The High Evolutionary (Herbert Edgar Wyndham) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is depicted as a scientist who seeks to evolve different life forms such as the New Men. The High Evolutionary's goals have often put him at odds with different superheroes.
Originally introduced as an antagonist in the Thor comics, the High Evolutionary would go on to feature prominently in storylines involving the Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer. His backstory was later connected to the X-Men villain Mister Sinister, while the High Evolutionary became integral to the origin stories of the Avengers heroes Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Spider-Woman.
Chukwudi Iwuji portrays the High Evolutionary in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). Additionally, Richard Newman, Jonathan Frakes, Corey Burton, and Nolan North have voiced the character in animation.
Creation Co-creator Stan Lee stated the character was inspired by the H. G. Wells novel The Island of Doctor Moreau.
Publication history The High Evolutionary was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. He was first mentioned in The Mighty Thor #133 (October 1966) and made his first full appearance the following month, in The Mighty Thor #134 (November 1966); his New Men had been alluded to in the previous issue, #132.
After his introduction in the Thor comics, the High Evolutionary became central to Marvel's Counter-Earth stories of the early 1970s and to the Warlock series that grew out of them, beginning in Marvel Premiere #1 (April 1972). He served as the antagonist of the 1988 company-wide crossover "Evolutionary War", which ran through that year's line of annuals, and returned in the 2008 "Annihilation: Conquest" storyline.
Fictional character biography
Herbert Wyndham is born in Manchester, England. While a student at Oxford in the 1930s, he takes an interest in the work of genetic biologist Nathaniel Essex and begins experimenting with genetic manipulation, building a machine (which he calls the genetic accelerator) with which he attempts to "evolve" the rats in his mother's London basement. While attending a genetics conference in Geneva, Wyndham is approached by a mysterious man (who is in truth the outcast Inhuman geneticist Phaeder) who hands him papers containing blueprints for cracking the genetic code. With this information to bolster his experiments, Wyndham develops a serum he dubs "Isotope A".X-Factor Annual #3 (August 1988)
Although expelled from the university for his single-mindedness, he eventually evolves his pet Dalmatian Dempsey into a humanoid form with the intelligence of a chimpanzee. However, Dempsey is shot by poachers, and Wyndham realizes that such creatures as he would create would have no place in the human world. In partnership with scientist Jonathan Drew (father of Jessica Drew), Wyndham moves his experiments to the seclusion of Mount Wundagore in Transia. The discovery of uranium on the land (inherited by Drew's wife) provides vast funding, and they buy more land from local baron Gregor Russoff.Punisher Annual #1 (August 1988)
Assembling a "citadel of science" designed by German scientist Horace Grayson (father of the future Marvel Boy) and built by Moloid slaves supplied by Phaeder, the pair continue their experiment until Drew's daughter falls ill from uranium poisoning and is placed into suspended animation to save her life.Silver Surfer Annual #1 (August 1988) Subsequently, Drew's wife is attacked and killed by Russoff's werewolf form, and Drew leaves Wundagore. Wyndham develops a suit of protective silver armor for himself and continues his work.Fantastic Four Annual #21 (September 1988) Now joined in his work by research assistant Miles Warren, Wyndham makes increasingly radical breakthroughs, including the genetic acceleration of animals into humanoid beings that he dubbed his "New Men".Thor #135 (December 1966)
When Jonathan Drew returns to Wundagore and is possessed by the ghost of the magician Magnus, he warns that the citadel has been built upon the place where the Elder God Chthon was banished. He trains the New Men in the ways of combat and chivalry, with the group becoming the Knights of Wundagore and Wyndham becoming known as the "Lord High Evolutionary".The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #22 (September 1988) In 1958, Baron Russoff attempts to use the Darkhold to cure himself of his lycanthropy, inadvertently freeing Chthon from imprisonment until Magnus re-seals him. On the same night, Wanda Maximoff and Pietro Maximoff are born at the citadel, with their mother Magda fleeing afterward. Wanda gains the ability to wield chaos magic due to Chthon's influence.Web of Spider-Man Annual #4 (October 1988)
Wyndham, seeing opportunities beyond Earth, converts his scientific research citadel into a spaceship, exploring the stars with his New Men. He eventually establishes Counter-Earth, a planet akin to Earth. Although Counter-Earth is meant to be a temporary structure that will be evolved into a paradise, the Man-Beast corrupts the process, resulting in Counter-Earth becoming an imperfect world. By this time the High Evolutionary has adopted Adam Warlock and bestowed on him the Soul Gem, dispatching him to redeem Counter-Earth.Marvel Premiere #1–2 (April–May 1972)Warlock #1 (August 1972)
During the "Evolutionary War" storyline, the High Evolutionary becomes increasingly unstable and maniacal. He attempts to kill himself, but is stopped by his suit. The High Evolutionary manipulates Hulk into destroying his armor, which malfunctions and devolves the High Evolutionary into a mass of single-celled organisms.The Incredible Hulk #266 (December 1981) However, the suit's circuits reorganize and restore the High Evolutionary to his previous state. His death and subsequent rebirth give the High Evolutionary a new insight into the future of mankind. Rather than being a benevolent yet distant protector, as he had been with his New Men, he now takes a direct hand in molding the future of humanity.
The High Evolutionary comes into conflict with a number of superheroes, notably the reserve Avengers and Adam Warlock, when he tries to forcibly mutate (or "evolve") the entire population of the Earth with his "Evolution Bomb". The Avengers stop him, though the High Evolutionary and Hercules are exposed to the High Evolutionary's Genesis Chamber and become "more than a god", phasing out of existence.The Avengers Annual #17 (November 1988) The evolved essences of the High Evolutionary and Hercules are harvested by the Celestials and manipulated for unknown purposes in the Black Galaxy. Eventually both are returned to human form, and the High Evolutionary returns to space with the Knights of Wundagore.
During the Annihilation: Conquest storyline, the High Evolutionary reappears in Kree space, working on restructuring the Kree genome in a fortress inside a star. Adam Warlock brings Quasar and Moondragon to him after being overwhelmed by Phalanx warriors, who quickly invade the High Evolutionary's vessel. After learning that Ultron is leading the Phalanx militia, the High Evolutionary detonates the star, vaporizing his ship, Ultron, and the invading Phalanx warriors. The High Evolutionary is captured by the Phalanx and forced to transfer the essence of Ultron into Warlock's body, apparently killing him. However, the High Evolutionary is aware that Warlock's consciousness has survived and implies that Warlock will "lead the way" for the new Guardians of the Galaxy.Annihilation: Conquest #1–#6 (January–June 2008)
The High Evolutionary works with Magneto and Blob to determine why so many mutants were depowered on M-Day. He develops a suit for the depowered Magneto that replicates his original powers, and Magneto leads an attack on San Francisco as a distraction so that the High Evolutionary could gain a currently unknown object from inside of the Dreaming Celestial Tiamut.Uncanny X-Men #500 (September 2008) After extensively examining Tiamut, the High Evolutionary subjects Magneto to a dangerous procedure that successfully restores his powers.Uncanny X-Men #507 (May 2009)
The High Evolutionary drains the Silver Surfer's Power Cosmic into himself, rendering the Surfer mortal and giving the High Evolutionary the ability to control and modify the star sphere of the civilization-destroying entity Galactus, allowing him to bestow life to dead worlds. The High Evolutionary creates a herald for himself as well as a silver-coated biome of life on Earth, which needs only sunlight to survive, without the need to kill other animals. The Surfer and the Fantastic Four unite with the armed forces to kill all the High Evolutionary's creations on the grounds that they eradicate emotion and individuality from the humans who are transformed. They again exterminate the High Evolutionary's creations after he begins to terraform the Moon, on the rationale that it will affect tides and animal migrations. Galactus arrives, and the Fantastic Four cheer on Galactus to kill Wyndham, but as the High Evolutionary now serves an equal opposite "World Builder" function of creating rather than committing genocide on sentient civilizations, he allows the High Evolutionary to leave with his star sphere to continue creating new life throughout the universe.Silver Surfer (vol. 6) #1–5 (April–August 2011)
The High Evolutionary creates a new Counter-Earth inhabited by millions of New Men. The High Evolutionary routinely exterminates the entire population of New Men when they ultimately fail to meet his standards of perfection and then re-creates them. He is served in his plans by a human called the Master Scientist and Luminous (a female created from the genetic templates of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch).Uncanny Avengers #1–2 (December 2012 – January 2013) After being tracked down and defeated by Luminous, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are brought to the High Evolutionary himself. He reveals to them that Django and Marya Maximoff are their true parents. He also tells them the truth: Wanda and Pietro are not mutants and gained their abilities after being experimented on by the High Evolutionary.Uncanny Avengers #4 (April 2013)
Continuing his work on Counter-Earth, the High Evolutionary uses his technology to accelerate Counter-Earth to combine it with Earth.The Avengers #672–673 (December 2017 – January 2018) Falcon and Viv Vision are unexpectedly teleported to Counter-Earth and brought to the High Evolutionary. He decides to evolve them, starting by turning Viv into a human.Champions (vol. 2) #12–13 (November–December 2017) The High Evolutionary is seemingly killed when his teleporter malfunctions; in reality, he has been transported to another dimension as living data.The Avengers #674 (February 2018)Champions (vol. 2) #15 (February 2018) The High Evolutionary is returned to his dimension by the Knights of Wundagore, but leaves Counter-Earth after being disappointed with the outcome of his experiment.Spider-Woman (vol. 7) #6 (January 2021)
In the prelude to the "Hunted" storyline, Kraven the Hunter hunts several of the New Men to draw out the High Evolutionary. Kraven cuts a deal with the High Evolutionary to take his DNA sample and create 87 clones of him. The Last Son of Kraven kills the other clones and proves himself to Kraven.The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #16 (April 2019)