Zoe Saldana Reveals Her Heartbreaking Inspiration For Gamora

05/03/2017 12:03 am EDT

The Guardians of the Galaxy first hit the silver screen in 2014 and took pop culture by storm. One of the biggest reasons fans were able to connect with the Guardians was the fact that each and every one of the characters seemed to be a loner coming from their own respective corner of the universes. The movie made the superheroes into lovable losers instead of, say, billionaire playboy philanthropists.

With the characters each serving their own role within the Guardians group, the female lead of the group — Gamora — arguably has the darkest past of them. Staying somewhat accurate too the comics source material, Gamora was the last of the Zen-Whoberis who was "adopted," for lack of a better of term, by Thanos as he worked to turn her into the ultimate assassin.

Being the adoptive daughter of the daughter of the Mad Titan himself, Gamora is often called the most dangerous woman in the universe and as such, actress Zoe Saldana — who plays the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — wanted to connect Gamora's past with the Lost Boys of Sudan.

"When we were putting Gamora together in the first movie, I remember I had a conversation with James [Gunn], and I was like, 'I don't know why, but the Lost Boys of Sudan come up in my mind in terms of children that are taken from their villages or from their people - like Gamora was from her planet - and forced into a life of violence and corruption and just abuse," Saldana told CinemaBlend in a recent interview. "And what that may do to someone's heart, someone's mind.' And then I was given permission to go as deep as I can, so I did!"

The Lost Boys of Sudan is a tragic reference to events that took place between 1983 and 2005 during the Second Sudanese Civil War. In the twenty-plus years the war raged on, over 20,000 young boys were orphaned during the conflict, many of which ended up being recruited as child soldiers by the warring sides.

With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 debuting domestically later this week, viewers can expect to dive deeper into Gamora's background, particularly her relationship with her adoptive sister Nebula.

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).

MORE GUARDIANS NEWS: GotGv2 Official Review / When Avengers 3 Takes Place in Relation to GotGv2 / Major MCU Cosmic Gharacters in Gotv2 / Post-Credits Scene Explained

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