Warning: some SPOILERS for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are in play. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you have been officially notified.
There are so many facets to explore when delving into the story of writer/director James Gunn Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It sort of comes with the territory when you have a project that’s supposed to say goodbye to a group of characters that audiences have been in love with for almost a decade, so it’s not a total surprise. However, in honor of this new marvel movie acting as a victory lap for this take on the classic comic book brand, i’d like to take some time to admit we’ve all been asleep Karen Gillan‘s Nebula for years.
For several reasons, and a handful of MCU entries, Zoe Saldaña’s cybernetically enhanced adoptive sister of Gamora hasn’t had enough. Yet with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, that spotlight finally found her, with Gillan and her performance receiving plenty of praise in this massive trilogy capstone. It was about time, and in celebration, I’d like to take the time to praise why Nebula’s story is one of the most important and effective arcs in Guardians history.
Karen Gillan’s Guardians of the Galaxy Arc Has Always Been Quietly Effective
THE guardians of the galaxy The narrative has always been about love in many aspects. The love story between Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) has always been one of the most obvious manifestations of these themes, as has the father/son relationship between Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot ( Vin Diesel). .
Looking closer at Nebula’s story, her story covers similar ground, but not in such a flashy way. Land one of the most heartbreaking guardians of the galaxy punchesKaren Gillan’s hardened killer admits in the middle of Flight. 2 that all she wanted was a sister.
Nebula’s pursuit of love is similar to everyone else’s in that she wants to belong and have people who support her. The big difference is, as we’ll see in another point of order, that his outcome is based more on self-fulfillment and on his own two feet.
Nebula’s story further enhanced Point Of Rocket’s journey
Here’s something I didn’t really understand until I got into Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special: Rocket and Nebula are kindred spirits who form another lasting friendship in this trilogy. Much like Yondu before her, Nebula’s friendship with Rocket was another common thread that paralleled our “secret protagonist” and her story. This not only reinforced of the rocket Guardians scriptbut also gave Nebula some pretty amazing moments to make her own Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Just as Rocket used the wits given to him by the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) to eventually become a Guardian and free the animals upon his capture, Nebula’s cruel past led to his own great heroism. Using his impressive cybernetic arm to pilot the High Evolutionary’s ship during the third act’s big rescue mission, this is another case of someone using their past pain for good.
The cruel “punishments” that Thanos inflicted on Nebula became crucial points in saving the day in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, turning pain into victory. It also makes that moment of Karen Gillan giving a CGI raccoon a metal prosthetic arm in a Marvel Studios holiday special all the more meaningful when you think about it.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Gave Nebula Even More Time To Shine As A Leader
While Gamora was still rightfully part of the team in this big send-off, she wasn’t as tightly tied to the group this time around. Naturally, it was because the Gamora that Star-Lord knew and loved died in Avengers: Infinity Warwhich added a whole wrinkle which led to one of the best guardians of the galaxy decisions made in the plot of the film.
It also meant that Karen Gillan’s Nebula had to be co-functional with Chris Pratt this round, and how did that not happen earlier in the MCU? You can see why Nebula played such an important role in Avengers: Infinity War And Avengers: Endgame, besides his obvious connection to Thanos (Josh Brolin). It’s as if writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely knew that boosting our blue cyberfriend’s profile was going to be key going forward, and James Gunn picked up that slack and ran with it.
As such, Karen Gillan must always be hysterically deadpan herself, while branching out into new emotional and comedic beats. Which was especially true when it came to her character’s overall fate.
Nebula gets one of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 best endings
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 END, there were so many ways our heroes could have parted ways. More tragic circumstances would have seen valiant sacrifice result in the death of a couple, but James Gunn actually avoided that cliched approach and let all of our heroes live. Their separation came from growing as people and wanting to accomplish different things, with Nebula having one of the best fates of the entire group.
Of course, she has the chance to become a hero and defender in Rocket’s new Guardian class. But she rejects this, instead choosing to stay on Knowhere for the following reason:
I will rule the city. Make it the home I never had.
It’s a Guardians story decision which is a circle full of emotional gold. The hardened assassin who was ready to serve Thanos and wipe out half the universe is now trying to make a corner of the stars a little better than she found. Karen Gillan delivers this line perfectly, showing us that the nebula we see in front of us is someone we know, but has also changed in her own way. She sells the moment in its perfection, knowing all the notes to hit a few scenes before finally seeing her unleashed in the big scene that shows her dancing among her future citizens.
Karen Gillan’s performance was always perfectly balanced, as it should be
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 once again proves something the world should definitely recognize right now: Karen Gillan is an ace, period! Doctor Who fans have known this for years from her work as Amy Pond, and now MCU fans are having fun with this story.
Nebula is a cybernetically enhanced character, who while not totally lacking in emotion, doesn’t really cartwheel for anything or anyone. Gillan played this aspect of his Marvel villain-turned-hero with absolutely perfect balance. She’s always sold the lack of emotion in a way that still reminds us that her killer isn’t a total robot, she’s just hardened from the experiences she’s had.
Finally giving him the opportunity to let go at the end of this guardians of the galaxy threequel isn’t just a moment of comic relief. Just like there’s a reason a scene where we understand Groot, watching Nebula scream and clap while dancing means something. We see a once-tortured character experiencing blissful bliss in the moment, and that’s part of why this scene works so well; it might just draw tears from the audience.
It’s the greatest testament to the incredible Karen Gillan as Nebula, with nearly a decade of performances showing that fact in great detail. Holding her character through tons of punchlines, romances, and threats to the universe, Gillan’s Nebula has never wavered, remaining a staple of the Guardians story from day one. He was never flashy, opting for a more subtle reality; which just might be why so many people slept on Karen Gillan throughout the guardians of the galaxy saga, and finally wake up to the truth.
Just in case you want to celebrate Ms. Gillan’s masterful work by revisiting the set guardians of the galaxy saga, access to a Disney+ subscription will do. As for when or if we’ll see Nebula return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that’s a pretty big question mark at the moment.
Although if I can show one last sign of bias, I’m hoping that if that opportunity comes at some point in the future, it’s in showing what a leader she is, rather than just grooming her for battle. against the next. avengersthreat level. Nebula has earned her rest at this point, and it would be much more interesting to see her adapt to kindness and responsibility, instead of just getting back into the fight.