Karen Gillan says she wants to keep playing Nebula in the MCU after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, despite the possible departures of James Gunn and some of her co-stars. Nebula was first introduced to the franchise in the original Guardians film, and the character had a significant arc across Phase 3, ultimately fighting alongside the Avengers to help defeat Thanos. It’s unclear what her role will be in the greater MCU going forward, but it sounds like Gillan is hoping for more Nebula stories down the line.
In recent months, Guardians of the Galaxy director, James Gunn, and Drax actor Dave Bautista have both said that the third film will likely be their last. That’s caused some speculation about which other stars might be retiring from the series after Vol. 3. The MCU is currently undergoing a bit of a changing of the guard as old characters are phased out and replaced with new faces, and while the Guardians weren’t introduced until Phase 2, it looks like their time might not last much longer.
However, there’s at least one Guardians of the Galaxy star who wants to stay in the MCU long-term. Speaking recently with THR, Gillan said that she loves the Nebula character and that she would be thrilled to keep playing her beyond Guardians of the Galaxy 3. She acknowledged that doing so would be different without Gunn and Bautista by her side but said that ultimately, she would just be excited to continue pushing Nebula’s story forward. Read Gillan’s full quote below:
I love my character so much. I’m sort of obsessed with her. I just get such a kick out of playing a character that’s really removed from myself. But I also feel really emotionally invested in her through everything that she’s gone through with Thanos and all of that. So I would love to continue the journey of the character. I don’t know what that would really look like without James or Dave, but I really like playing her, so I’m not eager to finish.
After all the rumors of impending Guardians departures, it’s exciting to know that Gillan is intent on sticking around a while longer. While previously a side character, Nebula got more of a starring role in Avengers: Endgame, as she was one of the few heroes to survive Thanos’ snap. That storyline set her up as a much more fully formed character, and it would be fun to see how she continues to grow through the future of the franchise.
Of course, with Guardians of the Galaxy 3 not releasing until 2023, fans won’t be saying goodbye to any characters any time soon. The Guardians are next set to appear in 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder, which could set up some plotlines for their third mainline film. There are a lot of new characters joining the MCU in Phase 4, but hopefully at least Nebula will be sticking around beyond Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Source: THR
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