Thanos, who was in control of the Infinity Gems, in the 1991 story The Infinity Gauntlet.

When we think about how Warlock could fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe--if he does end up being used--it's more than likely he'll join the heroes of Earth to battle Thanos in an adaptation of The Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos has been set up as an upcoming villain, and we've already seen a few of the Infinity Stones.

Looking for more Adam Warlock? Check out these comics featuring the character.

  • The Infinity Gauntlet
  • The Infinity War
  • Infinity Crusade
  • Annihilation: Conquest
  • Thanos: The Infinity Relativity