Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director James Gunn recently confirmed that principal photography on the MCU threequel is nearing an end, and star Karen Gillan has now taken to Instagram to announce that she's filmed her final scene as Nebula.
The actress shared a behind-the-scenes photo of what appears to be one of her character's cyborg hands, and added a message thanking Gunn for the opportunity to play the complex daughter of Thanos. Gillan doesn't outright state that we won't see Nebula again after Vol. 3, but it certainly sounds like she'd bidding farewell to the one-time villain here.
"And that’s a wrap on Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3!!!!! 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 @jamesgunn 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…"
Gunn has previously suggested that fans should prepare to lose a beloved character or two in this trilogy capper, so there's every chance Nebula won't survive. That said, if she was going to be killed-off, this post would probably have been deemed to be way too spoilery!
GOTG Vol. 3 story details are still a closely guarded secret, but a few nuggets have been revealed over the past year or so. We do know that Gamora (Zoe Saldana) will be a big part of the movie, and a recent report indicated that her relationship with Nebula is going to be the main focus. Of course, this Gamora is a Variant of the original who doesn't know any of her teammates, so we can probably expect a very different dynamic between the "sisters" this time.
Saldana and Gillan will be joined by the returning Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Dave Bautista (Drax), Chris Pratt (Star-Lord), Sean Gunn (Rocket/Kraglin), and Sylvester Stallone as Stakar Ogord/Starhawk, with Will Poulter on board as Adam Warlock and Peacemaker actor Chukwudi Iwuji in an undisclosed role.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to hit theaters on May 23, 2023.