Did the High Evolutionary Make Adam Warlock?
For fans of Marvel Comics, the enigmatic character of Adam Warlock has long been a subject of fascination and speculation. Warlock has undergone several transformations, from a messiah-like figure to a cosmic warrior to a time-traveling adventurer. One of the key mysteries surrounding Warlock’s origin is his connection to the High Evolutionary, a god-like scientist who has played a significant role in Marvel’s cosmic mythology. Now that both Adam Warlock and High Evolutionary will be introduced to the MCU with the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it’s time to shed some light on Warlock’s origin. Let’s see, did High Evolutionary create Adam Warlock?
High Evolutionary did not create Adam Warlock; he only gave Warlock his current name and gifted him with the Soul Gem that he has embedded in his forehead. A group of scientists named Enclave created Adam Warlock, and he was supposed to represent the pinnacle of human perfection. Adam Warlock eventually turned on his creators and escaped. In the MCU, High Evolutionary is responsible for indirectly creating Adam Warlock since he is responsible for creating the Sovereign race.
Now that we’ve covered that High Evolutionary did play a significant role in Warlock’s origin story, it’s time to analyze how and why. If you’re interested in more, stay with us and keep reading!
Who created Adam Warlock in the comics?
Adam Warlock was, in the comics, created by the Enclave. The Enclave was a group of a scientist with malevolent goals. They attempted to establish a world dictatorship led by “perfect humans.” You can’t get “perfect humans” without extensive and morally ambiguous experiments, which is exactly what Enclave did. They ran a series of tests intending to create that perfect human prototype. The tests involved bombarding cells with radiation and different kinds of energies. They attempted to accelerate the growth of cells using unnatural means and other horrid things.
Their hard work eventually paid off, and their perfect human being prototype manifested as a golden-skinned and golden-eyed being with seemingly unlimited powers.
The Enclave never named Adam Warlock. He was referred to only as “Him.” The Enclave scientists never knew what Adam Warlock looked like since he was isolated in the special chamber when he reached maturity. He had to be enclosed due to his vast powers that manifested quite early.
Still, the Enclave will have to wait long to see Warlock’s face. He escaped as soon as he could sense what Enclave was up to—leaving a trail of destruction behind him. He could sense the evil intentions behind his creation and decided to escape his captors.
How is Adam Warlock connected to High Evolutionary?
High Evolutionary is a brilliant scientist and geneticist specializing in human evolution, and one would think that he played a direct role in Warlock’s creation, but he didn’t. The connection between Adam Warlock and High Evolutionary comes much later.
As soon as “Him” escaped the Enclave, he wandered the Universe. He had no experience whatsoever, being extremely young and uneducated in the world’s ways. Warlock happened upon Lady Sif. He was overwhelmed with urges and attempted to mate with her. This brought Thor to the edge; he clashed with Adam Warlock and beat him severely, leaving him for dead.
Lucky for Adam, his status as a cosmic being means he cannot be killed easily. A protective cocoon formed around him. There he hibernated, waiting to be reborn again as something different.
Meanwhile, while Adam Warlock was recuperating in his cocoon, High Evolutionary had other plans. He was, at this point, unaware of Adam’s existence. Instead, he spent his time planning one of his numerous projects. He wanted to create the perfect Earth, completely free of all corruption and the influence of evil. Man-Beast swooped in to destroy the project and generally meddle with the High Evolutionary’s project.
High Evolutionary recovered the cocoon where Adam Warlock was currently recuperating during this time. He tended to the cocoon until its inhabitant was ready to “hatch.” After Warlock left the cocoon, High Evolutionary was beside himself with fascination and joy. The main connection between High Evolutionary and Adam Warlock is that Evolutionary named him “Adam Warlock” before meeting the Evolutionary Adam Warlock was simply known as “Him .”High Evolutionary likewise gave him the Soul Gem, which will eventually become an integral part of Adam Warlock and provide him with much of his power. Before you ask, how did High Evolutionary get the Soul Gem? I’m afraid we don’t have an answer to that question, as it has never been revealed.
The only thing High Evolutionary wanted in return was Adam Warlock’s help in getting rid of Man-Beast.
Did High Evolutionary create Adam Warlock in the MCU?
In the MCU, it seems that Adam Warlock will have a different origin story. Instead of being created by the Enclave, Adam Warlock will be created by the Sovereign High Priestess Ayesha to destroy the Guardians of the Galaxy that humiliated her.
Even though Warlock was in the comics a perfect human specimen who eventually reached the “cosmic being level,” in the MCU, Adam Warlock will be Sovereign and not connected to humanity at all. Sovereigns are humanoid alien species we’ve had the pleasure of seeing in the previous Guardians of the Galaxy movie, a race of highly advanced and genetically altered beings with golden skin.
As we’ve seen in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, High Evolutionary is responsible for Adam Warlock’s creation because he created the Sovereign race in the first place. High Evolutionary considers both the Sovereign and Warlock to be failures, and Warlock refers to Ayesha as his “mother” for most of their interactions.
So even though Ayesha created Warlock, High Evolutionary is also responsible for his creation because, without Evolutionary, there would be no Sovereign.
To sum everything up, in the comics, the High Evolutionary did not create Adam Warlock, he only named him, and he was the one that gave him the Soul Gem. Likewise, Warlock will be created in the MCU by Ayesha, who was in turn, created by the High Evolutionary, as was her whole species.
