So far, reactions to Adam Warlock’s costume for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 have been fairly divided. After the Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 trailers revealed the first look at Will Poulter’s character, a fresh image revealed him in his full MCU costume.
Given that the Golden Gladiator is one of the most important Marvel characters who have yet to have a live-action adaptation, his imminent MCU debut has gotten a lot of anticipation. Years after being built up in one of the post-credits scenes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Warlock will eventually join the MCU in the trilogy’s final movie. The scope of Marvel’s plans for him is unknown at the moment, but what happens in the film might be the start of a long superhero journey for Adam Warlock in the MCU.
Adam Warlock’s MCU Costume Differs From the Comics
Ahead of the film’s release, at least one aspect of the character has already received significant criticism. Online reactions to his costume have been lukewarm at best.
Much of the criticism appears to derive from how different Warlock’s MCU appearance is from his comic version. Both variants have a cape and the predominant color of the outfit is red, but the design of the suit itself differs.
Poulter’s character is dressed in a full-body suit with an armor plate on his arms. The comic book character, on the other hand, was clothed in spandex. In his early comics, he was likewise sleeveless and wore no pants.
The MCU has abandoned tights when bringing Adam Warlock’s classic design to the big screen, as it has done with other superheroes. It also omitted other aspects of his original appearance, such as his cape’s high collar, his pupil-less eyes, and the markings on his breast.
Furthermore, in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the yellow from his clothing was deleted, which was a major aspect of his color scheme in the comic books. Nonetheless, it preserved the jewel in his brow, his gold skin, and the skull-shaped symbol on his collar. It’s unclear whether he’ll use his signature staff.
Is Adam Warlock’s MCU Costume All that Bad?
While some admired Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s portrayal of Adam Warlock’s outfit, others were critical of the decision to make so many modifications.
Among the most popular criticisms is that his suit is too similar to how Marvel has recreated other superhero costumes, even though most MCU chapters do not have tights.
While his suit is consistent with past Marvel movies, it’s worth noting that Marvel maintained enough aspects of his comic costume for Will Poulter to be easily identified as Adam Warlock. And, as Gunn has pointed out, Warlock is still a “baby” at this stage of his life [via Empire]. As his MCU tale progresses, his costume may evolve alongside him.