Karen Gillan Says Moviegoers Will Be ‘Rooting For’ Nebula In Avengers: Endgame

Karen Gillan as Nebula from Guardians of the Galaxy
(Image credit: (Marvel Studios))

While Thanos certainly pissed off just about the entire universe following the events of Infinity War, Nebula has some extra gripes to avenge. The villain has tortured the Marvel character played by Karen Gillan since she was a child and murdered her sister Gamora during his quest to obtain all six of the Infinity Stones. Will Avengers: Endgame be Karen Gillan’s last hurrah as Nebula? Here’s what the actress says:

I think I would be really sad to say goodbye. I've loved her from the moment I auditioned for her. She's evolved from a villain to someone we've developed empathy towards. I think she's going to be a character we're all rooting for.

While the actress couldn’t exactly answer the question, Karen Gillan’s recent comments to Empire Magazine (via ComicBook) makes it sound a bit like if Endgame is the end of her story, fans are going to be cheering for Nebula as we see the next Avengers flick unfold. Nebula could very well be the MVP of Endgame if she keeps her eyes on the prize and focuses on working with the other superheroes to defeat Thanos.

Nebula started off as a badass assassin not to be messed with in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, but as her story has unfolded in the 2017 sequel and Infinity War, it’s clear the character could have a key role in what comes next. From the Endgame footage released thus far, Nebula and Tony Stark could be teaming up on a spaceship in order to join the remaining Avengers back on Earth, after they were the only two to be stranded on Titan at the end of the last movie. Just getting back to Earth could lead the audience to root for the former villain, not to mention if she comes anywhere near giving Thanos the thrashing he deserves.

When the first Endgame trailer came out and showed Tony sending out a message of distress to Pepper Potts as he starts to run out of oxygen, some theorized Nebula left him to fend for himself. A quick image of the unlikely pair on a spaceship in the final trailer, perhaps proves otherwise. Thanks to the recent trailer, we also know Nebula and Tony will find their way back to Cap, Black Widow and the rest of the gang and suit up with them in some swanky new suits.

There could also be good news for Nebula's future now that James Gunn is back on as writer and director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after his summer firing. But, because Gunn picked up The Suicide Squad reboot before Disney rehired him, we may not see another Guardians until 2023.

After Karen Gillan kicks ass in Avengers: Endgame, she will reprise another one of her action hero roles in the sequel to 2017 blockbuster Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, set to hit theaters this December.

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.