Nebula (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

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Nebula
Marvel Cinematic Universe character
Karen Gillan as Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
First appearanceGuardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Based on
Nebula
by
Adapted by
Portrayed by
Super Nova
(What If...? Season 2)
Occupation
Affiliation
WeaponElectroshock batons[3]
Family
  • Thanos (adoptive father)
  • Gamora (adoptive sister)
  • Corvus Glaive
    (adoptive brother)
  • Cull Obsidian
    (adoptive brother)
  • Ebony Maw
    (adoptive brother)
  • Proxima Midnight
    (adoptive sister)
  • Nova Prime
    (surrogate mother; What If...?)
Significant other
Knowhere

Nebula is a

Guardians of the Galaxy and becomes a member of the Avengers and then officially of the Guardians of the Galaxy.[2]
Aspects of this interpretation were later integrated into the comics version of the character.

The character was met with positive reception, specifically for Gillan's performance and redemptive story arc; she has been noted for her differences from the comics, in which Nebula is almost exclusively depicted as a villain.[4][5]

As of 2023, Nebula has appeared in six films and

Super Nova in the second season
.

Fictional character biography

Early life

Nebula is one of several children forcibly adopted by

cybernetic part, transforming her into a cyborg
.

Pursuing Thanos and Gamora

In 2014, Nebula and Gamora, under orders from Thanos, are dispatched to assist

Drax the Destroyer
after they infiltrate Ronan's ship. She then fights against Gamora, before falling off and escaping in another ship.

A few months later, Nebula is captured by members of the

Guardians of the Galaxy
by Gamora, but she instead resolves to kill Thanos, and leaves with this mission in mind.

Allying with the Avengers

Nebula's attempt to kill Thanos fails, and she is instead captured and tortured on the Sanctuary II. In 2018, Nebula is used by Thanos, who had captured Gamora, to convince Gamora to reveal the location of the

Titan, where she again attempts to kill Thanos, and meets with Quill, Drax, Mantis, Tony Stark, Peter Parker, and Stephen Strange. Nebula survives the Blip
and is left on Titan with Stark.

Nebula and Stark leave Titan in the Benatar, but the ship, having been damaged, gets stranded in space, until

Avengers Compound on Earth, Nebula reunites with Rocket, and accompanies him, Danvers, Thor, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, and James Rhodes into space to the Garden
to confront Thanos, who is killed by Thor after revealing that the Stones were destroyed.

Nebula and Rocket, now members of the

the battle against alternate Thanos' army, where Stark sacrifices himself to eliminate Thanos and his forces. A week later, she attends Stark's funeral. She then officially joins the restored Guardians of the Galaxy, while picking up Thor from Norway
.

Further adventures

In 2024, Nebula and the Guardians of the Galaxy go on several adventures, as well as helping Thor lose weight. After listening to Thor's suggestion, they travel to Indigarr for vacation, but learn that it is under attack by the Booskans. Unable to defeat them, Thor defeats the army for them. Afterwards, they learn about various distress calls brought about by a god butcher. Thor suggests that they split up to answer the calls.

In 2025, Nebula and the Guardians buy Knowhere from the

attack it had endured. For Christmas that year, she returns to Earth and takes Bucky Barnes
's arm and gives it as a gift to Rocket. She then participates in the Christmas celebration that Mantis puts on for Quill.

Final mission

In 2026, Nebula, aided by Groot, finishes rebuilding Knowhere and the Guardians' headquarters. She and the team then respond to a drunken unconscious Quill and help him. When Adam Warlock arrives and attempts to abduct Rocket, Nebula fights him off; however Rocket is left gravely injured and requires an override code to disable a killswitch in order to heal him. Nebula contacts Gamora, now a Ravager, to help the Guardians infiltrate the Orgosphere, the headquarters of Rocket's creator, the High Evolutionary, to retrieve the code. She helps the Guardians find and confront the High Evolutionary, and uses her cybernetics to pilot his stricken vessel in order to offload a group of children the High Evolutionary had held captive onto Knowhere. After Quill disbands the Guardians in their current form, she remains on Knowhere to lead the city and help look after the children with Drax.

Alternate versions

Other versions of Nebula are depicted in the alternate realities of the MCU multiverse.

2014 variant

An alternate variant of Nebula from before the events of Guardians of the Galaxy appears in Avengers: Endgame. In an alternate 2014, following a training session with Gamora, she and Nebula are summoned by Thanos, who orders them to assist Ronan in obtaining the Power Stone. Before they can leave, however, Nebula begins to malfunction due to the presence of Nebula from the main timeline. After capturing the "prime" Nebula, Thanos analyzes her memories and learns about his prime self's victory, and the Avengers' efforts to undo it. He then has the prime Nebula replaced with her alternate self, who is sent back to the present in the main timeline to prepare for his arrival. Alternate Nebula brings alternate Thanos and his army to 2023, whereupon he destroys the Avengers Compound and orders Nebula to bring him the Infinity Stones. While attempting to do so, Nebula is confronted by her prime self and Gamora, who try to convince her to abandon Thanos. However, she refuses, and is killed by the prime Nebula.

What If...? (2021–present)

Several alternate versions of Nebula appear in the animated series What If...?, with Gillan reprising her role.

Concept and creation

The comic book version of Nebula was created by writer Roger Stern and artist John Buscema, and first appeared in The Avengers #257 (July 1985).[9]

San Diego Comic-Con International, stating, "There are some obscure titles, too, like Guardians of the Galaxy. I think they've been revamped recently in a fun way in the [comic] book."[10] Feige reiterated that sentiment in a September 2011 issue of Entertainment Weekly, saying, "There's an opportunity to do a big space epic, which Thor sort of hints at, in the cosmic side" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Feige added, should the film be made, it would feature an ensemble of characters, similar to X-Men and The Avengers.[11] Feige announced that the film was in active development at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International during the Marvel Studios panel, with an intended release date of August 1, 2014. He said the film's titular team would consist of the characters Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Groot, and Rocket.[12] In July 2013, director James Gunn and the film's cast flew from London to attend San Diego Comic-Con International, where it was revealed that Karen Gillan would play Nebula.[13][14] Gillan had previously auditioned for Sharon Carter in Captain America: The Winter Soldier when invited to read for the role,[15] with Gunn declaring her test was the favorite out of the film's cast, which he described as seeing her develop "this bald cyber-jerk" out of a "pretty simple character".[16]

Characterization

Karen Gillan as she commonly appears in 2012 with hair in a panel for her role as Amy Pond, (left) and Gillan in 2013 revealing a shaved head by removing her wig (right). She had to shave her entire head for Guardians of the Galaxy, but only had to shave half for the first sequel.[17]

In her debut in Guardians of the Galaxy, Nebula is depicted as a loyal lieutenant in the employ of Ronan and Thanos.[18][19] About the character, Gillan said, "She is the female villain of the film ... She is very sadistic and evil, but I like to think for a very valid reason."[20] She also added, "I think she's a really interesting character. What I like to play around with is how jealous she is. She's Gamora's sister, and there's a lot of sibling rivalry. That's the most interesting aspect to me, because jealousy can consume you and turn you bitter, and ugly. And she's a total sadist, so that's fun too."[21] Gillan researched the ancient Spartans, shaved off her hair, and trained for two months for the role.[21][13] The character's makeup took approximately four-and-a-half hours to be applied.[21] On the first day of filming, as Gillan and Gunn discussed on how to portray the character, Gunn suggested an impression of Marilyn Monroe, particularly in her breathy delivery which he considered "a similar voice to Clint Eastwood."[22]

I think a lot of the reason that Nebula is the way she is because of James Gunn. He's the sort of creator of her and I think he really connected with the character personally. I remember when we would do scenes between me and Gamora, he'd be like crying in the rehearsals and stuff. He's so invested. So [her character development is] largely down to him, I would say.[23]

Karen Gillan on Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn's impact on Nebula's characterization

In early drafts of the film, the character was planned to be killed off by Gamora, but the directors decided to bring her back in the sequel to further explore the relationship between the two.[24][5] In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Nebula is portrayed as a reluctant member of the Guardians.[25] Gillan stated the film would further explore the sisterly relationship between Nebula and Gamora,[26] including their backstory "and what happened to these two girls growing up and actually how awful it was for them and how it has ruined their relationship",[27] adding "we're [also] going to start to see how much pain [Thanos] actually caused [Nebula]... we really start to see the emotional crack in her character".[28] While Gillan had to shave her head for the first film, she only had to shave half of her head for the sequel, taking away the underneath part and leaving the top.[28] Gillan's makeup took two and a half hours to apply, down from five hours for the first film.[29]

In Avengers: Endgame, after being previously featured as an antagonist or an anti-hero, Nebula undergoes a redemption arc where she makes amends for her past actions, including an encounter with a past version of herself, with Gillan adding that she is "staring her former self in the face and it's really clear how far she's come from that angry, bitter and twisted person. She's starting to connect with other people and find some level of forgiveness."[30] Gillan guessed that Nebula would play a prominent role in the film when she realized that Infinity War and Endgame would be adapted from The Infinity Gauntlet, which she had previously read when she was initially cast as Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).[30] Gillan shared several scenes with Robert Downey Jr., who portrays Tony Stark, in the film's opening, and the two improvised most of their scenes together.[30]

Nebula in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ultimately evolves from a villain to a true hero and a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, while the character in Marvel Comics is depicted almost exclusively as a villain.[4] Another change in the film adaptation from the source material is the character's physical appearance, with the character's MCU depiction eschewing Nebula's initial depiction as an organic humanoid with curled hair to focus on her later one as a bald cyborg. She is not revealed to be related to Gamora in the comics and claimed to be the "granddaughter" of Thanos, which he denies. She also has ambitious villainous goals throughout various publications.[31][32] Later comic interpretations of Nebula, such as a 2020 eponymous miniseries, would change her look to appear closer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe interpretation.[33]

In July 2021, Gillan said that for her appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder, director Taika Waititi brought out the "bonkers side" of Nebula through her "pure aggression".[34] In September 2021, Gunn noted that for both Pom Klementieff's Mantis and Gillan's Nebula "their roles are both pretty huge" in the script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.[35]

Reception

Jacob Stolworthy of The Independent felt that the character had "all the makings of being a vintage Marvel character", but was "slightly short-changed".[36] Miles Surrey of The Ringer, meanwhile, praised the character, saying that "Nebula's internal conflict is one of the most fascinating and compelling threads the MCU has spun over its 20-plus installments" and that the character was "starkly different from virtually everybody in the MCU" as a villain-turned-hero.[5] Richard Newby of The Hollywood Reporter also praised the character's depiction, describing her as "one of the most meaningful considerations of what it means to be both Avenger and human", opining that her story is "one [of] the Marvel Cinematic Universe's best and most empowering myths".[2]

Gillan at the Guardians of the Galaxy premiere in July 2014

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Work Result Ref.
2014 Detroit Film Critics Society Best Ensemble Guardians of the Galaxy Won [37]
Nevada Film Critics Society Best Ensemble Cast Guardians of the Galaxy Won [38]
Phoenix Film Critics Society Best Cast Guardians of the Galaxy Won [39]
2015 Central Ohio Film Critics Association Best Ensemble Guardians of the Galaxy Won [40][unreliable source?]
Empire Awards Best Female Newcomer Guardians of the Galaxy Won [41][42]
2019 Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actress Avengers: Endgame Nominated [43]

See also

References

  1. Chicago Suntimes
    . Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Newby, Richard (April 29, 2019). "'Avengers: Endgame' Gave Nebula One of Marvel's Most Human Arcs". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  3. ^ "Nebula On Screen Full Report". marvel.com. Marvel Entertainment. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Lavradio, Salvador (January 29, 2019). "How Nebula Differs Between The Comics And The MCU". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Surrey, Miles (April 26, 2019). "Alien Redemption: The Fascinating Arc of Nebula in the MCU". The Ringer. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  6. ^ Wasserman, Ryan. "What 'Avengers: Endgame' tells us about the mysteries of time travel". Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  7. ^ "What happens in every Marvel film up until Avengers: Endgame". The Independent. April 28, 2019. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  8. ^ Huang, Nina (July 29, 2021). "Hasbro unveils new figurines for Marvel's What If...?, including Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa Star-Lord". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  9. .
  10. ^ Wigler, Josh (August 6, 2010). "Marvel Considering 'Iron Fist' & 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' Movies, 'Black Panther' & 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' Too!". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  11. ^ Woerner, Meredith (September 30, 2011). "Marvel's next 5 movies after The Avengers could include some weird surprises". io9. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  12. ^ Kit, Borys (July 14, 2012). "Comic-Con 2012: Marvel Names 'Avengers' Follow-Ups; Robert Downey Jr. Makes Surprise Appearance". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  13. ^ a b Siegel, Lucas (July 20, 2013). "SDCC '13: Marvel Reveals Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians Cast, More". Newsarama. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  14. Marvel.com. July 20, 2013. Archived
    from the original on July 24, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  15. ^ Sarah Finn: Casting a Universe (documentary). Disney+. 2019.
  16. ^ Mount, Paul (July 31, 2014). "GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Press Launch Report". Starbust. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  17. ^ Gonzalez, Umberto (January 17, 2017). "Karen Gillan on 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Sequel: 'I Shaved Half My Head This Time'". TheWrap. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  18. ^ "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Official Character Descriptions (minor spoilers)". Stitch Kingdom. May 15, 2014. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  19. SlashFilm. Archived
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  20. ^ "IAR VIDEO: Director James Gunn and Karen Gillan Talk 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". IAmRogue. November 5, 2013. Archived from the original on April 4, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  21. ^ a b c Hunt, James (July 8, 2014). "Gillan Discusses "Guardians Of The Galaxy" Nebula, Ronan's Intimidation Factor". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  22. ^ Bibbiani, William (May 7, 2017). "Interview – Karen Gillan, 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' and Her Directorial Debut". Mandatory. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  23. ^ Nemiroff, Perry (June 30, 2021). "Karen Gillan Teases a "Bonkers" Nebula in 'Thor 4' and Specifies James Gunn, The Russos, and Taika Waititi's Unique Contributions to the Character". Collider. Archived from the original on July 2, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  24. CinemaBlend
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  25. ^ Vejvoda, Jim (July 15, 2016). "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Zoe Saldana on Gamora, Nebula And Thanos". IGN. Archived from the original on July 17, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  26. ^ Huver, Scott (November 17, 2015). "Gillan Says "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" Fleshes Out Gamora & Nebula's Relationship". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  27. ^ Nemiroff, Perri (February 6, 2017). "'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2': 40 Things We Learned from Our Set Visit". Collider. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  28. ^ a b Gonzales, Umberto (January 17, 2017). "Karen Gillan on 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Sequel: 'I Shaved Half My Head This Time'". TheWrap. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
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  31. ^ Harn, Darby (March 8, 2020). "5 Things About Nebula The MCU Changed (& 5 They Kept The Same)". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  32. ^ Collins, Elle (April 23, 2018). "The Untold Truth Of Nebula". Looper. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  33. ^ Newby, Richard (February 12, 2020). "Comics Watch: Marvel Sets New Course for Nebula". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  34. ^ Nemiroff, Perry (June 30, 2021). "Karen Gillan Teases a "Bonkers" Nebula in 'Thor 4' and Specifies James Gunn, The Russos, and Taika Waititi's Unique Contributions to the Character". Collider. Archived from the original on July 2, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  35. ^ Oddo, Marco Vito (September 20, 2021). "'Guardians of the Galaxy 3': James Gunn Says Mantis and Nebula Are Getting Bigger Roles in Sequel". Collider.
  36. ^ "Every Avengers character ranked from worst to best". The Independent. August 17, 2019. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
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  39. ^ "2014 Award Nominations". Phoenix Film Critics Society. Archived from the original on February 6, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  40. ^ "Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards for 2015". IMDb. Archived from the original on December 28, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  41. Penske Business Media. Archived
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  42. ^ "Best Female Newcomer". Empire. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  43. ^ Hammond, Pete (July 15, 2019). "'Avengers: Endgame', 'Game Of Thrones' Lead Saturn Award Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 15, 2019.

External links