Guardians Of The Galaxy Originally Intended To Kill Off Nebula

04/25/2017 09:21 pm EDT

These days, the Guardians of the Galaxy are doing their best to keep a handle on its membership. The intergalactic group saw itself formed on the big screen a few years back, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 promises to expand the ragtag family. New and old faces will join up with the team like Yondu and Mantis. Nebula will also see herself roped into the sequel as the blue cybernetic alien reconnects with her sister Gamora. However, things didn't always look so meaty for Nebula in the past.

In fact, the character was originally meant to die at the end of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Recently, actress Karen Gillan revealed her character's original ending in an interview with Digital Spy. The starlet was asked if she had known Nebula would shift from being a villain to a reluctant hero, and Gillan said she was just happy the character was still alive at all.

"I definitely had a feeling that there was room for the character to expand in the future, but she was originally supposed to die in the first movie, I think I remember in the script," she explained.

"She obviously did not die, then I found out that she was coming back in the second movie and then I found out we got to explore all these amazing things about her past and her relationship with Gamora, her sister, so I was really happy."

When Nebula is reintroduced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the character has found herself in a spot of trouble. During a set visit, ComicBook was told by Kevin Feige that Nebula is actually the reason the Guardians wind up taking a big mission; It is to save her from captivity.

"She comes back into the story relatively early on. In fact, we realize that the payment for the mission that the Guardians have done on Sovereign is to get Nebula," Feige said.

"The Sovereign has captured Nebula, and are doing sort of a prisoner, are exchanging her for the services of the Guardians helping them, and they want to take Nebula back to Xandar, to have her, to have her arrested," Feige said. "Things go awry on that journey, and she becomes a much bigger player in the film than she was in the first one."

MORE: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Does David Hasselhoff Have a Cameo? / Guardians Of The Galaxy Awesome Mix Vol. 2 Track List Revealed

Set to the backdrop of 'Awesome Mixtape #2,' Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team's adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill's true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes' aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is written and directed by James Gunn (Slither). The film marks the return of the original Guardians, including Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord; Zoe Saldana (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (Spectre) as Drax; Vin Diesel (Furious 7) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (Jumper) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (The Big Short) as Nebula; and Sean Gunn (Gilmore Girls) as Kraglin. New cast members include Pom Klementieff (Oldboy), Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby, Everest), Chris Sullivan (The Knick, The Drop) and Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight, The Thing).

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is scheduled to hit theaters on May 5, 2017.

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.