As 2016 comes to a close, it is time for Marvel fans to look ahead to the 2017 slate of films as we draw one week closer to Avengers: Infinity War. This coming year will see three new entrants into the MCU, all of which will garner plenty of attention. The first of those three films will be James Gunn’s second entry into the universe, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 on May 5th, 2017.
The film will see our favorite cosmic heroes at it once again, as Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, and Drax all return. Groot will now be Baby Groot, as he looks to steal the show. The film will also see some fresh faces making their MCU debuts, with Ego the Living Planet (Kurt Russell) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff). On top of all of those characters, we will also see the return of Yondu and Nebula.
For the purpose of this article, we are going to be taking a closer look at Nebula. Nebula served the role of hench-woman for both Thanos and Ronan in the first Guardians of the Galaxy. She does not have the best relationship with her adoptive sister, Gamora, which we got a small taste of in the first film as well. But despite her villainous role in the original film, things are not quite as clear-cut this go around.
[embedit snippet=”kenny-ads”]
The last we saw Nebula, she had cut her own hand off and fell to an undetermined fate. Now we do know for a fact that she lived, as we know she will be in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. But now she is not taking orders from Thanos nor Ronan. So which side of the coin will this lone-wolf Nebula end up?
Despite working for her adoptive father Thanos, who is not expected to appear in this film, it was evident Nebula did not have much respect for the big purple guy. The same could be said while she was on loan to Ronan. Nebula was often out for herself, even while serving a mission for someone else. So now that she is not taking orders from anyone, could she actually do some good in the world?
While I do not think it will start that way, I do believe by the end of the film she will be teaming with our Guardians. The film is expected to explore the relationship between the adoptive sisters, Gamora and Nebula. So when we first find Nebula in this film, she will likely be captured by her sister and brought in. There is no love lost between the two, but something tells me Gamora will provide Nebula with a reason to help fight the good fight. But that does not mean she can be fully trusted.
As stated earlier, Nebula is clearly going to be looking out for herself above everyone else. So look for her to be brought into the fold to work with the Guardians, even beginning to earn their trust. By the time the film concludes, she could very well be an actual member of the team. She will clearly have an agenda against Thanos, and those two are set to collide in Avengers: Infinity War. The casting call for that film has recently confirmed Nebula’s appearance.
Her feelings towards Thanos will likely help her relate to Drax as well, meaning her joining the team could very well happen. So even if we know her as a villain right now, that way of thinking could very well change in the coming months. All signs point to Nebula joining our heroes, even if it is to benefit her own personal agenda.