The Guardians
Nebula
DeadPlayed by Karen Gillan
Who they arebeyond the guide
Thanos's other daughter, replaced piece by piece with machinery every time Gamora beat her in a fight. The most complete redemption in the franchise: the version who helps end him and the version who serves him are both on screen at once.
Alive on Knowhere. The 2014 variant was killed by the 2023 one
- Appearances
- 5
Along the chronological spine
A life, in order
On screen and off — including the years between films. Tap any entry to read the longer account.
- Origin— where they start
- Turning point— the arc changes direction
- Appears in— on screen, carrying the plot forward
- 2014Thanos made his adopted daughters fight, and replaced part of Nebula's body with machinery every time she lost to Gamora. Her hatred of her sister is manufactured, and so is most of her body.Open Guardians of the Galaxy →
- 2014She is not a Guardian in either of the first two films — an antagonist in the first, hunting Gamora in the second. The turn comes when Gamora explains she never wanted their father's contests either.Open Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 →
- 2018Thanos takes her apart a piece at a time on Knowhere to make Gamora talk. She escapes, and tells the others where he will be.Open Avengers: Infinity War →
- 2018 → 2023Her systems are networked, so the 2014 and 2023 Nebulas share memory access in proximity. Past-Nebula involuntarily sees the Snap, Thanos's death and the entire plan. Thanos extracts it from her — which is how a 2014 Thanos reaches the present at all.Open Avengers: Endgame →
- 2018 → 2023Past-Nebula swaps places with present-Nebula and travels forward as a spy. Present-Nebula eventually shoots her. By this point she is structurally central to the plot — the arc that started as a henchman ends here.Open Avengers: Endgame →
- 2023The team then disbands and reforms — Rocket becomes captain with Groot, Kraglin, Cosmo, Adam Warlock, and Phyla; Quill goes to Earth to meet his grandfather; Drax and Nebula stay on Knowhere raising rescued children; Mantis leaves to travel; Gamora returns to the Ravagers.Open Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 →