Guardian of the Galaxy fans anyone?  The second film is coming soon, so its a good time to celebrate the nuances of Nebula. Raised as Gamora’s sister, adopted by Thanos, Nebula sides with Ronan, and is just as eager to take over the world as he is.

Movie Poster

Nebula has a backstory not yet shared in the movie. Its likely she didn’t start out as a cyborg. And the fact that Gamora tries to save her says as much about Gamora as it does about who Nebula probably was once.  Two innocents, common upbringing, one with a strong moral core, the other–not so much.

Nebula is a woman in pain.  You can see it in look in her eyes when Ronan gives a task to Gamora and not her.  You can see it when she is derided.  She has never felt love.  The sisterly bond elevates Gamora as it exposes the toxicity of Nebula.

Have you noticed the family theme running through here, the constant need to move behind the past, and the difficulty of doing so.  In some stories, like with Nebula or Jimmy Marcus or Darth Vader, the protagonist and the antagonist follow similar roads but ultimately end up in very different places. Its in these stories, we understand that a villain is the backstory (usually sad but not always), part nature, and part individual choices.  At certain points, most can turn back until an act pushes them into the villain camp.

How does villainy evolve. Are some just born villains?  Is there choice or the unexpected combination of a series of small choices until the no return point is passed?

Will Nebula come around in Guardians of the Galaxy II? Or is it too late?

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6 Replies to “Naughty, Naughty Nebula #AtoZChallenge”

  • I thought Nebula was an amazing if underused villain in the first film. I especially loved the part where Ronan’s ship was under attack and Nebula took charge, barking out orders to the Kree soldiers.

    From the looks of it, she’ll be more of an antihero in the second film, though I hope she doesn’t turn too far toward good, only because she’s so great at being bad!

    As a side note, you can read up on Nebula’s comic backstory to get a better idea of what makes her tick. 🙂

    Today’s unusually strange tale is: Nemesis

    • Cool. Thanks for the tip. It will be interesting to see what happens to Nebula in part two. She’ll never be fully good, which is what makes her interesting. My favorite scene is the first, when he gives the task to Gamora. She expresses everything you need to know about her right there.

  • I haven’t seen the first film – need to catch up. I think the best villains are a combination of several small things, but obviously there is often one big inciting event.

    • It’s a fun film. My daughter and I waiting for the new one. The devil is always in the detail takes on new meaning with your observation.

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