Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: James Gunn Confirms THAT Relationship Was Never Going to Happen

Yes, Guardians of the Galaxy fans, you did pick up some vibes between two of the main characters in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Throughout Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is struggling with the loss of Gamora (Zoe Saldana), or at least the Gamora he had loved. That a different Gamora plucked from the timeline before the Guardians of the Galaxy formed is running around with the Ravagers probably isn’t doing his sense of closure any favors. Meanwhile, there are moments early on where Nebula (Karen Gillan), Gamora’s sister, seems to be longing for Quill, though she’d never admit it. When Gamora points out a possible connection between them, things get awkward. Yet, the film never takes it any further. According to James Gunn, Nebula is harboring feelings for Quill, though he never planned for them to progress beyond being friends.

“I never thought about fully going there, but do I think that Nebula, emotionally, is sort of that mean schoolgirl who’s not going to show her feelings to anybody,” Gunn tells The New York Times. “Karen thinks that Nebula has a little bit of a crush on Quill that she doesn’t quite know how to put together, and it makes sense because as we come to them in Vol. 3, we realize that they are the two leaders of the Guardians. I think it’s very normal in any close friendship to have some sort of occasional romantic or crush-like feelings.”

Nebula and Gamora’s Relationship in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Nebula and Gamora worked out their relationship in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. However, the Gamora from that movie is dead. The new Gamora comes from when she and Nebula were still rivals, meaning they’re in a different spot in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Gillan spoke to ComicBook.com about rebooting the relationship between the two characters and how the two of them have swapped roles.

“It’s kind of like we switched places in a weird way because Nebula is the more evolved, compassionate one out of the two of them,” Gillan explained. “I actually love this version of Gamora. She’s so badass, doesn’t take any prisoners and is aggressive and fun. We just played around with that dynamic and developed a fun way of greeting each other, which you’ll see when you see the film.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Cast

The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 synopsis reads, “Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill must rally his team to defend the universe and protect one of their own. If the mission is not completely successful, it could possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.”

James Gunn wrote and directed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The movie star Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Zoe Saldaña as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, with Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot and Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, Chukwudi Iwuji as The High Evolutionary, Will Poulter as Adam Warlock, and Maria Bakalova as the voice of Cosmo.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now playing in movie theaters.