The future of upcoming Marvel movies is still kind of mysterious, as all sorts of curveballs have been lobbed toward the pop culture monolith. With such an atmosphere of intense secrecy and the unexpected, it’s not surprising that even Guardians of the Galaxy star Karen Gillan didn’t see that big end credits reveal in Vol. 3 coming. In discussing the matter, she also shared her thoughts on where Nebula’s future could be heading.
While promoting her role in the 2024 movie Sleeping Dogs, Karen Gillan revealed to THR that when it came to the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ending, she had no clue that Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord was in line to return to the MCU. That much was clear in the Doctor Who alum’s remarks below:
No, I don’t remember seeing that in the script. So either I have a bad memory or it wasn’t in there. So it was pretty surprising, but it was cool as well. I was like, 'Okay, what’s the plan here?'
I’ll fully admit, Ms. Gillan has expressed the same exact thoughts that ran through my mind when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 told us that “The Legendary Star-Lord will return.” As he had returned to Earth and reunited with his grandfather Jason (Gregg Henry), the outlaw on the run seemed like he’d settled his tab with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
At the same time, former Guardians mastermind James Gunn’s thoughts on Star-Lord’s future seem to indicate that in true Marvel fashion, we’re not privy to the entire picture just yet. In a similar vein, Nebula’s future post-Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is something that people are probably wondering about as well.
Which leads to Karen Gillan’s remarks about how she sees Nebula's story after wrapping the trilogy's ending entry. As Vol. 3 towered over all other 2023 comic book movies, and a new Guardians of the Galaxy team has been assembled, there’s undoubtedly a future in this franchise.
So fans should probably take the following thoughts to heart, starting with whether Karen feels she and Drax’s stewardship of Knowhere will continue:
Yeah, I’d like to think so. Nebula has got a real sense of purpose now, and it’s such a major part of healing. She’s been through so much, and now she can finally accept love and show love towards other people. So the last stage of all that healing is helping other people, and that’s exactly what she’s doing.
There’s still no clue where Star-Lord, Nebula or any of the surviving Guardians of the Galaxy could pop up next in Marvel’s thematic playground. It’s a mystery that only Kevin Feige would know, and even then there’s a chance he may be course-correcting that continuum as we speak. So if that's the case, Mr. Feige if you're out there reading this, you should definitely greenlight a Drax and Nebula sitcom/dramedy for Disney+. It's what the people want, and since I am part of "the people," that statement is true.
For now, all anyone can really do is continue to enjoy the MCU’s previous offerings through the convenience of a Disney+ subscription. Though if Karen Gillan’s Nebula somehow turns up in Deadpool & Wolverine when it premieres on July 26th, you can be sure I’ll be one of the fans that cheers the loudest. Nebula deserves some laughs too, you know.
