Guardians Of The Galaxy's First Warlock Was No Joke, According To Concept Art
Though Adam Warlock's (Will Poulter) arrival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had been teased ever since 2017, his appearance in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" still might have surprised some fans who remember the character from Marvel Comics. The Adam Warlock in "Vol. 3" is distinctly half-baked, having been pulled from his cocoon too early and acting childish and short-tempered throughout the film.
Although this sophomoric version of Adam Warlock is one of the most immature superheroes within the MCU, it's worth noting that the initial concept art for the character was nothing to laugh at, presenting a much more stoic and formidable kind of hero. The concept art in question is by Jerad S. Marantz, who later posted that artwork to his personal page on ArtStation, and this version is a little closer to how Adam Warlock should really look based on the comics.
In these images, fans see a metallic and statuesque Adam Warlock, whose costume seems to blend right in with his metallic body. While the costume's menacing skull insignia and gold and red color scheme would make their way into the final design for Poulter's Adam Warlock, this initial concept art for the character is far more intimidating than the dangerous but somewhat naive character in the final film.
The final version of Adam Warlock was much less intimidating than the original concept art suggests
The initial concept art for Adam Warlock makes it clear that the team behind "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" wanted the character to be just as stoic, powerful, and godlike as his comic book counterpart, which is perhaps why the juvenile character from "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is so surprising.
Though he may not be as intimidating as the original concept art suggests, starting out with this childlike version of the character allows Adam to have a much more compelling character arc throughout the film. Fans watch in real time as Adam transforms from a hapless villain with zero knowledge of life outside of the Sovereign into a full-fledged hero and a new member of the "Guardians of the Galaxy."
While it remains to be seen how Adam will behave in future MCU appearances, it's clear the original concept art for this character portrayed a much more powerful, less comedic version of Adam Warlock.