How Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3's High Evolutionary Should Really Look
It's been a long ride for the Guardians of the Galaxy. The space-faring team of heroic outcasts have had plenty of adventures through the Marvel Cinematic Universe, whether it's picking up a valuable bounty or jamming out to a newly-discovered treasure trove of rocking 70s tunes. The gang has also encountered some of the best MCU movie villains, including the power-hungry Celestial Ego, the Kree villain Ronan, and big ol' purple Thanos himself. These are definitely some tough baddies, but there's yet another contender for the greatest threat the team has ever encountered: Chukwudi Iwuji's High Evolutionary.
A scientist cursed with extraordinary intellect and delusions of grandeur, the High Evolutionary is committed to advancing life throughout the universe by any means necessary, and he plays a pivotal role in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." This version of the character has a major connection to Rocket Raccoon, being the individual who created the talking fuzzball in the first place. That personal connection raises the stakes when the Guardians encounter him in the present day. But while the basic outline of the High Evolutionary shares much with his comic counterpart, the two don't have that much in common appearance-wise. Here's how the character originally looked.
The High Evolutionary is definitely not a robot
Before the release of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," fans were treated to a sneak peek at Chukwudi Iwuji's portrayal of the High Evolutionary in the film's official trailer. While the High Evolutionary may have looked familiar to viewers, it certainly wasn't because of his costume. In fact, some die-hard comic book fans may have been surprised to see the character sporting a radically altered design from his comic book counterpart.
In the movie, the High Evolutionary sports a purple suit with elaborate line patterns and clear cybernetic modifications on his head. Still, he generally appears rather human. However, the classic comics version of the character often looks more like an android than a man. In most appearances, the villain has a metallic silver body not dissimilar from that of the X-Men team member Colossus, which is then accentuated by bright red robotic face and chest plate, along with red gloves and boots.
While the two variations of the character share some clear differences, Iwuji has said that he feels that changing the costume for the live-action adaptation was the right move. "The day I put on that costume, because he looks very different from how he is in the comics, but the costume just worked," the actor said during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 (via Murphy's Multiverse). "There's something about putting it on, which I'm glad you mentioned, because a big part of my performance was that costume."