Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 continues to make waves in the weeks following its release. Whether it’s theories, talk of the successful box office numbers, or cast members revealing where their futures lie, there’s one question on everyone’s mind: “Did the High Evolutionary survive?”
James Gunn is not shy when it comes to his social media presence. Heavily applauded by fans, and industry insiders, Gunn is incredibly open on Twitter about all his projects. On Friday, the Guardians Director took to Twitter to confirm what some fans have been speculating regarding the High Evolutionary’s potential survival.
Is the High Evolutionary alive?
One of the big questions at the end of the movie: “is the High Evolutionary alive?” Talks of deleted scenes reveal that the High Evolutionary did not die in the final explosion. In a YouTube interview from Strip Marvel, Miguel Angel Acevedo Monserrat (a digital compositor who worked on the final escape scene) mentiones Drax can be seen carrying him off the ship.
Chukwudi Iwuji, who plays the High Evolutionary, also teased on the Phase Zero podcast that there is an alternate ending where the character does not die on the ship.
“I’m hoping you’ll see an extended version or maybe an alternate ending, you know, that we certainly did film… The point is that Rocket doesn’t shoot me. They make a point of saying, ‘why don’t you kill him?’ and he says, ‘No, I’m not going to kill him.’ And you don’t actually see me go down with the ship.“
—Chukwudi Iwuji on the Phase Zero Podcast
Gunn responded to this on Twitter, upon being asked if what Chukwudi says is true, surprising many with his response.
Did the High Evolutionary survive?
Gunn went on to confirm that the High Evolutionary is alive, imprisoned on Knowhere.
What happened to the High Evolutionary?
Now that we can confirm the High Evolutionary is not dead, what is next for Iwuji’s villain? There is always a chance that we see him return down the line. The original Secret Wars, created by Jim Shooter, is not a multiverse story but simply all the heroes fighting against all the villains. We could see Iwuji return in one of the most anticipated films this decade—Marvel Studios’ Secret Wars.
It would also be fun to see the High Evolutionary on the path to redemption. He could create one of Marvel’s most bizarre teams, Brute Force, in an effort to try to be better. Or perhaps, he will spend the rest of his days rotting away in a prison on the severed head of a dead celestial.
For all the latest Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 coverage, keep updated on the Agents of Fandom socials.
