Karen Gillan is no stranger to major franchise roles. She has appeared in Doctor Who (Amy Pond), Jumanji (Ruby Roundhouse), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Nebula).
In a recent GalaxyCon panel with actress Jennifer Morrison, Gillan talked about character transformation throughout the MCU franchise and what she sees from her character Nebula in the final film in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.
Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Karen Gillan made her first appearance as Nebula in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie as a bad guy. She was the adopted/abducted daughter of Thanos, who worked with bad guy Ronan the Accuser in the film.
She fled at the end of the movie, escaping justice.
In the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie, she was hunting down her “sister” Gamora — another Thanos abducted daughter who had since become a hero. The arc here was that Nebula felt Gamora was always competing to be the best, and she just wanted a sister.
They reconciled at the end.
Since that time, Nebula became a hero and helped the Avengers battle Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game.
By the end, she was a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, where her sister Gamora had died. However, in a twist, a version of Gamora from the past came to the present day. This opens up the chance for the sisters to try to reconcile again.
Gillan looked at her character’s arc and where she goes from here in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
“She’s someone who’s dealt with abuse from her father from such a young age,” Gillan said. “In Avengers, she had to face the source of her abuse and then actually watch him get eliminated from her life.”
Gillan said it is time for Nebula to re-build her life and pull herself back up. It is time for her to “take her place” in the next Guardians movie.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 delayed
Thanks to the theatrical shut down for the summer of 2020, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been delayed.
Initially, fans thought it would hit in 2021, but since all Marvel’s movies have been pushed back, the new release date will come sometime in 2022.
James Gunn is returning for the third movie after Marvel fired him before. However, before this, he stopped to direct a film for DC in Suicide Squad 2, and that film will hit in 2021.
There is little information about the next Guardians movie, but Gunn has said that the three films would center around the character journey of Rocket Raccoon.
With that said, Karen Gillan said it would also take time to deliver a resolution for Nebula we well.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is rumored to hit sometime in 2022.