Guardians of the Galaxy: Early Concept Art Makes Nebula Look Like a Star Wars Villain

Monday was Star Wars Day, and Star Wars fans celebrated with new releases and big news. Marvel Studios concept artist Andy Park celebrated by revealing early concept artwork for Nebula, Karen Gillan’s alien daughter of Thanos from Guardians of the Galaxy. Being unfamiliar with the character at the time, Park put together this piece and imagined Nebula as being like a Star Wars villain. “Happy May the 4th!” he writes. “Happy Star Wars Day, everyone! Here’s my contribution. I remember doing this concept design during the early preproduction phase of the 1st Guardians of the Galaxy film. I didn’t know much about Nebula yet so I imagined her as being essentially a Sith Lord. Sometimes you have to come up with your own story when doing concept designs.” You can take a look below.

Gillan will return as Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. She hopes the film offers her a chance to explore Nebula’s relationship with Gamora (Zoe Saldana) outside of the shadow of Thanos. “I don’t know. I think I would love to see what their relationship is now that their father, the source of the abuse, is out of the picture,” Gillan said during a convention appearance. “I think that would be really interesting to see if they can form a normal, sisterly, loving relationship.”

In December, she spoke more generally about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. “I think it’ll be in the next couple of years, but I’ve read Vol. 3 and I think it’s the best of the trilogy,” she said. “I know that we’re all really excited to have James Gunn back as our fearless leader. So we’re all just really looking forward to getting back together.”

What do you think of this early rendition of Nebula by the Marvel Studios artist? Let us know what you think about it in the comments section.

Marvel Studios’ upcoming releases include Black Widow opening on November 6th; The Eternals on February 12, 2021; Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on May 5, 2021; Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on November 5, 2021; Thor: Love and Thunder on February 11, 2022; Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022; and Captain Marvel 2 on July 8, 2022. Upcoming Disney+ additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe include The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, WandaVision, Loki, What If…?, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight.