Despite the fact that it's arguably the most self-contained of any Marvel film to date, James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy still left us with numerous questions when it hit theaters in 2014. One of the biggest questions raised by the film is whether or not Karen Gillan's Nebula would return to seek vengeance against her adopted sister Gamora (Zoe Saldana). Now it seems we finally have some answers. Not only will Nebula return to wreak havoc against the titular team of misfits in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but the film will also give us a much better understanding of who she is.
In a recent interview with IGN, actress Zoe Saldana opened up regarding the return of Nebula and explained what we can expect from the villainess in the highly anticipated sequel. She said:
You'll begin to get a glimpse of how terrible life must have been like to grow up with a crazy stepfather through Nebula. Nebula is still in that teen-y, fucking hateful shit. She's just resentful and bitter.
Growing up with Thanos (Josh Brolin) as a father likely doesn't bode well for one's mental state, and it looks as though that concept will receive a thorough exploration in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. When we last saw Nebula, she had amputated her own hand in order to escape Ronan the Accuser's crashing ship, and she flew off to lick her wounds like Darth Vader at the end of A New Hope. The original Guardians of the Galaxy showed audiences the angry, resentful character, but it looks like the sequel will really explore why she feels the way she does, and why she's so willing to battle Gamora to the death.
We would be lying if we said that this sort of revelation didn't add to our mounting excitement for the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel. Despite all of the action ad intrigue, some of the best moments in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe are rooted in familial drama. From Loki's resentment of his brother Thor, to Tony Stark's troubled history with his parents, the Marvel movies work well because they perfectly balance the grandiosity of their universe with real, relatable forms of drama. Nebula may be a blue-skinned alien from another world, but plenty of us can relate to the anger she feels towards Gamora and Thanos.
With the promise of a continued battle between Nebula and Gamora, we have to say that we're beyond excited for what Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has in store. James Gunn's long-awaited sequel will blast its way into theaters on May 5, 2017.
