After a long journey of 9 years, the saga of the Guardians of the Galaxy came to a close with the third installment, and if anything made an impact besides Rocket’s heartwarming origin story, it was the evil villain known as the High Evolutionary, played by Chukwudi Iwuji. For many who have seen the film, the character died when his gigantic ship was destroyed, but the reality is different, as confirmed by the director James Gunn.
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Before the director made it known, the true fate of the High Evolutionary was revealed by the visual effects artist of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – 
85%, Miguel Angel Acevedo Montserratwho said to Strip Marvel (via The Direct) that in the scene where the animals escape from the villain’s ship to Knowhere, Drax can be seen carrying someone, and that someone is the character played by Iwuji.
Given such news shared by The Directfans began to speak on Twitter about its implications, and the conversation reached the very James Gunnwho confirmed that High Evolutionary is still alive, there is a deleted scene that confirms it, and that not having died is a very important part of Rocket’s story, as it reveals his evolution as a character, from being the least empathetic to the most empathetic of the Guardians:
Yeah! It’s the entire culmination of Rocket’s journey. The change in him is that he doesn’t kill him, he goes from being the least empathetic to the most empathetic Guardian. He seems dumb and hollow that she refuses to kill him and then leaves him on an exploding ship. And, yes, there is a deleted scene. It’s really cool actually, but it messed up the pacing at the end. But you’ll see it in the extras eventually.
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.Forks! It’s the whole culmination of Rocket’s journey. His shift from him comes in that he doesn’t kill him-he goes from being the least empathetic to the most empathetic Guardian. It seems silly & hollow that he’d refuse to kill him & then leave him on an…
—James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 19, 2023
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In addition to Montserrat and Gunn, Iwuji himself had confessed that the villain he played does not die at the end, these were his words for the podcast Phase Zeroof comic book (via The Direct):
Well let me put it this way. I hope you guys see an extended version or maybe an alternate ending, which we certainly filmed… The point is, Rocket doesn’t shoot me. They keep saying why don’t you kill him and he says, ‘No, I’m not going to kill him.’ And you don’t really see me go down with the ship. So, I’ll leave it at that.
This portends a possible return of the High Evolutionary in the future, perhaps right now he is a prisoner, or Rocket could be experimenting on him to fix his brain and stop being a control freak psychopath.
The Guardians of the Galaxy debuted in Marvel comics in 1969 in Marvel Super-Heroes #18but its popularity increased considerably with the formation of the modern version of the team in 2008. This team included characters such as Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon and Groot, who quickly became fan favorites, and were those who came to the big screen in 2014, under the direction of James Gunn. Part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), this film introduced mainstream audiences to these lesser-known characters, who were enthusiastically received due to their irreverent humor and exciting action.
The sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – 82%, continued to expand the stories of these heroes and their relationship as an unconventional family. The Guardians also played a crucial role in the last two Avengers movies, Avengers: Infinity War – 79% and Avengers: Endgame – 95%. They helped in the battle against Thanos, and while they suffered devastating losses, they also had heroic moments. Finally, last year came his last appearance on the screen before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Guardians Of The Galaxy: Holiday Special – 90%, which was a hit on Disney Plus and served as a prelude to the third installment. Although Gunn has said that he will not return to Marvel, the characters could appear in future films in the franchise.
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