The end of an era is coming in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only will Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 mark the last Guardians project James Gunn directs, quite frankly, it may be the last time we see some, if not all of these cosmic characters in the Marvel movies. Karen Gillan indicated as much about Nebula when sharing that she’s wrapped on Vol. 3.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 kicked off principal photography back in November 2021, and now shooting is starting to wind down. Karen Gillan revealed on Instagram that she’s finished work on Vol. 3, and reflected on how much playing Nebula in the MCU for close to a decade has meant to her, as you’ll see below.
Karen Gillan has certainly had quite a run with Nebula, with the MCU role catapulting her to new levels of fame following her time as Amy Pond in Doctor Who. Nebula is also arguably one of the MCU’s most compelling character journeys, from starting out as a villain in Guardians of the Galaxy officially becoming a member of the team in Avengers: Endgame. For now, while Gillan is certainly keen on playing Nebula again after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, she isn’t sure if that will happen. Regardless, she’s thankful for having had the opportunity to bring this character to life. Gillan’s message follows over a week after Pom Klementieff announced she’d wrapped on Vol. 3.
So far Karen Gillan has played Nebula in four MCU movies and voiced her in two episodes of the animated series What If… ?. Fortunately for fans of this character, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 isn’t the only appearance from her on the way. This July, Nebula and almost all the other Guardians will appear in Thor: Love and Thunder, and then in December, Disney+ subscribers will be able to watch The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which has been filming simultaneously with Vol. 3. While the Guardians aren’t expected to have a ton of screen time in Love and Thunder, James Gunn has made it clear that parts of The Holiday Special will set up Vol. 3, both of which take place after the fourth Thor movie.
Other familiar faces joining Karen Gillan’s Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 include Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Zoe Saldaña’s Gamora (the time-displaced version) Dave Bautista’s Drax the Destroyer, Bradley Cooper’s Rocket, Vin Diesel’s Groot, Pom Klementieff’s Mantis, Sean Gunn’s Kraglin and Sylvester Stallone’s Stakar Ogord, the latter of whom debuted in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Vol. 3 will also feature Will Poulter as Adam Warlock, who was teased in one of Vol. 2’s end-credits scene, as well as Peacemaker’s Chukwudi Iwuji as an undisclosed character the actor has described as “powerful” and “extremely complex.” Even though there’s still a year to go until Vol. 3’s release, hopefully some plot details will be shared with public in the coming months so we get an idea of what’s in store for Nebula and the gang.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrives in theaters on May 5, 2023, and it’s just one of the many upcoming Marvel movies that CinemaBlend will keep you updated on as more news comes in. Karen Gillan’s recent non-MCU appearances include Netflix’s The Bubble and Dual.
