Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Karen Gillan Teases Nebula’s Fate and New Family

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is heading to theaters in a couple of months and it will see the return of Chris Pratt (Peter Quill/Star-Lord), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Dave Bautista (Drax), Zoe Saldaña (Gamora), Sean Gunn (Kraglin/on-set Rocket), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Bradley Cooper (Rocket), and Vin Diesel (Groot). Director James Gunn previously hinted that there will be some major deaths in the upcoming movie, and Marvel Cinematic Universe fans are worried about their favorites. Recently, Gillan spoke to Deadline about the threequel and teased Nebula’s new dynamic with the Guardians and her fate. 

“Now we’re seeing Nebula post the death of the source of her trauma, Thanos. He’s been eliminated from the story, and now we’re seeing her character become a little bit of the person that she should have been had that not happened to her,” Gillan shared. Gillian explained that Nebula’s new idea of bliss is “her new family with the new Guardians and letting love in for the first time, rather than the defense mechanism always triggering. Allowing her to be loved and to love.” 

In an interview with Marvel.com last year, Gillan teased a “bittersweet” ending for the beloved space crew. 

“It was such an amazing experience. I loved working on that movie so much, I’m about to burst. I loved it, it was so good,” the Nebula actor said at the world premiere of Thor: Love and Thunder. “I just loved where the character went, I loved working with James again — I’m so glad that he was back with us — it was like the family got reunited.” She continued, “I think we’ve taken it to a whole new level this time. And you know, there might be, maybe, a feeling of closing out a chapter of sorts, so it’s a little bittersweet, in a sense. But I think everybody has upped it for this one.” 

Do You Have To Watch The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

There are definitely moments in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special that will come up again in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. During an interview with ComicBook.com‘s Phase Zero host, Brandon Davis, Gunn was asked if the holiday special is required viewing before the movie.

“Well, I’m always trying to be balanced with these things, so I think it’s wonderful,” Gunn explained. “People should see the Holiday Special. You’re obviously gonna learn a lot about where the Guardians have been in the past few years. You know, you’re gonna see how they now inhabit Knowhere. They’ve got a new ship called the Bowie. They’ve got a dog [who] is part of their crew now who has telekinesis named Cosmo. So where you get to learn all that, and then there’s a couple of bigger pieces of spoiler-y lore. You’re gonna learn all of those things. In a way, the Holiday Special was a Trojan Horse for me to sneak in stuff that becomes important in Volume 3, so I don’t have to spend a lot of time at the beginning of that movie explaining it.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. is set to be released in theatres on May 5th.