Adam Warlock Meets Eve Warlock Ahead Of Guardians Of The Galaxy Debut

Contains spoilers for "Warlock: Rebirth" #1 by Marvel Comics

Adam Warlock's storied time with the Infinity Watch has received an important new chapter, as the being designed to be the perfect human just met Eve Warlock. Ahead of Will Poulter's Adam Warlock making his live-action debut in "Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol.3", he is meeting a new Warlock. But, while meeting Eve seems like a good thing at first glance, the wielder of the Soul Stone might be on the chopping block. Eve calls herself the next step up in his evolution. When Warlock attempts to defend himself from her powers, she quickly proves she's telling the truth regarding her abilities being on another level than his.

In "Warlock: Rebirth" #1 by Ron Marz, Ron Lim, Don Ho, and Romulo Fajardo Jr from Marvel Comics, the team behind some of Marvel's greatest cosmic comics — Marz and Lim both worked on the iconic "Silver Surfer" run from the 1990s — return to the timeline featuring Warlock leading the Infinity Watch. But for readers expecting to find Warlock and the rest of the team in peace, they instead are up against a new threat who is coming after Adam. To make matters worse, Eve Warlock appears to be even stronger than him, all while her origin and true intentions are still unknown. But she's coming after his Infinity Stone.

Following Thanos snapping away half of all life from existence in the "Infinity Gauntlet" saga, the Infinity Watch formed in "Warlock and the Infinity Watch" by Jim Starlin and Angel Medina. Warlock assembled a team of cosmic heroes to look after the Infinity Stones after great cosmic forces told him to keep them separated and safe.

Warlock wore and kept the Soul Stone, embedding the powerful cosmic artifact in his head. Hilariously, Drax the Destroyer became the protector of the Power Stone after mistaking it for candy, hiding the gem within his own being. Next, Warlock's close confidant and the daughter of Thanos, Gamora, was assigned the Time Stone. The powerful telepathic hero Moondragon (the daughter of Drax) was given the Mind Stone. Pip the Troll received the Space Stone. Lastly, in one of the more shocking assignments, Thanos was the secret holder of the Reality Stone. The team would protect the Infinity Stones from those attempting to steal their reality-shaping powers while playing key roles in future events involving the return of the Infinity Gauntlet.

While there have been other Infinity Watch teams since the original roster, including versions led by Doctor Strange and Loki, Warlock has been the prominent leader of the group. He even assembled a second team. In the "Infinity Wars" event from 2019, Warlock allowed the Infinity Stones to choose their hosts, with several villains, including Overtime, Star, Quantum, The Prince of Power, and Multitude merging with the powerful gems, thus making the new (and largely untrained) wielders essentially living versions of the Infinity Stones.

Eve Warlock isn't the first time Adam Warlock has had to face off against someone coming after his Infinity Stone who resembles him. The villain Magus represents a dark future for Warlock, as his purple doppelganger was originally a version of the hero from the future who has become a religious zealot with the Universal Church of Truth. 

Despite destroying his timeline, changing his future, and preventing Magus from ever coming to be, the dark reflection of Warlock returned. Magus would make a play for the Infinity Gauntlet as the main antagonist in "Infinity War," coming close to gaining all of the Infinity Stones before being locked away inside the Soul Stone. After being trapped in the Soul World by Warlock, Magus would return in several storylines, often seeking the Stones for himself.

When Warlock accidentally recreated Magus by splitting his good and evil nature, the Goddess was also born. She ended up playing a crucial part in the "Infinity Crusade" storyline, as her intentions of making the universe pure by destroying everyone who could sin led her to direct conflict with Warlock and Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Warlock and Thanos eventually defeated the gold-armored Goddess, and she would later be trapped inside the Soul World alongside Magus. Now, Warlock is meeting another version of himself, calling herself Eve Warlock, who appears to be an upgraded version of him.

In "Warlock: Rebirth" #1 from Marvel Comics, Genis-Vell's visit to Monster Isle, the base of the Infinity Watch, is thrown into chaos when Adam informs the team something is amiss. He brings Genis-Vell, Gamora, and Pip the Troll to his quarters, revealing that a cocoon has suddenly appeared and is draining his powers. Warlock, who was born and regenerates his powers from a cocoon, is perplexed by its sudden arrival — as he claims it has nothing to do with him. But, before the Infinity Watch can thoroughly investigate what's going on with it, a piercing light breaks through the vessel, and Eve Warlock emerges.

Eve, who looks similar to Warlock, including his all-white eyes, tells Adam she's come to replace him. She reveals she will fulfill the universal promise he was supposed to and calls him a failure, stating it's her duty to take him out. After Warlock is knocked to the ground with a powerful energy blast, the Infinity Watch try to stop Eve but ultimately stands little chance against her as she quickly dispatches them while informing them she has zero interest in anyone but Adam. 

Warlock tries to stop her, and after seemingly hitting her hard with his Soul Stone, she counters his attack without needing a stone. Warlock is stunned as he falls to the ground, and Eve takes the Infinity Stone for herself. She places it on her forehead and leaves, but not before telling the Infinity Watch not to follow her. Meanwhile, Adam lies on the ground as Pip asks whether he's dead after taking the beating. The encounter couldn't have gone worse for Warlock and his team.

The sight of Adam Warlock completely knocked out and his Infinity Stone gone after his battle with Eve is a rare moment where the powerful cosmic hero looks utterly defeated. Did Eve kill Adam? While he's taken one of his worst attacks ever and is left in critical condition, the preview for Warlock: Rebirth #2 reveals Adam has fallen into a coma after being stripped of the Soul Stone and being overwhelmed by Eve. To try to stop her, the Infinity Watch will call on the assistance of Doctor Strange, whose experience leading his own Infinity Watch might come in handy in figuring out how to deal with the newest Warlock.

In her first appearance, Eve Warlock has already proven she is speaking the truth about being a more powerful replacement for Adam Warlock. Their battle is quick and turns ugly almost immediately for Adam. But the question remains: Who created her? The Universal Church of Truth? The Enclave? A more nefarious force at play seeking to gain the Infinity Stones for themselves? It's hard to say. However, with Eve dominating Adam and the Infinity Watch in their first battle, retrieving the lost Soul Stone and stopping the new evolution of Warlock will be an extremely challenging task. Thankfully, Adam has some great friends across the Marvel Universe who will do everything possible to help.

Readers can watch Adam Warlock and the Infinity Watch try to stop Eve Warlock in "Warlock: Rebirth" #1 by Ron Marz, Ron Lim, Don Ho, and Romulo Fajardo Jr from Marvel Comics, which is in comic book stores now.