Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 featured the team go up against the High Evolutionary, but is the Marvel villain still alive in the end of the movie? Played by Chukwudi Imuji, the High Evolutionary wants to rework the universe in his own image. By taking away the imperfections, impurities, and elements he deems not worthy of various species, the villain subjects thousands of creatures from across the galaxy to cruel experimentation and torture.
The third Guardians of the Galaxy movie revealed that one of these creatures is Rocket Raccoon, and the film reveals the villain's connection to him via flashbacks. Of course, this brings Rocket and the Guardians into conflict with the High Evolutionary. However, the villain's fate was left somewhat ambiguous by the end of the film, so if you want to know if the High Evolutionary died, we have a clear answer.
(Warning: Major spoilers from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ahead.)
Is the High Evolutionary dead in the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
At the final act of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the High Evolutionary finally confronts Rocket after trying to capture him throughout the film. In the movie's climax, the two battle, and thanks to the other Guardians, Rocket is able to defeat the villain. After taking down the villain, Drax tells Rocket to kill him, which Rocket refuses to do on behalf of being a Guardian of the Galaxy.
Over on Twitter, a fan asked director James Gunn if the High Evolutionary is alive and shared an article from TheDirect that points out that Drax can be seen carrying the villain out of his exploding spaceship at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Gunn confirmed that the High Evolutionary is still alive, tweeting that what’s pointed out in the article is very much in the movie.”
What happened to the High Evolutionary in the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
The end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 did not show what happened to the High Evolutionary after he was rescued by the Guardians, so when a Twitter user asked Gunn what happened to the villain, the filmmaker confirmed that the high Evolutionary is now imprisoned on Knowhere — the severed Celestial head that serves as the base for the Guardians.
In early July, Marvel released a new deleted scene that reveals the fate of the High Evolutionary. As you can see in the deleted scene below, the villain is alive and imprisoned on Knowhere.
