Sinister Villains From Guardians Of The Galaxy
Apr 6, 2023
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 opens May 5th
Part of what makes the Guardians of the Galaxy some of the most beloved characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is their propensity to be a little silly, but in a refreshing sort of way. However, the key to the satisfyingly lighter tone of writer and director James Gunn’s cosmic adventures may be in how well its humorous heroes are juxtaposed against their earnestly evil enemies.
Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, Groot, Nebula and Kraglin are about to take on some of their most frightening and abominable villains yet in the highly anticipated comic book movie sequel, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 – which will be released in AMC Theaters this May. However, before we consider what we can expect from those characters, allow us to refresh your memory on the bizarre and brutal adversaries whom the Guardians have been at odds with in the past, one of which actually ended up becoming part of their crew.
The Power Stone is what brought our heroes together in their first adventure from 2014, but what actually made them heroes was their act in defiance of the tyrant who wanted to possess it: Ronan the Accuser (a scenery-chewing Lee Pace). The vengeful, ruthless and radically loyal descendant of the Kree race is one of the most feared and brutal figures in the galaxy, but as one of our favorite moments from the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY movies reveals, his apparent weakness is dance-offs.
The Guardians would also be at odds with Ronan’s menacing right-hand henchperson, Korath the Pursuer (Academy Award® nominee Djimon Hounsou). The fellow Kree would first cross paths with Peter “Star-Lord” Quill (Chris Pratt), who just nearly prevented him from taking the Power Stone for himself.
Eventually, Nebula (Karen Gillan) would earn herself a spot as one of the Guardians of the Galaxy’s fiercest fighters, but she used her abilities in service of Ronan when we first met her. We would also learn that the Luphumoid’s fury was fueled by years of losing sparring matches to her adoptive sister, Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) – resulting in a body part being swapped with a robotic replacement one at a time – while under their adoptive father’s rule.
The man who raised Gamora and Nebula was the intergalactic genocidal warlord Thanos, who hired Ronan to retrieve the Power Stone in exchange for the planet Xandar’s destruction. The fearsome, purple Titan’s cameo in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY also marked Josh Brolin’s debut performance in the role, years before AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR and AVENGERS: ENDGAME made him one of the most iconic villains in modern cinematic history.
Gamora and Nebula are not the only ones with daddy issues, as we discover in 2017’s GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2, when we meet Marvel’s classic cosmic villain, Ego, who is reinterpreted in the MCU as Quill's father. Played by ‘80s action movie icon Kurt Russell, the powerful Celestial appears to be a friendly ally when he invites his son, Gamora, and Drax to his home planet, until his true intentions are revealed.
Ego is not the only obstacle that the Guardians must overcome in VOL. 2, as they also find themselves hounded by the Golden High Priestess of the Sovereign, Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki). The “golden gal” initially becomes acquainted with our heroes when she hires them to protect anulax batteries from an Abilisk, but after Rocket (Bradley Cooper) decides to keep the loot from himself, she immediately plots her revenge.
Chukwudi Iwuji reunites with his “Peacekeeper” creator, Gunn, for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 in the role of The High Evolutionary. The film appears to feature a relatively faithful adaptation of the Marvel villain, who is depicted in the comics as an English-born human biologist-turned-advanced-superintelligence obsessed with evolving creatures into what he believes is a more “perfect” form.
The High Evolutionary has something of a father-son relationship with Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), whom Ayesha created herself as the perfect weapon against the Guardians. Keeping his comic book origins in consideration – he actually played a pivotal role in defeating Thanos in the arc that inspired INFINITY WAR – it is not unlikely that this golden boy will eventually become an ally to our heroes, or other heroes from the MCU even.
It has been said heroes are only as good as their villains and the Guardians of the Galaxy’s rogues gallery so far automatically qualifies them as some of the best that outer space has to offer. See how The High Evolutionary and Adam Warlock measure up to the rest when VOL. 3 comes to an AMC Theatres location near you!
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 opens May 5th
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