One Guardians of the Galaxy actor teased audiences about their potential MCU return. For nearly a decade, the Guardians were some of the most beloved and well-used characters in the Marvel Studios canon; however, since the director of the first three films, James Gunn, left the Marvel Universe to helm the DCU, the future of the team has been a hot topic among MCU fans.
Speaking in a recent interview, Nebula star Karen Gillan addressed her character's Marvel future and when/if fans can expect her to return. The last time fans saw Gillan's character, she joined the new take on the Guardians of the Galaxy team alongside Bradley Cooper's Rocket Raccoon. While names like Chris Pratt's Star-Lord have been teased to return, Nebula's fate within the franchise remains less certain.
When asked by MovieWeb during the promotion of her upcoming film, The Life of Chuck, about whether she has heard anything about coming back to the super-powered film series, Gillan said she "can't say anything," but fans should "never say never:"
"It's so much fun working in the Marvel world… in terms of the future, can't say anything. You know how it goes, but maybe… never say, never."
No future appearances for Karen Gillan's Nebula have been confirmed. Her name, along with the others of the primary Guardians (i.e., Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, and Chris Pratt), did not appear in the lengthy Avengers: Doomsday announcement in late March, and a fourth Guardians of the Galaxy film remains off the Marvel Studios slate—at least publicly.
When Will the Guardians of the Galaxy Return to the MCU?
Since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's release in May 2023, the future of the star-faring team has been up in the air.
At the end of Guardians 3, the original take on the group was essentially disbanded. Zoe Saldana's Gamora went off with the Ravagers, Dave Bautista's Drax retired from Guardians duty, and Chris Pratt's Star-Lord traveled to Earth to explore his Terran roots.
But that does not mean the Guardians are entirely out of commission. To close Vol. 3, Bradley Cooper's Rocket Raccoon was deemed captain of the new team, forming up the New Guardians (for lack of a better term), which was made up of Karen Gillan's Nebula, Vin Diesel's Groot, Maria Bakalova's Cosmo, Will Poulter's Adam Warlock, and Kai Zen's Phyla-Vell.
This Guardians 3 closer, along with the post-credits scene that ended with the text "Star-Lord will return," seemingly teased that Marvel Studios has some sort of plan for the characters going forward.
With all the super-powered teams coming together in next year's Avengers: Doomsday, one would assume there would be room at the table for the Guardians (or at least some of them).
Or perhaps the powers that be are saving the team for a potential appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars, setting up a fourth film in the mainline Guardians franchise.
