GOTG 3: Chukwudi Iwuji Altered The High Evolutionary's Comics Origin With A 'Silver Spoon'
Contains spoilers for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"
In "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," we finally meet the Marvel Cinematic Universe villain, the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). Responsible for mutilating and experimenting on Rocket (Bradley Cooper), he thinks of himself as a god — someone who is trying to create perfect living beings. But in his quest for perfection, he has no qualms about maiming or even destroying those he claims to be helping, as he looks at them all as inferior. He underestimates Rocket, and after Rocket overpowers him and destroys his face, it becomes his mission to recapture the angry, wise-cracking, intelligent raccoon we've come to adore — no matter what it takes.
The Marvel comics origin of the High Evolutionary begins much differently than the MCU's "Guardians" character would lead us to believe, with him — Herbert Edgar Wyndham — living in his mother's basement where he conducts experiments while also attending Oxford University as a genetics student. But Iwuji envisioned a much different beginning for the High Evolutionary, referring to him as being "born with a silver spoon in his mouth" during a press conference. While Iwuji is aware that the MCU character's origins don't match up with the comics, "to make it the most dynamic and immediate, I had to have that sense of entitlement and extreme narcissism," he told Screen Rant. "So, that's where I took it from."
The original character worked in his mom's basement
In "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," The High Evolutionary is shown sitting with Rocket and talking with him about the utopia he is trying to create. As he teaches Rocket new, unfamiliar words, he seems to care for him in his own condescending way. But we quickly learn that he views Rocket and his friends as nothing more than tools to get closer to his end goal. Even his cohorts, Recorder Theel (Nico Santos) and Recorder Vim (Miriam Shor), are just pawns to him, and their deaths are another means of getting what he wants.
To Chukwudi Iwuji, his actions just reinforced the idea he had about the High Evolutionary coming from a pampered background. "I just felt when I read the script that there was something so regal and entitled about this guy, and you're always trying to associate it with adjectives that you're familiar with," Iwuji told Screen Rant. "There was a sense of entitlement with him; he has people call him sire — he's called the High Evolutionary, for crying out loud! This isn't someone that came from humble beginnings in his head."
The High Evolutionary was a charming sociopath and one of the most formidable villains we've encountered in the MCU. Unfortunately, while we didn't see him die, it's unlikely we'll see him return in future films.