Chukwudi Iwuji on Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Villain High Evolutionary

The beloved Guardians of the Galaxy are back! While they technically had an appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder, there was not much to learn about the Guardians other than the fact that they dropped Thor off on a planet and went off back into space. At San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend, Hall H got an exclusive look at where the Guardians are off to next during the Marvel Studios panel. We gave a detailed description of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer, one that director James Gunn prefaced by saying, “I’m sorry, some stories have an end. It doesn’t mean everybody dies.”

While there will still be a series of animated shorts titled I Am Groot and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special before we get to Vol. 3 the trailer not only revealed what kind of story we're in for in this final installment, but also a new villain waiting in the wings. In addition to having to face off against Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), the Guardians will have to contend with Chukwudi Iwuji's High Evolutionary.

Iwuji is well known for his work on the stage as well as in the HBO Max series Peacemaker as Clemson Munn. His character, the High Evolutionary, is an immensely powerful human whose abilities rival that of cosmic beings. While different interpretations of the character have been seen, we caught up with Iwuji at Comic-Con, and he wasn't shy about stating just what kind of villain his High Evolutionary is.

Collider: Can you talk about that costume you were in in Hall H and about being this character that is, I mean, is it fair to say he's kind of a shady dude?

CHUKWUDI IWUJI: Shady doesn't touch it. He is narcissistic, sociopathic, but very charming. I couldn't have thought of a better character that uses [a] skill set better to join the MCU with. Because there's something very Shakespearean about him, there's something very emotionally dark about him, and he's a lot of fun on top of all that. The costume like you mentioned, the day I put on that costume, because he looks very different from how he is in the comics, but the costume just worked. There's something about putting it on, which I'm glad you mentioned because a big part of my performance was that costume.

Collider: And what was it like being on set with that Guardians cast, working with them, and leaning into the humor of the story?

IWUJI: It was wonderful because they were all very welcoming. Everyone was excited for the new cast members like Will [Poulter] and myself joining, and you also know you're coming into something that's proven to be brilliant. And you're like, "I want to do my part to make sure this keeps going well," because you know it's such a beloved cast. I felt nothing but warmth and support, and the fact that James chose me to do it was all the confidence I needed, because like we've said he could have had anyone and he chose me for it. So I was like, I'm not gonna let you down.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters in May 2023. To learn more about the threequel, check our interview with Gunn below: