The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a behemoth force in the entertainment industry, especially in theaters. Those fans who have watched the Marvel movies in order have fan favorite franchises, and Guardians of the Galaxy is definitely in that category. The most recent movie to hit theaters was the third Guardians movie, which was one of the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies ahead of its release. And concept art from that threequel revealed that Karen Gillan’s Nebula almost got a fresh hairdo.
When we caught up with The Blue Meanie in Guardians 3, Nebula had gotten a number of exciting upgrades, including a jetpack and her new arm. We also saw much more of her emotions/expressions thanks to the metal on her face being removed. But it turns out that we could have seen the beloved Avenger/Guardian with hair. A Marvel concept artist shared images on Instagram, check it out below:
Well, my mind is blown. While Nebula had blonde locks in an episode of What If…?, she’s been bald and blue throughout all her live-action appearances. Actress Karen Gillan even shaved her head for her part in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. But it looks like James Gunn and company toyed with the idea of giving her a new look for Vol. 3, before eventually scrapping it.
Nebula has had one of the most fascinating arcs in the Guardians franchise. She started off as an antagonist in the original movie, before she and Gamora were able to finally reconcile as sisters and share their Thanos-related trauma in Vol. 2. She was one of the only members of the team to survive The Snap, which bonded her with both Rocket and The Avengers.
And just how much Nebula has grown was on display during the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. She was another leader of the team, and Karen Gillan revealed she had a crush on Peter. And that change would seemingly be made all the more obvious if Nebula ended up having hair. You can see more scrapped concept art below:
It should be fascinating to see if/when Nebula returns to the MCU. At the end of Guardians 3 Nebula survived and stayed in Knowhere with Drax to raise the children that they’d rescued from the High Celestial. It’s unclear if/when the Guardians franchise will continue, although Peter Quill is expected to appear again.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is still in theaters now and making money at the box office. The next Marvel movie hitting theaters will be The Marvels on November 10th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
