As always, treat any rumor with a grain of salt until it is officially confirmed by the movie studio, but it looks like we may now know the name of another villain in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR – PART I and II that could explain how Thanos and the Guardians of the Galaxy become directly involved with Thor and The Avengers here on Earth.
The website Acting Auditions has posted a casting notice for AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR – PART I that references a character that has yet to be linked to any of the Marvel Cinematic Universe productions but makes a whole lot of sense when you think about it. Here is the plot they included with the notice.
The film is the first in a two-part sequel in which Thanos plays a major role, along with the Magus. Adam Warlock’s bad side, the Magus, separates from his body and assembles the Infinity Gauntlet. Magus creates doppelgangers of Earth’s heroes as part of his plan to recreate a universe of evil.
In the comics, Adam Warlock is a character who has run-ins with Thor before joining forces with Gamora and Thanos to fight Magus before discovering it was a future version of himself. While it may not be the official summary of the screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, it seems like a random plot element to throw out there for a casting notice. Of course, if the notice suddenly gets taken down, that may tell us a bit more about how legitimate it could be.
The notice also lists the cast for AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR – PART I which includes Robert Downey Jr, Josh Brolin, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. Yes, it appears that Loki may be returning for the film. Other actors including Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johannson were not included but that doesn't necessarily mean they are not in the movie.
Overall, this all makes sense in that Thanos likely will not need to get his hands dirty until the second film so having Adam Warlock/Magus as the primary antagonist for the first movie would help give it some narrative closure. Interestingly, the notice also calls for all actors to have eligibility to work in the United Kingdom where DOCTOR STRANGE will begin production later this year. Whether any of these rumors pan out remains to be seen, but if Adam Warlock is set to be cast, you better believe we will hear about it when it becomes official.
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR – PART I will hit theaters on May 4, 2018.