What role will Nebula play in Thanos’ defeat in Avengers: Endgame? The dramatic ending of Avengers: Infinity War saw Thanos succeed in his insane mission of “rebalancing the universe” by erasing half the life in the cosmos with a snap of his fingers. Popular heroes like Spider-Man and Black Panther were killed off. But Thanos’ daughter Nebula survived, and the Russo brothers have confirmed that the survivors were chosen for story purposes. That means Nebula is clearly being set up to be a useful asset in the battle against Thanos.
That certainly makes sense, given she knows Thanos better than anyone else. Nebula was one of his adopted daughters, although according to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 she suffered terribly for the dubious privilege. Thanos trained Nebula and Gamora to compete against one another for his favor, and every time Nebula lost he had a part of her body replaced with cybernetics. It’s little wonder Nebula ultimately wound up hating Thanos, and by Avengers: Infinity War was eager to shed his blood.
At this stage, Nebula’s precise role in Avengers: Endgame remains a closely guarded secret - but some details are falling into place.
Nebula is Trapped in Space With Tony Stark at the Start of Avengers: Endgame
When Avengers: Infinity War came to an end, Nebula and Tony Stark were the only ones left alive on the barren and deserted planet of Titan. They’d watched in horror as friends and allies crumbled to dust before their eyes, and Nebula knew exactly what it meant; she knew that Thanos had achieved his goal, and that half the life in the universe had been instantly extinguished.
The trailers for Avengers: Endgame have confirmed that Nebula and Stark take the Guardians’ ship, the Benatar, and use it to leave Titan. Unfortunately, the Benatar seems to have been in something of a state of disrepair, and the ship has become a death-trap, left drifting through the vast expanse of space. Food and water has run out, and according to a voice-over in one trailer they have just a day’s worth of oxygen left. Tony Stark tries to put together a last message for Pepper Potts, but Nebula has nobody left alive who cares about her, so she appears to be keeping herself to herself.
And yet, as hopeless as things may look, the trailers have confirmed that Stark and Nebula will find a way out of the crisis. Stark has been shown wearing the same T-shirt he wore in Iron Man when he was in the cave, and in Iron Man 2 when he worked out how to create a new element and save himself from Palladium poisoning. That led many fans to suspect that Tony Stark would figure out a way to survive the Benatar - a theory that was apparently confirmed by the Avengers: Endgame Super Bowl trailer. It included a shot of Stark working on some sort of engineering project, with Nebula assisting him.
Nebula Joins The Avengers On Earth In Avengers: Endgame
However Nebula and Stark survive, it’s clear that they make it back to Earth, and team up with the Avengers. In fact, it looks as though Nebula becomes one of the team; she’s featured in a crucial scene in the Avengers Compound, wearing one of the Avengers’ new team uniforms. Interestingly, merchandise has called these the “Advanced Tech” outfits, and teased that they incorporate elements of alien technology. If that is indeed the case, then Nebula could have been of real help putting these new uniforms together.
Disney shared footage from Avengers: Endgame at one shareholders meeting, and it confirmed that Nebula will be key to the Avengers’ plan to fight back against Thanos. According to descriptions of one scene, the Avengers were trying to work out how to track down Thanos, and Nebula told them about his “retirement plan.” Presumably given Thanos’ location, the Avengers head into space to confront him - perhaps even donning those white uniforms.
Page 2 of 2: Nebula Will Time Travel in Avengers: Endgame
Nebula Will Time Travel in Avengers: Endgame
The Avengers have some sort of plan to either avert or undo the snap, and there’s abundant evidence that it involves a degree of time travel. It’s generally believed that this will be accomplished via the Quantum Realm; those white team uniforms are very similar to Quantum Realm environmental suits. Indeed, that would neatly explain why both Nebula and Thor are wearing the new outfits as well, as neither need environmental suits in order to survive in space, but they could potentially need them for the Quantum Realm instead. If that’s the case, then it looks as though Nebula will be one of the heroes traveling back in time.
There is supporting evidence that Nebula is involved in the time travel arc. Specifically, set photos have shown both Zoe Saldana and Karen Gillan wearing their costumes from Guardians of the Galaxy. This could imply one of three things: either that Nebula will wear a uniform from an earlier time period in order to fit in, just like Steve Rogers, or Tony Stark wearing a S.H.I.E.L.D. suit; that the Avengers will encounter a past version of Nebula while traveling through time; or that there’ll be flashbacks exploring Nebula and Gamora’s relationship with Thanos. The first two options seem to be more likely.
Nebula Is Very Important In Beating Thanos In Marvel Comics
The plot of Avengers: Infinity War was loosely inspired by Jim Starlin’s Infinity Gauntlet miniseries, and Nebula was a key player in that story. In the comics, Thanos captured Nebula - his granddaughter in the comics - and held her prisoner with the power of the Infinity Gauntlet. He reduced her to a drooling vegetable, forcing her to bear witness to his ultimate triumph. Nebula lingered throughout the story as a background presence, mostly forgotten by heroes and villains alike, until a key moment when the Infinity Gauntlet was knocked from Thanos’ grasp.
Seizing the opportunity, Nebula took the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos, healed herself with it, and used it to undo his work, restoring the people who had been killed by the finger snap. Unfortunately, Nebula was even less well-equipped to handle the power of the Infinity Gauntlet than Thanos. Adam Warlock attacked Nebula from within the Soulworld of the Soul Stone and she had to surrender the Gauntlet, which eventually ended up in Warlock’s possession. Nebula was imprisoned, while Thanos went off to live the quiet life of a farmer, temporarily rid of his lust for power.
While Avengers: Endgame does seem to be an original story, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Russos won’t lift elements from the comics. The MCU’s version of Nebula is more machine than flesh, which may mean she’s better able to wield the Infinity Gauntlet than in the comics, given the Infinity Stones seem to exact a physical toll. If that’s the case, Nebula may well prove to be a vital asset in the Avengers’ quest to put the universe to rights, perhaps even playing a similar role to the one she played in Starlin’s classic comic book miniseries.
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