Avengers: Endgame was filled with a lot of standout moments as Marvel fans were bidding farewell to some of their favorite characters. While there were multiple emotional moments after the Blip reversal, one important scene divided moviegoers – the female team-up scene towards the film’s finale. Guardians of the Galaxy’s Zoe Saldaña was one of the women who participated in the notable scene. Some fans saw it as female empowerment, and some fans weren’t so impressed. Years after Endgame premiered, the Guardians of the Galaxy star revealed the special experience of filming the divisive scene.
Looking back at the standout moment that came on the heels of Zoe Saldaña and co. gearing up for their last Guardians outing, the MCU star mentioned to EW filming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was “a sweet departure.” Playing Gamora across multiple Marvel films produced memorable moments, including the iconic Endgame female team-up. While the scene got a mixed reception, it was a moment of female empowerment in the male-dominated MCU. While seeing the female heroes together was significant, that wasn’t why the scene was important to the Star Trek actress. Saldaña said:
Obviously, we knew it was going to be special, and we were feeling ourselves every time the Russos would say, 'Action!' But what I can remember — and these are the nuggets of life that make me feel so human and keep me grounded — is that we were just complaining about how uncomfortable our costumes were, our makeup, our wigs, how cold the set was, how much we didn't want to be there, how much we wanted to be there. So we were just being girls, you know? Going together and acting tough [through that] was also very special.
It appears the ladies of Marvel bonded by commiserating over all the pomp and circumstance associated with a big-budget superhero movie. Sharing the same experience would draw anyone together. Finally getting to share a scene allowed the actresses to find camaraderie, as most female stars only collaborated with male co-stars on Marvel movies. As Saldaña stated, being around other women allowed each star to remain “human” and “grounded.”
The female team-up served as a precursor to the female-centric MCU projects to come down the line. Of course, Captain Marvel came first, but the fans finally got the chance to see Black Widow get her much-deserved solo film in summer 2021. Since then, women have seen an uptick of visibility at Marvel with Disney+ series like Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. WandaVision and Hawkeye even highlighted strong female characters. Upcoming Marvel movies, including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and The Marvels, will also carry on this trajectory with female protagonists at the forefront. There are bound to be more female-oriented projects on the horizon.
Zoe Saldaña’s MCU tenure may be drawing to a close, but Marvel devotees will get enough Guardians content to keep them occupied. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will hit movie theaters on May 5, 2023. While she’s not part of this outing, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will premiere on Disney+ on November 25.
But if you want to revisit the team-up scene, stream Avengers: Endgame through a Disney+ subscription. You can also go watch every Marvel Infinity Saga movie in order if you want to see how everything connects.
