Warning: some SPOILERS for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are in play. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, you have officially been warned.
There are so many facets to explore when diving into writer/director James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It kind of comes with the territory when you have a project that’s supposed to say goodbye to a group of characters 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 interpretation of the classic comic brand, I’d like to take some time to admit that we’ve all been sleeping on Karen Gillan’s Nebula for years.
For several reasons, and a handful of MCU entries, the cybernetically-enhanced adopted sister to Zoe Saldaña’s Gamora hasn’t gotten enough due. Yet with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, that spotlight has finally been finding her, with Gillan and her performance getting a lot of praise in this huge trilogy capstone. It’s about time, and in celebration, I’d like to take some time to heap further praise on why Nebula’s story is one of the most important and most effective arcs in Guardians history.
Karen Gillan’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Arc Has Always Been Quietly Effective
The Guardians of the Galaxy narrative has always been about love in many aspects. The story of romance between Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) has always been one of the most upfront displays of such thematics, and so was the father/son relationship between Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel).
Taking a closer look at Nebula’s story, her tale covers similar ground, but not in as showy of a fashion. Landing one of the most heartbreaking Guardians of the Galaxy gut punches, Karen Gillan’s hardened assassin admits in the middle of Vol. 2 that all she ever wanted was a sister.
Nebula’s pursuit for love is similar to everyone else's in the fact that she wants to belong and have people who have her back. The big difference is, as we’ll see in another point of order, her result is one that’s more built on personal fulfillment and standing on her own two feet.
Nebula’s Story Further Enhanced The Point Of Rocket's Journey
Here’s something I didn’t really pick up on until getting into The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special: Rocket and Nebula are kindred spirits that form yet another lasting friendship in this trilogy. Much like Yondu before her, Nebula’s friendship with Rocket was another strong thread that paralleled our “secret protagonist” and his story. This not only strengthened Rocket’s Guardians storyline, but also gave Nebula some pretty amazing moments to call her own in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Much as Rocket used the intelligence given to him by the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) to eventually become a Guardian and free the animals in his capture, Nebula’s cruel past led to her own great heroism. Using her awesome cybernetic arm to pilot the High Evolutionary’s ship during the big third act rescue mission, it’s 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 kind of makes that moment where Karen Gillan gives a CGI raccoon a metallic 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 Lead
While Gamora was still rightfully a part of the team in this big sendoff, she wasn’t as closely knit into the group this time around. Naturally, that was because of the fact that the Gamora that Star-Lord knew and loved died in Avengers: Infinity War, which added an entire wrinkle that led to one of the best Guardians of the Galaxy decisions made in the film’s plot.
It also meant that Karen Gillan’s Nebula got to be a functional co-lead with Chris Pratt this round, and how did this not happen sooner in the MCU? You can see why Nebula was such an important part in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, besides her 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 for the future, and James Gunn took that baton and ran with it.
As such, Karen Gillan still got to be her hysterically deadpan self, while also branching out into some 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’s Best Endings
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s ending, there were so many ways our heroes could have split apart. More tragic circumstances would have seen valiant sacrifices take a couple to their deaths, 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 bunch.
Sure, she’s given a chance to become a hero and defender in Rocket’s new class of Guardians. But she rejects that, instead choosing to stay on Knowhere for the following reason:
I’m gonna lead the city. Make it the home I never had.
It’s a Guardians story decision that’s full circle 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 it. Karen Gillan delivers this line perfectly, showing us that the Nebula we see in front of us is someone we’re familiar with, but also changed in her own way. She sells the moment in its perfection, knowing all the notes to hit a couple of scenes before we see her finally let loose in the big scene that shows her dancing among her future citizens.
Karen Gillan’s Performance Has Always Been Perfectly Balanced, As It Should Be
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 once again proves something the world should definitely recognize at this point in time: Karen Gillan is an ace, period! Doctor Who fans have known it for years from her work as Amy Pond, and now MCU fans are in on the fun thanks to this very tale.
Nebula is a cybernetically-enhanced character, who, while not totally lacking emotion, doesn’t really do cartwheels for anything or anyone. Gillan has played that aspect of her 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 assassin isn’t a total robot, she’s just hardened by the experiences she’s been through.
Finally giving her the opportunity to let loose at the end of this Guardians of the Galaxy threequel isn’t merely a moment of comic relief. Just as there’s a reason that one scene where we understand Groot, watching Nebula scream and cheer while dancing means something. We’re seeing a formerly tortured character experience joyful happiness in the moment, and it’s part of why this scene works so well; it might just draw tears from the audience.
This is the greatest testament to how amazing Karen Gillan has been as Nebula, with almost a decade of performances showing that fact off in great detail. Holding down her character through tons of punchlines, romances and threats to the universe, Gillan’s Nebula has never wavered, remaining a vital piece of the Guardians story since day one. It’s never been flashy, opting for a more subtle reality; which just might be why so many have been sleeping on Karen Gillan throughout the Guardians of the Galaxy saga, and are now finally waking up to the truth.
Just in case you want to celebrate Ms. Gillan’s masterful work through revisiting the entire Guardians of the Galaxy saga, access to a Disney+ subscription will do the trick. 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.
Though if I can show one last token of bias, I hope that if this opportunity arises at some point in the future, it’s through showing off how great of a leader she is, rather than just drafting her into battle against the next Avengers-level threat. Nebula’s earned her rest at this point, and it’d be much more interesting to see her adapting to kindness and responsibility, as opposed to just jumping back into battle.
