Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 brings back Karen Gillan as Nebula, but it wasn’t always supposed to be that way. Nebula was one of the main villains of the first Guardians of the Galaxy, pursuing the heroes and battling them throughout the film. The character is expected to share more scenes with her adopted sister Gamora (Zoe Saldana) in Vol. 2 as she joins up with the heroes.

Nebula will have her own arc in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, just like all of the characters will. Beyond some family drama with Gamora, she will become a more sympathetic character in the sequel. But writer/director James Gunn wasn’t always planning on giving Nebula such rich development in Vol. 2 - in fact, she wasn’t supposed to survive the first film at all.

Gillan revealed the original intentions for Nebula when she spoke recently with Digital Spy. When asked if she knew that Nebula would go from being a villainous character in the first Guardians of the Galaxy to aligning with the heroes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, she said that the original script had Nebula dying in the first film. Of course, that has changed in a major way, as not only is the sequel bringing Nebula back but is expected to explore more of her own backstory.

“I definitely had a feeling that there was room for the character to expand in the future, but she was originally supposed to die in the first movie, I think I remember in the script. She obviously did not die, then I found out that she was coming back in the second movie and then I found out we got to explore all these amazing things about her past and her relationship with Gamora, her sister, so I was really happy.”

As Gillan alluded to in her interview, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will show a new side of Nebula as it explores what Gillan called “daddy issues” with her father Thanos (Josh Brolin). Those themes could be explored even further in Avengers: Infinity War, in which Gillan is already confirmed to reprise her role and hopes for the character to be as important as she was in the comics. In her interview with Screen Rant from the Vol. 2 set, Gillan said that viewers will grow to better understand Nebula’s motivations and empathize with her more as a character.

In light of the revelation that Nebula was originally supposed to die in the first Guardians of the Galaxy, it’s been a stunning ascension for the character from her originally planned death to her prominent role in the sequel. It remains to be seen how effective the increased focus on Nebula’s backstory will be. But obviously, something changed for Gunn along the way and the director decided to devote much more screen time to Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Fans of the character will certainly be pleased that he changed his mind.

Next: Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Early Reviews

Source: Digital Spy

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