Chukwudi Iwuji is the cosmic big bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the mad High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It's the latest step in a blossoming career for the accomplished actor. Still, before he joined the MCU, Iwuji had a much smaller role in director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves' hit action series, the John Wick franchise.
Chukwudi Iwuji's Character in 'John Wick: Chapter 2' is Basically a Cameo
Chukwudi Iwuji plays the character of Akoni in John Wick: Chapter 2, but we wouldn't blame you for not remembering that as his character, the character only shows up in a single scene. As those familiar with the second chapter of the John Wick saga know, the titular assassin (played, of course, by Keanu Reeves), is thrust back into the criminal underworld yet again when a shadowy figure from his past comes to request a favor. The figure is Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scarmarcio) - a ruthless crime lord who helped John fulfill his "impossible task" that got him a way out of his criminal profession. Santino asks John to kill his sister, Gianna D'Antonio (Claudia Gerini), who is about to be crowned as a new member of the organization that controls all major crime on an international scale, the High Table. John tells Santino that his recent quest to avenge his murdered dog was a one-time deal, but Santino calls attention to the fact that John gave him a marker, which is a binding agreement, by the rules of the High Table, must be honored.
Despite this, John still refuses, and Santino retaliates by destroying John's house with him still inside. The absurd act of property damage leads John to realize that he'll never be free as long as Santino holds a marker over him. Thus, the legendary hitman reluctantly travels to Italy to kill Gianna D'Antonio. When John gets to Rome, he finds Gianna celebrating her rise to power at a massive party, with her faithful bodyguard Cassian (Common) staying right by her side.
It's during this party when Cassian informs Gianna that Mr. Akoni is requesting an audience in her private chambers. That's when we see Chukwudi Iwuji's mysterious minor character, who is looking particularly snazzy in a gray suit and a golden button-down shirt. Akoni seems to be displeased about something that Gianna is responsible for, with them mentioning some sort of dispute over territory that Gianna took from Akoni. Gianna tries to make it sound like it was an amicable transaction, but Akoni implies that the territories were taken under duress. That's when Gianna shows that she's worthy of a High Table seat when she says that the only people in danger were the territory holders' children, which very much comes across as a veiled threat. With that, Akoni gets up and leaves to enjoy the rest of the party, and... yeah, that's about it. It's a very vague and minor role that's primarily utilized to add a bit more depth to Gianna's character, Akoni has not been seen or mentioned in the two sequels that followed John Wick: Chapter 2.
Chukwudi Iwuji is Best Known for His Work in Television, Especially 'Peacemaker'
Prior to his small role in John Wick: Chapter 2, Chukwudi Iwuji was best known for his character actor work in various television shows, including When They See Us, The Split, and Designated Survivor. Fans of those shows certainly took notice of Iwuji's dedicated and memorable performances. However, Iwuji has found some particularly great success in the superhero genre, and it all started when he was cast in an anticipated DC Comics television series by writer and director James Gunn.
Peacemaker is the critically acclaimed HBO Max spin-off series centering on John Cena's "douchey Captain America" from 2021's The Suicide Squad. As fans of the hit show know, Peacemaker is recruited by some of Amanda Waller's (Viola Davis) associates. Thus, Peacemaker and his unofficial partner Vigilante (Freddie Stroma) are brought in on a mission to save the planet. The rest of their team includes the rough and gruff Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), the good-hearted yet goofy John Economos (Steve Agee), Amanda Waller's own daughter Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), and their all led by Chukwudi Iwuji's intimidating character, Clemson Murn.
Murn is essentially Amanda Waller 2.0, being a fierce, cold, and calculating leader of Team Peacemaker. However, all is not as it seems with the notorious black ops assassin, as he's holding a few secrets of his own that he's hiding from the rest of his team.
Chukwudi Iwuji Gets His Biggest Role Yet in 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'
Chukwudi Iwuji is no stranger to starring in feature films, but he's never been in a role quite as significant as his horrifying villain in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The titular heroes have faced a wealth of terrifying villains in the past, such as the rogue Kree Accuser Ronan (Lee Pace), the manipulative living planet Ego (Kurt Russell), and even the Mad Titan Thanos (Josh Brolin). They're all big-time bad guys for sure, but even they would be fundamentally disturbed by the disgusting past times of Chukwudi Iwuji's High Evolutionary.
The High Evolutionary is a mad scientist in every sense of the word, only he has the resources of a thousand planets at his disposal. The villain has a disturbing obsession with creating the perfect life-form, as well as creating a flawless civilization where he would reside over them as a god. That may not sound all that nefarious, but the High Evolutionary is never satisfied with his creations, throwing them away as soon as he grows tired of them and comes up with another idea. He's directly responsible for the creation of Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and his traumatic past.
Chukwudi Iwuji is also delightfully chewing up the spotlight as this truly evil character, clearly having a lot of fun playing one of the MCU's stronger antagonists. With him destined to become a memorable favorite among Marvel fans, that could mean that we'll see his character of Akoni return to the John Wick franchise one day, either as a friend or a foe.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now in theaters.
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