Summary
A wild new theory answers a burning, seven-year-oldMCUmystery, while also changing the ending of Marvel Studios’Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. James Gunn’sGuardians of the Galaxyfilm seriesis one of the MCU’s most popular, and has explored the franchise’s cosmos more than any other. Delving into the depths of space meant that Gunn had the opportunity to introduce some of Marvel’s strangest, most powerful, and most otherworldly villains into the MCU, including the likes of Ronan the Accuser, Thanos, Ego, and the High Evolutionary.
What made theGuardians of the Galaxyfranchise’s villainsso great were their connections to the titular heroes themselves. Thanos was Gamora and Nebula’s adoptive father, Ego was Peter Quill’s biological father, and the High Evolutionary had a hand in enhancing Rocket into an intelligent being. However,one new MCU theory suggests that two of the Guardians of the Galaxy’s villains may also be connected to each other, and this wild suggestion could explain one major mystery concerningGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s Ego.
Guardians of the Galaxy
2014
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
2017
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
2023
High Evolutionary, Adam Warlock
Ego’s Differences To Other Celestials Has Never Been Addressed In The MCU
In a massive change from Marvel Comics, Ego the Living Planet was introduced inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2as Peter Quill’s biological father, played by Kurt Russell. Ego explained that he was a Celestial, butEgo looks very different from the other Celestials that have been seen in the MCU.Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: Love and ThunderandEternalshave all featured Celestials that look like giant humanoid creatures, but with extreme cosmic designs. This is a far cry from Ego’s brain-like physique, and his ability to create a vast world and human-like forms.
In Marvel Comics, Peter Quill was the son of human Meredith Quill and Spartoi Emperor J’son of Spartax, while Ego was a simple sentient planet who was an adversary to many cosmic superheroes.
Marvel Studios has never explained why Ego looks so different to the otherCelestials seen in the MCU, and the fact that Ego was defeated and killed inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2means this may never be addressed. Ego’s differences to the other Celestials don’t stop at his appearance.Eternalsseemed to suggest that all Celestials were fostered and born from seed planets, such as Tiamut from the Earth, but this was not the case for Ego, who describes one day just being alive. While Marvel hasn’t explained these differences, a major new theory could.
The High Evolutionary Created Ego: Major MCU Theory Explained
According to a new theory posed byReddituser AttunementOfWord, Ego’s differences could be explained if he is revealed to be one of the High Evolutionary’s experiments.Chukwudi Iwuji’s debut inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3as the High Evolutionary brought one of Marvel’s most significant and terrifying villains into live-action, and connected him closely to the history of Rocket Raccoon. TheHigh Evolutionary created many different species, including those of the Sovereign and the Humanimals, so it makes sense that he could have created Ego.
Back in August 2023, a theory posed byReddituser AdditionalInitial727suggested that the Orgoscope, the strange headquarters of OrgoCorp, could have been the beginnings of theHigh Evolutionary’s plan to build a Celestial. The Orgoscope was made of fleshy, biological matter, and contained pools of yellow liquid like those seen in Knowhere inGuardians of the Galaxy.The eye-like structure at the center of the Orgoscope emulated similar structures on the heads of Celestials seen inEternalsand other MCU projects, reinforcing this theory.
It’s unknown exactly when the High Evolutionary may have started to build the Orgoscope, but, according to the more recentReddittheory, the Phase 5 villain may have been successful in his later attempts with the birth of Ego.Having Ego be a product of the High Evolutionary’s universe-spanning experiments would clearly explain his differences to other Celestials in the MCU, as he wouldn’t be a typical Celestial, but would have been designed byGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’sgod-like villain. Unbelievably, there is even more evidence to back up these shocking claims.
How Guardians of the Galaxy 3’s Villain Is Retconned To Be The Trilogy’s Big Bad
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 turns the High Evolutionary into the team’s most influential villain, as he affected their story even before his debut.
The High Evolutionary & Ego Wanted Similar Goals
At first glance, Ego and the High Evolutionary couldn’t be more opposite to each other. However, upon deeper inspection, it seems the two villains actually wanted the same thing in their respectiveGuardians of the Galaxymovies.The High Evolutionary conducted his experiments in an effort to create the perfect society, comprising beings who worship him as a god. He practiced these plans with theCounter-Earth experiment, but purged it when it failed, and hoped to use Rocket to breathe imagination into his newly-designed Star Children.
While the High Evolutionary wanted to create a unique society,Ego wanted to transform every other society in the universe into an extension of himself. Using his seeds implanted in worlds across the universe, Ego’s expansion had similar roots to the High Evolutionary’s plans, both wanting to create the perfect society in their own image. Based on theReddittheory, Ego’s desire to spread himself across all creation would have been an extension of the High Evolutionary’s ambition to do the same, though they had very different methods in making this happen.
In Marvel Comics, the High Evolutionary was a human genetic scientist named Herbert Edgar Wyndham who wanted to evolve humanity into the perfect species, butGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3introduced him as an alien being.
MCU Theory Makes The High Evolutionary The Most Terrifying MCU Villain (& He’s Still Alive)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3made it possible for him to return.
The idea of the High Evolutionary having the power to create a Celestial-like being such as Ego cements him as one of, if not the most powerful beings in the entire MCU. These theories would make the High Evolutionary the primary villain of theGuardians of the Galaxyfranchise, as he would have been pulling the strings in several of the titular team members' lives long before they came together. Viewers could rest assured that the High Evolutionary wouldn’t rear his ugly head again, butGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3made it possible for him to return.
While the High Evolutionary’s laboratory was destroyed inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, every experiment and animal inside was saved by the Guardians team. The team also saved the High Evolutionary himself. Drax can be seen carrying the High Evolutionary’s unconscious body onto Knowhere towards the end of the movie, and a deleted scene from the Phase 5 project shows Rocket imprisoning the villain, but theHigh Evolutionary is very much alive.This creates the opportunity for his escape and the continuation of his nefarious plans, allowing him to perhaps build new villains in the MCU’s future.
