Editor’s Note: The following contains full spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3′The famed Guardians of the Galaxy have faced many villains over the years, but none come close to being as brutal, insane, and ruthless as the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji).

We realize this is a pretty bold statement, as the three main antagonists of the galaxy’s favorite musical heroes weren’t a picnic. First there was the radical Kree Accuser Ronan (Lee Pace), who nearly destroyed the entire planet with the Power Stone. Then came Star-Lord Ego’s father (Kurt Russell), a living planet that sought to recreate the cosmos in its own image. Last but not least, Thanos the Mad Titan (Josh Brolin) temporarily managed to wipe out half the universe before the Avengers reversed the infamous outbreak.

It’s hard to imagine anyone more vile than Thanos, but the new villain seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a certified incorrigible monster. So much so that the High Evolutionary feels like he’s been pulled straight out of David Cronenberg horror film, with his obsession with body modification and the creation of the perfect organism, making him one of the most disturbing villains to ever appear in a Marvel movie. His actions against the Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and his animal friends, the utter callous disregard for his sentient creations, and Chukwudi Iwuji’s adorable mustache twist make for a Marvel villain who will create monsters in your nightmares.

The attitude of higher evolutionists towards the Rocket and its satellites is inexcusable

The High Evolutionary is experimenting with Rocket Raccoon
Image via Disney

The first scene we see in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - baby Rocket just a few moments before becoming a cyborg. It’s a wonderful tone, as all we see is the High Evolutionary’s hand reaching out to Rocket as the soundtrack rises to deafening levels, showing that Rocket’s origin story isn’t going to be enjoyable.

After Rocket is poked and prodded and suddenly gains sentience and is rudely thrown into a cage, he encounters three other modified animals who look like they’re at home in Sid’s bedroom. toy story. They consist of Lilla (Linda Cardellini), a kind-hearted otter with mechanical arms, Thiefs (Asim Chaudhry), a sluggish walrus in a wheelchair, and Paul (Michaela Hoover), an energetic rabbit with spider legs. Rocket forms a strong bond with his fellow prisoners, while the High Evolutionary trains the raccoon to become a certified genius.

Rocket proves to be a huge help to the High Evolutionary in his quest to create an “ideal society”, which he called the “Party of 90”. Once the mad scientist achieves a breakthrough in his experiments, Rocket realizes that he and his friends will soon be able to leave their cages and head to their new harbor on Counter-Earth. Unfortunately, Rocket learns that everything the High Evolutionary builds is based on a lie, with his cruel creator telling the young raccoon that he will never have an ugly, freaky creature destroying his ideal society. At this, the High Evolutionary admits that Rocket has a brilliant mind that he wants to use, but has little interest in his comrades and demands that they be disposed of.

Now seeing the High Evolutionary as the manic monster that he is, Rocket begins to help his friends escape. When Rocket hugs Lilla for the first time, it looks like they’re going to be successful, but off-screen shot proves otherwise. The High Evolutionary stands at the door, having just mercilessly executed Lilla without a second thought, while Rocket and his friends watch in horror. This sends Rocket into a blind rage, and she lashes out at the High Evolutionary and scratches his face, scarring him forever. The brutal attack also stunned Rocket, as he didn’t even hear the occasional gunshots, which also left Teefs and Flor dead.

The High Evolutionary commits genocide against his own creations

Guardians-of-the-Galaxy-Vol-3-The-High-Evolutionary
Image via Marvel Studios

Killing a trio of cute animals is more than enough to make viewers hate you, but Rocket’s traumatic past represents just the beginning of the High Evolutionary’s monstrous actions in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Desperate for a way to save Rocket from his mortal wounds, the Guardians of the Galaxy plot a course for the High Evolutionary’s base on Counter-Earth, a so-called ideal society that Rocket indirectly helped its creator to develop. There they find a flourishing society almost identical to that of Earth, with the key difference being the humanoid animal inhabitants who worship the High Evolutionary as a god. When Star LordChris Pratt) and Groot (VIN diesel), finally coming face to face with a world leader, they learn that the High Evolutionary has founded his future utopia on Earth, hoping that it will be everything he has always dreamed of.

However, like Ego Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The High Evolutionary is frustrated with his hard work. Perhaps he made Counter-Earth look too much like his namesake when his once coveted batch of 90 inherited all the humanoid flaws of the humanoids they are based on. He feels it needs a solution and somehow comes to the conclusion that the only thing he can do is blow up the planet and start over. In what may well be the most graphic and stunning act of genocide ever seen in an MCU movie, Counter-Earth is destroyed along with all of its inhabitants. The animal-humanoid people of Counter-Earth, which included thousands if not millions of children, are powerless to stop the destruction of their world. The only thoughts running through their minds are utter confusion and absolute horror.

Rocket’s backstory seemed to indicate that Packet 90 and Counter-Earth were the High Evolutionary’s ultimate goal, but once he reaches that goal, he tosses it aside like it means nothing. Sure, Thanos probably killed a lot more people, but at least he had reason to believe that what he was doing would save the universe and conserve its resources. The High Evolutionary simply destroys what could have been over a billion sentient beings because he found them to be imperfect, throwing them away like a child throwing a toy that bores him. Even worse, remember that this is batch 90, which means that the lunatic has potentially committed this act of mass murder 89 times before. It takes a special kind of cruel person to perform an action once, but dozens of times it turns into a truly incorrigible monster.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 now plays in theaters.