The ensemble of James Gunn’s entertaining HBO Max series Peacemaker is one of its strongest points, and Chukwudi Iwuji, who plays the original character Clemson Murn—the head of the Project Butterfly team and—as it turns out—an alien butterfly himself—is one of the show’s outstanding performers. Veteran actor Iwuji has largely appeared on British stages, with some ventures into TV and movies. However, Peacemaker is arguably his most well-known mainstream endeavour to date.
That is, until his next one. Iwuji was chosen by Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is presently in production, after his work on Peacemaker (which came to an end in Episode 7 with Murn’s death at the hands of his fellow butterflies), which is currently filming. Iwuji’s character has not been given a name, as is customary for Marvel Studios characters.
However, Gunn and Iwuji have undoubtedly released some significant teasers of their own. He tweeted a picture of the cast that featured the actor and stated, “Chuk has truly joined the cast. I didn’t want to let go of one of the best performers I’ve ever worked with after working with him on #Peacemaker, so I gave him the job that almost every famous actor in Hollywood was vying for.
Iwuji also referred to his role as “very powerful” and “one of, if not the most, sophisticated characters we’ve seen in the full Marvel universe” in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. He is therefore extremely forceful and, I think, intriguing. I hope I can contribute that.
Thus, who would Iwuji be portraying? Fans on social media undoubtedly have opinions, and we can hazard some assumptions based on what little we do know about Guardians 3’s story. Let’s look at this:
Beta Ray Bill
We believe that the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder would be a more likely vehicle through which to introduce this fan-favorite character into the MCU because she has been a longtime ally of Thor and is one of the few characters confirmed to be capable of wielding Mjolnir aside from the God of Thunder himself. Although, as far as we can tell, they haven’t interacted much in the comics, Bill is an alien, so it’s not out of the question that the Guardians and he may run into each other in space.
Bill made his television debut in 1983 and comes from the race of Korbinites, whose surviving members travel the universe in their last intelligent spacecraft after their home galaxy is obliterated. Bill is essentially a humanoid horse who has been genetically and technologically altered to give him superhuman strength, speed, and fighting skills. We really hope he enters the MCU soon, even if he doesn’t appear in Guardians 3 or Thor 4.
Major Victory
Because Major Victory, also known as Vance Astro/Vance Astrovik, was a founding member of the Guardians of the Galaxy upon the group’s first appearance in comic books in 1969, this theory has garnered some popularity online. It’s always feasible that Gunn will introduce Astro here even if he wasn’t one of the original Guardians that appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (played by Sylvester Stallone, Michelle Yeoh, Michael Rosenbaum, and Ving Rhames).
The other original Guardians, save Stallone, haven’t been mentioned much in relation to whether they will actually return for Vol. 3, and the psychokinetic Astro doesn’t seem like a character that Gunn would introduce this late in the game. Additionally, it doesn’t exactly sound like “every big name actor” in Hollywood would be looking for the relatively obscure Astro.
Nova
Nova’s appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has also been eagerly awaited for a long time; Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige stated to Comicbook.com in 2018 that the character has “instant potential” to appear in the MCU. In reality, Nova is closely related to the Guardians’ section of the MCU and even made an appearance in early draughts of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie’s script, so his appearance in the series seems imminent.
Despite the fact that the term “Nova” has been used by two different individuals, we believe that Iwuji will play Richard Rider, the first Nova, who becomes the helm of the interplanetary Nova Corps after receiving his powers from Rhomann Dey. The Corps and their headquarters on Xandar were also established, and the last time we heard, Xandar had been destroyed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. This would be a good time to introduce the final surviving member of the Corps since we’ve already met a version of Dey (played by John C. Reilly in the first movie).
The High Evolutionary
Due to his connections to the superbeing Adam Warlock (who will also make his film debut in Guardians 3 as played by Will Poulter), and because, according to Gunn, the movie explores the back story of Rocket Raccoon—who was possibly created by the High Evolutionary—this longtime Marvel antagonist, real name Herbert Wyndham, appears to be the favourite at the moment.
Wyndham, who is preoccupied with the evolution of humanity, spends his time conducting experiments on a range of species (both human and animal) to support his views. Additionally, he advances to the point where he endows himself with superhuman abilities. In the Annihilation: Conquest story arc, he actually implanted Ultron’s mind into Adam Warlock’s body, but if he appears in Guardians 3—which seems to be the most likely scenario—we imagine he would mess with Warlock (and the Guardians) in different ways.
The Silver Surfer
One statement by Gunn has led to speculation that Iwuji might be Norrin Radd: “I offered him the role nearly every major name actor in Hollywood wanted.” Although many famous celebrities undoubtedly read comic books, not all of them are likely to be familiar with characters like the High Evolutionary. However, everyone is familiar with the Silver Surfer’s striking appearance.
Since Marvel reclaimed the character in the Disney/Fox merger, the herald of Galactus has only made one appearance on the big screen, in the 2007 non-MCU Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (voiced by Laurence Fishburne and performed in motion capture by Doug Jones). An cameo by Radd in Guardians 3 might be a good reintroduction of the character and pave the way for, of course, Galactus, with Marvel’s Fantastic Four movie scheduled for late 2023 or early 2024. According to Iwuji, The Surfer is undeniably “complex” and “powerful.”
Do you believe Iwuji is portraying anyone?
On May 5, 2023, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is scheduled for release.
