James Gunn has previously said that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 will be “the end for us” as it will be “the last time people will see this team of Guardians.” At least some of the characters we’ve come to love since the release of the first film may be exiting the Marvel Cinematic Universe in some fashion, and Karen Gillan believes that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 could be the “final chapter” for Nebula.
Karen Gillan took to Instagram to announce that she had completed work on Guardians of the Galaxy 3 but doesn’t know if Nebula will return. “And that’s a wrap on Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3!!!!!” Gillan wrote. “I don’t know if Nebula will return beyond this, it’s possible that this is her final chapter. And if that’s the case, then I just want to say thank you to [James Gunn] for giving me such an interesting, complex and fascinating character to play. I have enjoyed this exploration more than any other character I’ve played. That was one hell of a decade. Thanks for watching…“ Since first appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy, Karen Gillan has gone on to play Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
In addition to Karen Gillan, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 will of course feature the return of Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, and Pom Klementieff, but there are a few new additions to the cast as well. Will Poulter will be playing Adam Warlock, who was first teased in one of the post-credit scenes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 when Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) created an artificial being to help destroy the Guardians. Peacemaker star Chukwudi Iwuji has also joined the cast as an extremely powerful and complex character who is still being kept under wraps.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will hit theaters on May 5, 2023.