With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 seemingly being the last Guardians film featuring this iteration of the Marvel team, Gamora star Zoe Saldaña sounded off on the film potentially being her final time suiting up in an MCU movie.
Nothing has been confirmed as of yet, but it seems Saldaña, and a few other Guardians, could be retiring from the super-powered franchise after James Gunn's upcoming threequel.
The Guardians of the Galaxy director, and newly-appointed co-CEO of DC Studios, has teased that Vol.3 "is the end for [this cast and crew]." Surely that does not mean it is the end for the Guardians as a team in general, but more so this version of the planet-hopping heroes.
Zoe Saldaña isn't locked in for any more MCU action after Vol.3, finding success elsewhere in Hollywood, so the Gamora star has spoken out on potentially being done working with the Marvel Studios brand.
Zoe Saldaña on her Potential Last Marvel Movie
In an interview with Variety, Guardians of the Galaxy (GOTG) actress Zoe Saldaña offered up her thoughts on the upcoming GOTG Vol.3 being her final MCU film.
Saldaña said that "[she] can never say no to anything" but "[Gamora's] green makeup? I wouldn’t be upset if it didn’t happen again.”
The MCU star noted that "[she misses] Gamora," but doesn't "miss 3:30 a.m. calls and five-hour makeup sessions and trips to the dermatologist afterwards."
She did say that what has kept her coming back to the character and the world of Marvel has been every time "those generational fans that remind (her) that what (she) did was special to them." It has also made her realize that "because we consider [something] stupid or immature or cheeky" doesn't take away from how special it is:
“Every time that you know that 8-year-old or that dad and mom or those generational fans that remind me that what I did was special to them, it makes me not be cynical about Marvel. It makes me understand that younger audiences should stop being overlooked. They have feelings too and if something impacts them, just because we consider it stupid or immature or cheeky, doesn’t mean it’s not special.”
It is currently unknown if GOTG Vol.3 will be the end for Saldaña's character, but she is certainly speaking as if it is.
She has previously hinted at the upcoming threequel being an "emotional" end of the trilogy, calling the whole experience of making the film "bittersweet" and "nostalgic:"
“It’s bittersweet; after all those years of complaining about that green make-up, I find myself already nostalgic about it. There’s a lot of melancholy here, but also pride that we’ve achieved something great. James Gunn has written a beautiful story, that’s making us emotional even as we shoot it. Omicron plays a doozy on us every other day, but we’re getting by and we’re happy.”
These sound like descriptors used by someone who's looking back having now seen the end of something, rather than looking to the future.
The exact plot of Vol.3 has yet to be revealed, but the Gamora actor has expressed interest in exploring her Guardians character's backstory, so if this is the end, hopefully, she got to fulfill her wish.
Is this Really the End for Zoe Saldaña's Gamora?
While nothing has been 100% confirmed, and likely won't until well after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3's release, it is certainly coming off as if Zoe Saldaña will be retiring from the MCU with the upcoming threequel.
All of this sounds like the words of somebody who is looking fondly back at an experience they have had, rather than the one yet to come.
Saldaña's GOTG co-star Dave Bautista has already said that this will be the "end of a journey" for his character and that fans will have to say "#GoodbyeDrax" during the sequel, so to say that Gamora's story will also be coming to an end is not too much of a leap.
By the time Vol.3 hits theaters this iteration of the Guardians will be just about nine years old, that is a long time to be playing the same characters across multiple movies. Just think of how Robert Downey Jr. made it 11 years in the MCU, so right around that decade mark is where it seems stars start to bow out and Marvel Studios sunsets characters.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 is set to hit theaters on May 5, 2023.
