Nebula is a former Luphomoid assassin, an adopted daughter of Thanos and adopted sister of Gamora. Together with Gamora, Nebula was assigned to Ronan the Accuser, during his quest to retrieve the Orb, although Gamora eventually betrayed them. Due to her hatred of Thanos, Nebula joined Ronan when he betrayed Thanos and tried to use the Power Stone by himself to destroy Xandar. During the Battle of Xandar, Nebula fought against the Guardians of the Galaxy but was forced to retreat from the battle. Later, Nebula was captured by the Sovereign and handed back to the Guardians, although she was able to escape and help the RavagerTaserface in a mutiny against Yondu Udonta. Nebula then attempted to kill Gamora, but they reconciled, so she helped the Guardians in their fight against Ego.
Nebula pursued her revenge mission against Thanos and was even able to infiltrate the Sanctuary II, but her attempt to kill him failed. Thanos captured and tortured Nebula, using her as a bargaining tool to force Gamora to reveal the location of the Soul Stone. Nebula managed to escape and regrouped with the Guardians and the Avengers on Titan, during their battle against Thanos, before she realized that he killed Gamora to get the Stone. The battle was eventually won by Thanos, who reached his goal and used the Infinity Stones to wipe out half of the universe's population, as Nebula was among the survivors. She and Tony Stark wandered in space onboard of the Benatar before they were rescued by Captain Marvel.
When Thanos was eventually slain by Thor, Nebula and Rocket officially joined the Avengers to uphold the order in the galaxy. Five years later, Nebula participated in the Time Heist, as the Avengers attempted to get the Infinity Stones from alternate timelines and resurrect the victims of the Snap. Time-traveling into an alternate 2014 with War Machine, Nebula retrieved the Power Stone before she got captured by the alternate Thanos, who found out about her timeline and sought to bring his army there. Nebula was able to convince the alternate Gamora to turn against Thanos, and killed her alternate self to save Gamora and Hawkeye. She was among the participants of the Battle of Earth, and helped defeat Thanos and his armies.
After the Battle of Earth, Nebula and Rocket left the Avengers and rejoined the newly revived Guardians. Alongside Thor, they continued to help those in need across the galaxy, such as the Indigarrians during the Battle of Indigarr. While Thor parted ways with the team to fight Gorr the God Butcher, Nebula helped rebuild Knowhere into the Guardians' new headquarters. During this time, the Guardians marked their first Christmas celebration on Knowhere with Kevin Bacon.
Nebula later joined the Guardians on a new mission once Knowhere came under assault by Adam Warlock, who gravely wounded Rocket in a misguided attack on behalf of High Evolutionary. As a kill switch inside Rocket hindered his recovery, the Guardians journeyed to the Orgoscope and Counter-Earth to locate an override code that would disable the switch. Nebula contacted the alternate Gamora and the Ravagers for reinforcements. After the High Evolutionary destroyed Counter-Earth, Nebula and the other Guardians devised the means to save Rocket, and then defeated the High Evolutionary before liberating his imprisoned subjects from Arête Laboratories. Following their victory, Nebula resigned from the Guardians to help raise the Star Children with Drax on Knowhere.
"My father would have Gamora and me battle one another in training. Every time, my sister prevailed. My father would replace a piece of me with machinery, claiming he wanted me to be her equal. But she won. Again, and again, and again, never once refraining."
When she was an infant, Thanos invaded Nebula's home planet, murdering her whole family yet taking her to train her as a merciless warrior devoted to his service. While Nebula greatly despised her other adopted siblings, she formed a genuine bond with Gamora, to the point that they began to truly consider each other as sisters.[3] Days after the two were adopted, Gamora taught Nebula to tuck her head when she rolled as the two trained in the Sanctuary. She demonstrated for Nebula, who expressed worry what would happen if she was wrong. Gamora assured Nebula that she would not and offered her help. Nebula asked why she would help, given that Thanos wanted them to be opponents, but Gamora insisted that they would always be sisters. The two started working on Nebula's roll.
Wanting his children to fight each other, Thanos pit Gamora and Nebula against each other in competitions. Thanos once forced the two to fight each other repeatedly over a period of three days, during which they were allowed only a small ration of water at regular intervals and one-half hour of sleep each day, without food. The fight lasted six days, and Thanos promised a piece of Yaro Root to whoever won the battle of the day. Nebula became overwhelmed with fury and attacked Gamora, managing to defeat her. Nebula felt sorry for Gamora, since both girls were starving, and decided to share her piece of food with Gamora. Thanos ordered Nebula to deliver the killing blow, and Nebula prepared to do it despite her compassion for Gamora. Thanos stopped her and congratulated her, but gave the whole Yaro Root to Gamora, explaining that Nebula was weak for hesitating to kill Gamora, which Gamora would not have done. Nebula cursed herself for being weak while Gamora ate the Yaro Root without sharing. Nebula embraced anger and started to let it control her life.
When Nebula was a child, Thanos once demanded that she say her name. However, she was too scared to speak, so Thanos ordered one of his Sakaaran guards to cut her ears off. That became the last sound she would truly hear. Her ears were then replaced with mechanical parts.[4] Throughout her childhood, Nebula trained to be a Galaxy-class killer under the tutelage of Ronan the Accuser. Nebula would often train alongside Gamora and Korath.[3] She looked up to Gamora, seeing her as the only person who knew what Nebula was experiencing.[4]
Thanos regularly had Nebula spar with Gamora to test their strengths with Gamora winning every match. Every time Nebula lost, Thanos would upgrade her to try and make her Gamora's equal. Nebula grew to resent Gamora for never letting her win causing Thanos to torture her.[5] As she continued to grow up, Nebula would sarcastically call Thanos "dad" as a form of rebellion. As Nebula matured, the competitions between her and Gamora became more violent, as Nebula only cared about winning and surviving.[4]
One training scenario on the arboreal world of Dervani saw Nebula and Gamora pitted against each other in a competition to retrieve a data ingot for Ronan. The girls sparred on the surface, leading to Gamora throwing Nebula off a cliff, severely injuring her and requiring multiple cybernetic replacements in order for her to live. Upon reaching adulthood, Nebula and Gamora served Thanos under the command of Korath.
On a mission to locate the Orb on Praxius IX, inside of one of the Cloud Tombs of Praxius, Nebula went in without waiting for Gamora and fell into a trap. Ensnared by an impenetrable Laser Thorn Energy Net, Nebula found herself at the mercy of the inhabitants and needed to be rescued by Gamora. Never one to tolerate failure, Thanos ordered Gamora to leave Nebula behind, with only a sharp blade to free herself. Nebula was forced to amputate her own arm in order to escape the netting.[3] In a conversation between Gamora and Nebula, who fretted that Thanos was finally going after the stones, Gamora, who was entrusted to find the Soul Stone, relayed to Nebula that she located the Soul Stone through a map which she burned to prevent anyone from being able to access it. The two of them attempted to keep the secret from Thanos, however, the Mad Titan was secretly aware that Gamora found the Soul Stone, but allowed the two of them to believe that he was fooled.[6]
Under Thanos' orders, Nebula and Gamora participated in the cleansing of half of the Korbinites. During the skirmish, she managed to kill a few soldiers. However, she is attacked by an enemy soldier who threw a stray grenade in her direction, causing her to fall. Fortunately, Nebula was saved at the last minute by Gamora, who killed the enemy soldier. Extending a helping hand, Nebula scoffed at claimed not to have needed help, only for Gamora to remind her that she always needed her help.
The two daughters of Thanos then regrouped back on the Q-Ship after their mission was completed. Gamora learned about Thanos' success in locating the Power Stone on Morag and shared that information with Nebula, who then began to stress to Gamora that their adopted father would finally put his plan into effect to hunt for the Infinity Stones. However, Gamora assured Nebula that Thanos only found one of the stones at the moment and is yet to uncover the others.
As Nebula continued to fret over Thanos' plan, Thanos suddenly appeared on their Q-Ship as he wiped off the blood from his double-edged sword. As he approached his daughters, Thanos informed the two that his ally in the Kree Empire, Ronan the Accuser, had located the Orb and was therefore planning to dispatch his two daughters to Ronan's Kree ship — the Dark Aster — to oversee the retrieval of the Power Stone for him and deliver it to him.
Gamora, however, pointed out that Ronan would be displeased with them being at his side during his search for the Power Stone. Thanos then warned the two that Ronan's alternate was death if they refused, noting that his obsession with the Kree-Nova War clouded his judgments. Nebula then bowed down to Thanos and promised to not fail him, to which Thanos responded that she won't fail him.[7]
"You think I don't know? You would keep me from advancing! You would have Ronan tell Father only Gamora furthers his great plan!" "I will keep you alive!" "Compassion? What would Ronan say to that?"
Nebula and Gamora left the Q-Ship and were dispatched to the Dark Aster, belonging to Ronan the Accuser, who made a deal to retrieve the Orb for Thanos so he would, in turn, destroy Xandar. As Korath returned to the Dark Aster, having returned from Morag, Nebula updated Ronan that he arrived back after which he concluded with the ritualistic execution of a Nova Corpsofficer sent to negotiate the peace deal.
Nebula, Gamora, and Ronan then listened to Korath as he reported that he had failed to retrieve the Orb on Morag, thanks to Star-Lord's intervention, but informed the trio that, through his various sources, he believed that the Ravager would be selling the Orb to the Broker on Xandar. Ronan, ranting on how badly he wanted to destroy Xandar and wipe out all the Nova Corps as an act of vengeance for what the transgressions they committed against the Kree Empire and being responsible for the deaths of his family, tasked Nebula to retrieve the Orb from Star-Lord on Xandar and bring it to him on the Dark Aster once she recovered it.
As Nebula told him it would be an honor, Gamora resisted, reminding Ronan that he would have to stand in front of Thanos and report his failure if the Orb wasn't brought to him. Nebula, slightly offended by Gamora's statement, arrogantly claimed to be the daughter of Thanos just as Gamora. However, Ronan, considering Gamora's warning, instead sent Gamora to Xandar, threatening her with a severe punishment if she failed, despite the fact that she had never failed Thanos.[8]
When they left the meeting, Nebula confronted Gamora and they had a brief argument where they tried to break each other's fingers. Nebula accused her sister of now attempting to become Ronan's favorite and they argued over who was the superior killer. When Nebula mentioned that the screams of her victims could be heard across the galaxy, Gamora replied that it was because she took too long to kill them before walking away from Nebula.[9][4]
Ultimately, Nebula and Ronan realized through their sources that Gamora had been captured by the Nova Corps after her skirmish with Star-Lord on Xandar. She trained the Dark Aster's satellites on Xandar and listened as the prisoners, including Gamora, were discussed by the Corpsmen. The connection cut out, so Nebula hacked the Nova's communications and learned that the Guardians would be imprisoned at the Kyln as punishment.[4] However, through communication with The Other, the two learned that she had betrayed him and instead planned to sell the Orb to a third party. The Other then demanded the two travel to the Sanctuary and discuss the issue with Thanos in person as Ronan's alliance with the Mad Titan was at risk.
On the Sanctuary, Nebula repaired her cybernetic arm while Ronan argued with The Other, berating him and Thanos for claiming that she betrayed their cause, reminding the two that she lost the battle against Star-Lord on Xandar, despite being a deadly assassin. Nebula then witnessed as Ronan snapped The Other's neck, and she heard Ronan asking Thanos to understand the severity of the situation at hand. Thanos, unfazed by his servant's death, responded by threatening Ronan's life if he failed again.
Thanos then claimed that Ronan's obsession with the Kree-Nova War bored him, and heard him call Gamora his "favorite daughter," which irked her. Thanos promised to honor their agreement and supply Ronan with a formidable army, but threatened to "bathe the starways in his blood" if he failed again. As they left, Nebula thanked Thanos for the meeting and assured Ronan that he would lose a fight with her father, and insisted on heading to the Kyln so they could collect the Orb.[8]
"Send Necrocraft to every corner of the quadrant. Find the Orb. Any means, any price." "And this place?" "The Nova can't know what we're after. Cleanse it."
After Ronan and Nebula left the Sanctuary, they followed The Other's lead and arrived at the Kyln, only to discover that Gamora, Star-Lord, and threeotherindividuals had escaped from the prison with the Orb in their possession. As a result, the Sakaarans took over the prison and interrogated the hostages in an attempt to gain information on Gamora's next destination. On the second floor, Nebula tortured a Nova Guard to gather more information.
However, she suddenly received a message on her cybernetics that the Nova Corps were on their way to defend the prison. As they were leaving Ronan ordered Nebula to send their Necrocraft across the galaxy to search for Gamora through any necessary means. Nebula then asked him what to do with the prisoners, to which he responded to cleanse the prison of all the guards and prisoners in an attempt to prevent the Nova Corps from realizing what they were after.[8]
"You are a disappointment, sister. Of all our siblings, I hated you least." "Nebula, please. If Ronan gets this stone, he'll kill us all." "Not all. You will already be dead."
Following the orders of Ronan the Accuser, Nebula and Korath continued their search for the Orb across the galaxy on board the Dark Aster.[8] Nebula asked Ronan if he wondered why Thanos wanted the Orb, but Ronan simply said that it was not his place. They received a message from Drax the Destroyer, challenging Ronan to face his death on Knowhere. Nebula explained that it was the person that Gamora and the other prisoners escaped with, so Ronan concluded that the Orb was with them and that they would thus go retrieve it from them.[4] Upon arriving onboard Necrocraft and their army of Sakaarans, they were spotted by Gamora and her new team, who escaped into a mining pod while Nebula gave chase with her small army.
While Ronan decided to stay behind on Knowhere and fight Drax, whose wife and daughter had been killed by the Kree under Thanos's orders, Nebula was ordered by Ronan to retrieve the Orb from Gamora. Following his orders, Nebula lead a squad of soldiers in fighter ships to chase Gamora across Knowhere. After having identified the correct ship that was piloted by Gamora, she seized it, and ordered the Sakaarans to shoot it down.
Ultimately, Nebula chased Gamora throughout the mining colony, while Rocket Raccoon and Star Lord managed to destroy several Necrocrafts. Ultimately, Nebula managed to overwhelm Gamora, who decided to go out into deep space in an attempt to evade Nebula and Ronan's forces. However, Nebula and the Sakaarans continued to pursue her, shooting in her direction, and ultimately they managed to corner her ship. Ultimately, Nebula managed to corner Gamora's space pod, and expressed her bitter sentiment at her, claiming that out of all of their siblings in the Black Order, she hated her the least.
Gamora pleaded Nebula to reconsider her alliance with Ronan, warning her that he would kill everyone if he obtained the Power Stone, only for Nebula to declare that she would already be dead, before destroying her ship. Leaving Gamora for dead in space, who was eventually rescued by Star-Lord and the Ravagers, Nebula retrieved the Orb and traveled back to Knowhere to update Ronan on her successes as he reigned victorious in his fight against Drax.[8] Nebula assured herself that Gamora was dead and felt nothing of it.[4]
"After Xandar, you're going to kill my father?" "You dare to oppose me?" "You've seen what he's turned me into. You kill him, and I will help you destroy a thousand planets."
After the Skirmish on Knowhere, Nebula returned to the Dark Aster and presented Ronan with the Orb. Both her and Korath were present when Ronan contacted Thanos and updated the Mad Titan on his success on Knowhere. When Thanos told Ronan to bring the Orb to him, Ronan ignored his demands and instead informed Thanos that he was aware that the Orb contained one of the six Infinity Stones, which shocked both Korath and Nebula.
To Thanos' horror, Ronan ripped the Orb open to reveal the Power Stone, which he observed while Korath warned him that he should not double-cross Thanos as he was the most powerful being in the universe. Ronan assured him that with the Power Stone, he was more powerful than the Mad Titan. Ronan then proceeded to harness the stone's power and attached it to his Cosmi-Rod, as he was strong enough to wield its power.
Ronan then announced that he would destroy Xandar with the Power Stone, ending the existence of the Nova Corps and the status of the Kree-Nova War before personally threatening to kill Thanos shortly after. When the Mad Titan ended the transmission, Nebula, satisfied with his promise to kill Thanos, offered her total loyalty to Ronan should he succeed, swearing to help him destroy a thousand planets.[8]
"The starboard kern has been breached! We have been boarded!" "Continue our approach." "But the Nova Corps have engaged!" "None of that will matter once we reach the surface."
As the Dark Aster approached the atmosphere of Xandar, a fleet of Ravagers lead by Yondu Udonta and Star-Lord engaged them. Nebula then warned Ronan of their presence. The fleet fired a blot of flame to disguise their moves, but Nebula saw that they had dived under the ship and she ordered all their fighters to destroy the ships.
Once they received word that the side of the ship had been breached, Nebula tried to convince Ronan the Accuser to retaliate but he refused, stating that his focus was to land on the planet's surface so he could finally destroy it. Nebula considered Ronan's plans and ordered the Sakaarans to seal the security doors so the Guardians of the Galaxy could not reach Ronan. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Nebula took a squad of soldiers with her to engage the attackers before shutting the door, locking in Ronan.
While the Sakaarans protected the ship, Nebula decided to confront the Guardians of the Galaxy herself. When Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket and Drax breached the ship, Nebula confronted them. As Nebula began to insult her former sister, she was silenced when Drax shot her with a rocket, sending her flying backward and damaging her body while allowing the Guardians to continue on their mission.[8]
The shot fired by Drax the Destroyer caused Nebula's entire body to be damaged, but her cybernetic implants helped to repair her within moments, twisting her arm and jaw back into place,[8] although she winced in pain as the organic parts of her arm still hurt.[4] Once she was repaired Nebula began to fight Gamora, using her electrified batons against Gamora's Godslayer. During their fight against each other, the side of the ship was suddenly torn apart by an explosion as the Battle of Xandar between the Yondu Ravager Clan and the Sakaarans continued on.
During their fight, Gamora attempted to unlock an armored door to assist the Guardians of the Galaxy, however, Nebula did all she could to delay this action. Eventually, Nebula managed to gain the upper hand by disarming Gamora and then using her batons to electrocute Gamora, nearly killing her. However, Gamora regained her strength and knocked her outside of the hole in the Dark Aster and leaving Nebula hanging onto the edge.
As Nebula hung hundreds of feet above Xandar's surface, with her hand trapped onto a spike, Gamora tried to convince her to fight against Ronan the Accuser, claiming Ronan was crazy. But Nebula refused, citing they were both crazy and cut off her cybernetic hand. However, instead of falling from the sky to her death, she landed on top of a Ravager's M-Ship. Nebula then threw the pilot out and took control of the ship before flying it far away from the battle.[8] Not wanting to be the subject of Thanos's disappointment, Nebula fled the battle.[4]
Nebula realized that for her to truly live, Thanos would have to die. She wanted to get money to purchase weapons, so she attempted to steal Anulax Batteries from the planet Sovereign. However, the Sovereign people caught her and arrested her. While imprisoned, Nebula started to think about the massacre she committed at the Kyln and wondered what would happen if the Sovereign guards treated her the same way she treated the Kyln's prisoners, wondering if they would be as cold and unfeeling as she was.[4] Two months after the Battle of Xandar, the Guardians of the Galaxy were present at the palace and were given custody of Nebula as a reward for killing the Abilisk during the Battle of on Sovereign, thus ending its reign of terror on the Sovereign people.
As Nebula was brought before Ayesha and the Guardians and unmasked, she exchanged a threatening stare with Gamora, who just looked at her calmly. When Ayesha claimed to have known that she is her sister, Gamora claimed that Nebula was worth nothing to her and was only taking custody of her to hand her over to the Nova Corps on Xandar to receive their bounty. Before leaving, Ayesha questioned Quill about his ancestry and hinted that his father was of a unique species, thus prompting him to wonder who his father really was.[5]
"I'm hungry. Hand me some of that Yaro Root." "No. It's not ripe yet... and I hate you." "You hate me?! You left me there while you stole that stone for yourself. Yet here you stand, a hero, a Garden of the Galaxy!"
Gamora apologized to Nebula once they reached the Milano, but Nebula simply said that she wanted Gamora dead.[4] Nebula continued to mock Gamora for joining the Guardians before demanding that she be fed some fruit, which Gamora refused to give her, claiming the fruit was still not ripe enough. As Gamora claimed to hate her, Nebula reminded her that she betrayed Ronan the Accuser and was deemed a hero by the Nova Corps for saving Xandar. She then threatened to kill her and exact revenge upon her.
However, as Gamora arrogantly claimed that she would spend the rest of her life in a Xandarian prison for her war crimes she committed in her upbringing and alliance with Ronan during the Quest for the Orb wishing she had the opportunity to kill her, the Guardians noticed that they were being pursued by the Sovereign fleet because Rocket covertly stole their batteries prior to their departure from Sovereign and farewell to Ayesha. While the Guardians attempted to flee from the Sovereign by accessing a jump point, the Sovereign ships continued to shoot at the Milano, damaging some of its parts.
During the pursuit, Nebula was almost sucked out of the ship, but escaped her restraints. As the Guardians of the Galaxy berated Rocket for his foolish actions, Nebula called the Guardians a bunch of "idiots" after having nearly been sucked into space. With the Guardians having successfully passed through the jump point, Nebula's hands remained handcuffed.[5] As they crashed on the planet Berhert, Nebula watched as Gamora rushed to protect Drax the Destroyer, who was tethered outside of the ship. Watching Gamora risk death to save her friend made Nebula jealous, as she realized that Gamora never tried to save her own sister.[4] Nebula demanded to be released after they crashed on Berhert, with the six of them barely surviving, despite the destruction of the Milano.[5]
"Someone followed you through the jump point. Set me free, you'll need my help." "I'm not a fool, Nebula." "You are a fool if you deprive yourself a hand in combat."
After having crashed on Berhert, the Guardians of the Galaxy managed to reunite with each other on and Nebula was pulled out of the destroyed Milano. As the Guardians blamed Rocket for his foolish actions on Sovereign, Nebula warned the Guardians that an unidentified spacecraft was approaching them from space, before convincing Gamora to liberate her of her restraints as she could help fight them. However, Gamora refused, claiming that she knew Nebula would try to kill her. Moments later, the spaceship landed before the Guardians, and Ego and Mantis stepped out, introducing themselves to the Guardians.
Nebula witnessed Ego's revelation that he was Star-Lord's father. That night, Ego and Mantis had dinner with the Guardians. The next day she was left in the Milano with Rocket Raccoon and Groot whilst Gamora, Quill and Drax the Destroyer went with Ego and Mantis. Before Gamora left with the others to Ego's planet, Nebula asked if she was being left with Rocket, mistaking his species for a fox, to which Gamora responded that he was not a fox. Gamora then gave Rocket an official order to shoot her if she attempts to escape or if he simply feels like it.[5]
After Star-Lord, Gamora, and Drax left Berhert and accompanied Mantis and Ego to his living planet, Nebula waited with Rocket, contemplating what happened to her and why she had not killed Gamora yet.[4] Rocket was ambushed by the Ravagers led by Yondu Udonta, having been dispatched by Ayesha to capture the Guardians of the Galaxy. Nebula, overhearing the commotion and witnessing the situation, managed to trick Groot into freeing her so that she could seemingly rescue him from the Ravagers.
Groot, unaware of her sinister intentions, released her from her restraints. As an uprising began amongst Udonta's clan after which he revealed his intentions of double-crossing Ayesha and taking the Anulax Batteries himself, she managed to persuade Groot to release her before intervening. The fight got to a point where Udonta summoned his Yaka Arrow on all his Ravagers as they were threatening to depose him.
While Rocket tried to pacify the situation, Nebula came from behind and shot Udonta's fin before he could kill anyone who opposed his rule, thus rendering him unconscious before proceeding to shoot Rocket in the chest with the Electric Blaster. The Ravagers looked from Nebula's direction in shock as she announced herself that she was their new leader, and she began to take a bite out of a yaro root before spitting it out and claiming it was not ripe.[5]
"I thought you were the biggest sadist in the galaxy." "That was when Daddy was paying my bills. The Priestess wants to kill the fox herself. And he has bounties on his head in at least twelve Kree provinces. I assure you, I am not as easy a mark as an old man without his magic stick or a talking woodland beast."
She was taken aboard Yondu's ship witnessing the mutiny led by Taserface, in which he executed associates of Yondu Udonta who opposed Taserface's new rule and still declared their allegiance to Yondu. As a vexed Taserface prepared to execute Rocket Raccoon who was mocking his name, Nebula announced that there would be no more killings that day, having been fed up with the mutiny. When Taserface questioned her if she was the deadliest woman of the galaxy, Nebula responded that she was under Thanos' tutelage, but Gamora stole that mantle from her time after time after defeating her in combat.
She then demanded ten percent of the bounty Ayesha had placed on the Guardians of the Galaxy as well as 'some other things'. Nebula was given a new cybernetic hand by Kraglin Obfonteri as well as an M-Ship. When asked what she would do with the bounty, she informed him of her upbringing with Thanos and how he had 'upgraded' her every time she lost a sparring match to Gamora. Nebula explained that after she kills Gamora she would use her ten percent to buy every ship she could to kill Thanos. A bewildered Kraglin wished her luck before Nebula left the Eclector and traveled to Ego's Planet so she could finally kill Gamora.[5]
Nebula flew to Ego the Living Planet and began firing at Gamora, who was meditating in a flower field. Gamora fled from Nebula, hiding in one of the caverns. However, Nebula redirected her course, pursuing her into caverns, causing the ship to be destroyed. Nebula became trapped in the M-Ship as Gamora started shooting at the ship. Sensing that the ship was about to explode, Gamora rescued Nebula before the entire ship erupted into flames, which sent them to the ground.
Both sisters, injured, got up and Nebula immediately attacked her. A shocked Gamora then continued to fight her until Nebula finally got her into a choke hold.[5] Nebula prepared to finish her sister off, but hesitated, realizing that she was still waiting for Thanos to come congratulate her, and that only Gamora could give her that recognition.[4] Nebula let her go and finally expressed excitement at the fact that she finally bested her in combat, only for Gamora to claim that she saved her life and that the match was unfair, and, therefore, she did not truly win the match.
Nebula, claiming that she just wanted a sister, expressed her anger at Gamora for always beating her in combat, which resulted in Thanos 'upgrading' her every time she lost. The pair formed an uneasy alliance, and explored their surroundings in the caverns. As they walked through the caverns, they discovered a large pile of bones, seemingly confirming that Ego had sinister intentions. Observing the chamber, Nebula claimed that they had to get off the planet before Ego killed all of the Guardians of the Galaxy.[5]
Nebula and Gamora rushed back to the palace and confronted Mantis, who told them everything, so they planned to rescue Star-Lord from Ego. Although, Nebula commented on how the Guardians only ever fought with each other and were not friends, but Drax the Destroyer corrected her and said they were family, which meant leaving no one behind.
They burst into the main hall to find Ego attacking Star-Lord before a ship piloted by Yondu Udonta and Rocket crushed the celestial. They all boarded the ship, where Star-Lord questioned Nebula's presence, so she explained that she agreed to help as the Guardians were her only ride off of Ego. Rocket brought up that Nebula tried to kill him, but she responded that she actually saved his life. Instead of leaving, the Guardians flew into Ego's core to destroy him, where they were attacked by the Sovereign.
Nebula remained in the ship with Udonta as they were bombarded by the Sovereign fleet, so she wired the ship up to her cybernetic arm to provide power to the lasers which electrocuted her and caused her great pain but destroyed the fleet in the process. When the ship was destroyed she joined the Guardians of the Galaxy on the surface, where they planned to escape before Groot set off the bomb in Ego's core. Ego attacked, and Gamora fell, but Nebula was able to save her by grabbing onto a rock wall while catching Gamora.
The two sisters then worked on climbing back up so that they could get to the surface of the planet and reach the ship piloted by Kraglin Obfonteri. However, as they neared the top, they suddenly became trapped and were suffocated in organic matter, but were soon both released, allowing them to reach the ship. However, when Rocket arrived without Star-Lord, Nebula watched as Gamora went to go back for him, only to be shot unconscious. They then took off, and picked up Star-Lord from space, having been saved by Udonta, who sacrificed himself.[5]
"I never considered what Thanos was doing to you. I'm trying to make it right. There are little girls like you across the universe who are in danger. You can stay with us and help them." "I will help them by killing Thanos."
Nebula prepared to leave during Yondu Udonta's funeral. Despite Gamora's attempts to persuade her into joining them, she chose to leave and try to kill Thanos instead and prevent other people's daughters from sharing the same fate she has suffered. The two sisters reconciled and hugged before Nebula departed.[5]
Keeping a Log[]
While searching for Thanos, Nebula kept a log. Six days into her log, she noted her memories of what it was like to hear, and described the time Thanos had her ears cut off as a child. Five days later, she made another log about how she used to call Thanos "dad" as a way to mock him, realizing that she should not have done it and that it was subscribing to her father's version of the truth. After another four days, she reflected on the Massacre at the Kyln, noting that she did not enjoy it. She said that she had never felt remorse before, wondering if being imprisoned by the Sovereign was the reason she had started to feel that way, noting that she wondered if they would treat her the way she treated the Kyln's prisoners and guards.
Twenty-three days into her search, she reflected on the Skirmish on Knowhere and logged that, at the time, she wanted to retrieve the stone and kill Gamora. She explained that she had come to realize that killing her would not have earned her Thanos' acceptance, and said that once she learned what it was like to be fired on, she did not like it. Ten days later, she reflected on calling the Guardians of the Galaxy idiots during the Escape from the Sovereign Fleet, wondering what Gamora saw in the Guardians that she did not see in Nebula.
One the thirty-eighth day, Nebula speculated as to why she did not take Gamora's hand and fight alongside her, concluding that joining her would have meant abandoning her chance to defeat Thanos and that she would not be able to look Gamora in the eye after that. Six days later, she logged her regret in shooting Rocket on Berhert, noting that there was likely another way. She said that she wanted to think that she was different. On her fiftieth day of traveling, Nebula remembered Gamora's hug on the Eclector and said that, while she was still full of hate, she was now directing it at her father and there would soon be a reckoning between them which would allow her to live her life. Thirteen days later, as she got closer to Thanos, she made a log entry saying that she would kill him.[4]
By 2018, Nebula found the Sanctuary II and nearly killed Thanos. However, she was captured and placed in a chamber, where her cybernetic parts were pulled apart from her body, causing immense pain. Sometime later, when Thanos captured Gamora, he brought her to Nebula to force her to reveal the location of the Soul Stone.
Thanos began torturing Nebula again, tearing the cybernetic parts from her body using the Power Stone and Space Stone, in an attempt to get the information from Gamora. Gamora at first resisted, claiming she didn't know the location of the Stone. Thanos, who knew that Gamora was lying, stated that he made her a strong assassin, but never taught her to lie, and he played a clip from Nebula's memory using a projector in her cybernetic parts.
The clip showed Gamora having a conversation with Nebula, in which Gamora stated that she found the map to the Soul Stone but decided to burn it to ash to prevent Thanos from finding it. After commenting on how poor of a liar Gamora was, Thanos started ruthlessly torturing Nebula again, until Gamora gave in and told Thanos the location of the Soul Stone: Vormir.
When Thanos and Gamora left, one of his Chitauri began putting Nebula back together. Seizing a quick opportunity, she killed the Chitauri soldier and made a quick escape from her captivity. Nebula contacted Mantis, requesting her and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy to meet her on Titan, knowing that the Black Order would meet him there once they found the Time Stone and Mind Stone. Getting inside a Necrocraft, she flew to Titan.[6]
When she arrived on Titan, Peter Quill and Drax the Destroyer were fighting alongside Tony Stark, Peter Parker, and Doctor Strange in a fight with Thanos. Nebula crashed the Necrocraft into Thanos, then exited the spacecraft and attacked him with an electrified staff. She told him that he should have killed her, to which Thanos angrily remarked that it would have been a waste of parts. As she continued to fight him, Nebula demanded to know where Gamora was.
Although she fought ferociously, Nebula proved to be no match for Thanos and was quickly thrown back into a pile of rocks. Eventually, Thanos was restrained by the combined effort of Quill, Drax, Strange, Stark, and Parker, with Mantis successfully putting him into a passive state. Quill asked Thanos where Gamora was. Nebula then got up and approached Thanos.
Thanos began to weep in front of a shocked Nebula, who deduced that Gamora had not returned with him from their trip to Vormir upon obtaining the Soul Stone. Nebula informed this to Quill, and Thanos confirmed that it was true by muttering that he had to kill her. Stricken with grief, Quill began to attack Thanos' face with his blaster in a state of blind fury, weakening Mantis' grip.
Despite Stark's attempts to hold Quill back, it was too late; Thanos was able to break free, and he overpowered them. He regained control and after escaping, Thanos removed the souls of Drax the Destroyer, Quill, and Nebula with a burst of energy from the Soul Stone. Thanos then pulled chunks of Titan's moon down from orbit, causing a meteor shower to engulf the planet. Nebula, Drax, and Quill all began to lifelessly float in the air due to Titan's fluctuating gravity and the intense impact from the meteors. Nebula, Drax, and Quill were rescued by Parker, and Mantis restored their souls to their bodies.[10]
Seeing that Tony Stark survived like she had, she told him that Thanos had succeeded in his mission, with visible despair on her face. She then sat on the ground as she grieved Gamora's death.[6] With her own ship damaged, she joined Stark in commandeering the Benatar in order to leave Titan.[7]
The fuel cells of the Benatar had been damaged during the battle, forcing Tony Stark and Nebula to work together to repair it. After succeeding in repairing the ship, Stark set a course for Earth. However, the ship only possessed forty-eight hours worth of fuel left, leaving the pair stranded in deep space with no help. Over the course of twenty-four days, they bonded and developed a friendly relationship, rationing their food, and water and playing games to pass the time.
Nebula continued to provide medical assistance to Stark due to the stab wound he had received. Three weeks later, their supply of oxygen began to run out and Nebula and Stark were aware that they most likely were going to die. Nebula watched as Stark sent a recorded message and helped sit him up in the pilot seat, letting him rest. Soon after, Captain Marvel showed up in front of Benatar, and she single-handily moved the stranded ship to Earth.
Danvers brought them to the Avengers Compound, and Nebula reunited with Rocket on the lawn. A disheartened Rocket asked about the status of the other Guardians of the Galaxy, only for her to solemnly look down, thus confirming to him that the others perished. She then held his hand to comfort him.[7]
Nebula went with Rocket into the Avengers Compound and met Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, James Rhodes, and Thor. They went into the debriefing room and Romanoff went over the list of casualties to both Tony Stark, Carol Danvers, and Nebula. Rogers then attempted to gain information on Thanos' current whereabouts by interrogating Stark, who had fought him. Instead, Stark became upset with Rogers due to unresolved issues stemming from their conflict. Due to his ordeal in space, Stark then fell onto the floor.
With Stark rehabilitating and resting in another room with Pepper Potts and with Banner's help, the Avengers started to discuss Thanos' possible location. When Danvers said she would find Thanos on her own, Nebula said there was no need as she knew his location — the Garden — as she elaborated upon Thanos fixing her in her youth.[7]
Nebula then joined the Avengers as they traveled into space on the Benatar. During the trip, Rocket sarcastically instructed Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and James Rhodes not to throw up on his ship as they had never been to space before. When they arrived to the Garden, Carol Danvers was dispatched to scout the entirety of the planet. After which she concluded that Thanos was alone, the Avengers headed to Thanos' farm, restrained him, and Thor cut off his arm using Stormbreaker.
Rocket kicked Thanos' detached limb to discover that the Infinity Gauntlet was empty. When Rogers and Romanoff asked what happened, Thanos explained that he destroyed the Stones prior to their arrival to ensure that the Snap remained permanent, mentioning that it had almost killed him when doing so. Rhodes and Bruce Banner were skeptical of this, but Nebula said that while Thanos was many things, a liar wasn't one of them.
Thanos confirmed this by thanking Nebula for pointing that out and admitting that he was wrong to be too harsh on her. This enraged Thor who cut Thanos' head off in retaliation, which made some of his blood splatter on Nebula's face. Despite her hatred towards Thanos, Nebula was touched by his last words and mourned for him by closing his eyelids out of respect. She and the other Avengers then left the planet and returned to Earth.[7]
For the next five years, Nebula, having joined the Avengers under Natasha Romanoff's command, accompanied Rocket to maintain peace across the universe to help planets affected by the Snap. She also changed her left superficial armor plating with bronze-colored ones. After getting pinged by Carol Danvers, Nebula and Rocket investigated a ship in space suspected of selling weapons, only for it to be an infectious garbage scow.
Nebula participating in a meeting
In 2023, Nebula and Rocket participated in a hologram conference alongside James Rhodes, Danvers, and Okoye. During the conference, she voiced her frustration at Danvers for sending them into such a situation. At the conference's end, she and Rocket returned to patrol.[7]
A few days later, Nebula and Rocket were summoned by Natasha Romanoff and returned to Earth landing at the Avengers Compound. Upon arriving, she came across Scott Lang eating a taco outside. He stated that their ship was awesome; she then sarcastically transmitted a message on her earpiece to James Rhodes, advising him to be careful entering the landing zone, before regrouping with Romanoff and Steve Rogers. Shortly they were joined by new arrivals of Clint Barton and Thor, along with Bruce Banner, Lang, Rocket, and Tony Stark in a debriefing room.
When Romanoff asked about the Soul Stone, Nebula solemnly stated that it was located on an isolated planet called Vormir, and she also proceeded to inform them that Vormir was the location from which Thanos murdered her sister. As they tested the Advanced Tech Suit, Nebula adjusted the inner functions for Barton, while Banner educated Rhodes and Lang about time travel mechanics. Following Barton's successful test run through the Avengers' Quantum Tunnel in the Compound's hangar, they continued to plan out their mission.
After reexamining the information about the Infinity Stones across their respective encounters, Banner, Stark, Rogers, and Romanoff managed to narrow down three periods where each stone are aligned with three small teams: 2012 with the Mind, Space, and Time Stones; 2013 with the Reality Stone; and 2014 with the Power Stone on Morag and the Soul Stone on Vormir. With the plan finally set in motion, Nebula, along with the Avengers, suited up in the Advanced Tech Suits, and went to the Quantum Tunnel in the hangar, where Rogers gave them a speech. They then entered the Quantum Realm and used the Time-Space GPS to travel it.[7]
"We're not the only ones in 2014 looking for the stones." "Wait a minute, what are you talking about right now? Who else is looking for these stones?" "My father, my sister... and me."
Nebula, along with James Rhodes, Natasha Romanoff, and Clint Barton, arrived in an alternate 2014 timeline. The four used the now enlarged Benatar to fly off that timeline's Earth to Morag. Nebula and Rhodes then brought the Benatar's space pod down in case they needed it and were hurried by Romanoff and Barton who reminded them that they needed to speed it up.
Rhodes jokingly claimed that all of their complaints were not helpful to their mission. The four then proceeded to wish each other luck in obtaining the Stones, before Romanoff and Barton departed for Vormir. Nebula and Rhodes observed as the two quickly left the desolate planet, with Nebula noting that she had supplied the two with the coordinates for Vormir and that the two would only need to survive the jump point.
Rhodes reviewed the plan and asked Nebula if they were supposed to wait for Peter Quill to arrive on Morag and allow him to lead him to the location of the Power Stone, to which Nebula responded that they should take cover. Nebula reminded him that there were others searching for the Stones.[7]
Nebula and James Rhodes observed as Peter Quill arrived on Morag while dancing to his Walkman. As he continued his dance, Rhodes nodded his head in thought and commented on Quill being an idiot. Deciding to end the nonsense, Rhodes intervened and punched Quill, knocking him unconscious as Nebula looted his thief tools to enter the Temple Vault.
As the two finally entered the vault, Rhodes, having seen too many movies, was hesitant to enter, urging Nebula to be wary of traps, only for her to shake her head in annoyance, and she casually walked into the chamber, dismissing his fears of the imaginary booby traps. Exploring the Temple Vault, she located the Orb being protected by a force field. She approached it and reached in the pedestal, bypassing the incineration field and retrieved the Orb at the cost of her arm getting severely burnt.
As Rhodes witnessed her cyborg hand at its base mechanics, she remarked how she did not used to be like how she is now; a sentiment Rhodes shared. Synchronizing their GPS's, Rhodes activated his, but Nebula was unable to, as the probing of her alternate self's memories caused her cybernetics to malfunction. With their memories intertwined, she witnessed an alternate Thanos researching her memories through the shared network.[7]
As Nebula was interrogated by her alternate self, the younger took offense to her future self for betraying Thanos' goals. As Nebula tried to talk to Gamora, she was knocked down by her alternate self. Threatening her with a knife, instead of killing or torturing her future incarnation, the alternate Nebula instead removed superficial armor plating to equip to herself, and snatched her vial of Pym Particles from her.[7]
"Tell me something. In the future, what happens to you and me?" "I tried to kill you. Several times. But eventually, we become friends. We become sisters."
Gamora went to an incarcerated Nebula, asking her about their history, remembering Nebula's cryptic message to her about her fate. Nebula proceeded to inform Gamora that she tried to kill her and her friends on multiple occasions.
Soon after, Gamora received an honest and heartfelt truth: it was her genuine sisterly love and openness during Ego's Expansion that allowed Nebula to become someone better, allowing the two to finally be real sisters. Processing the information, Gamora extended her hand to Nebula, giving her confidence that they could work together. Nebula accepted help that her alternate self would have rejected.
Nebula witnessed the Avengers Compound's destruction and led Gamora into the Compound's underground tunnels, where they found her alternate self with Clint Barton. Assessing the situation, she defended Barton, and held her alternate self at gun point, letting Barton get out of the way with the Nano Gauntlet to observe the confrontation at a distance. As Nebula attempted to urge her alternate self to lay down her arms, noting the shared memory network, her alternate self couldn't fathom such a future with her counterpart's mindset. Gamora stood down to show good faith and appealed to her sister, but it was all in vain as her alternate self aimed to shoot at her sister. In reflex, Nebula shot her alternate self through the cardiac region, killing her.[7]
Nebula and Gamora then left and joined the battle. At one point, Gamora saved Peter Quill from a Sakaaran soldier who ambushed him. Quill, unaware that it was an alternate version, attempted to hug her, only for Gamora to knee him and warn him not to touch her. Nebula nonchalantly confirmed to Gamora that her main counterpart fell in love with Quill, stating that it was a choice between Quill and Groot.
However, Thanos and his entire army were wiped out when Tony Stark used all six Infinity Stones, sacrificing himself in the process.[7] Every hero, including Nebula, knelt out of respect for Stark's sacrifice.[11]
Following the official dissolution of the Avengers, Nebula rejoined the Guardians of the Galaxy in the Benatar along with Rocket, Drax, Mantis, Groot, and Peter Quill. They traveled to Tønsberg, Norway to pick up Thor, who joined the Guardians. Thor and Quill briefly quarreled about who the leader was, prompting Nebula to suggest that the two fight for the title. The Guardians were set out to find the alternate Gamora.[7] Nebula's time on Earth acting as an Avenger resulted in the citizens learning of her existence, and she was featured at the New Jersey AvengerCon.[12]
Sometime later Nebula would come in contact with Gamora and remain in touch with her.[1]
Over the next several months, Nebula and the Guardians of the Galaxy welcomed Kraglin Obfonteri into the team, while helping Thor lose weight and get back into shape. At one point, they let Thor pull the Benatar for strength training. During a journey to a swamp-filled planet, Nebula and her teammates fought off swamp robotic creatures while Thor watched from his perch on a rock.[13]
After Thor’s request, the Guardians traveled to Indigarr, thinking it would be a "relaxing holiday", but ended up facing Habooska the Horrible and his army, they were also accompanied by Korg, Thor's friend. Taking cover from enemy fire, Nebula then listened as Thor gave a speech to King Yakan of the Indigarrians and then single-handedly defeated Habooska and his army, accidentally destroying the Sacred Temple in the process. After saving the Indigarrians, Nebula and the rest of the Guardians received the thanks of King Yakan.[13]
At the Benatar, the Guardians argued with Thor for bringing Toothgrinder and Toothgnasher, with Nebula and Mantis wanting to kill the goats, only to be stopped by Thor and accidentally shooting Korg. Later, the Guardians watched the calls for help in horror, discovering that several gods were being killed by Gorr the God Butcher. Before answering the calls, Thor leaves the team to save Sif and the Guardians said goodbye to Thor before leaving.[13]
Operating from Knowhere[]
Buying Knowhere[]
"Ever since buying Knowhere from the Collector, we don't have time for trivialities like Christmas. This place needs a lot of fixing up before it's liveable."
The Guardians of the Galaxy bought Knowhere from the Collector to rebuild it after it was destroyed by Thanos. The Guardians were also joined by a superpowered dog named Cosmo and they acquired a new ship as their main source of transportation. By 2025, Nebula had removed her bronze-colored superficial armor plating.[14]
In December 2025, Nebula listened to Kraglin Obfonteri's story about Peter Quill's first Christmas in space. As Mantis spoke about celebrating Christmas to cheer up Peter Quill, Nebula stated that they had no time for trivialities like Christmas since they were too busy fixing Knowhere.[14] However, Nebula's opinion soon changed as she took a trip to Earth to obtain a present for Rocket. Locating Bucky Barnes, she fought the super soldier and stole his vibraniumarm from him.[15][16]
Nebula turns on the Christmas lights
Returning to Knowhere, she helped Mantis, who had got Kevin Bacon from Earth. Nebula helped set up Knowhere and decorate it. When Quill came out, Nebula lifted a lever which turned the Christmas lights on. Quill was amazed until he saw that they kidnapped Bacon. When Mantis released the mind control, Bacon ran. Quill told Nebula and the others to get him and she was already on it, asking her to not kill him.
When they got Bacon back, he wanted to go home, but changed his mind and instead celebrated with the Guardians of the Galaxy. During the celebration, Nebula wrapped Barnes' arm and dropped it at Rocket's feet. When he saw the arm, he was amazed what she did for him. Later, Groot gave Nebula a gift. She opened it to find a wood carving of her witnessing Quill opening up his present. In the end, they all hugged Bacon. As he left, Nebula remarked that not all actors were horrible people.[14]
New Upgrades[]
"I have a few upgrades courtesy of that gutted badger in the Med-Bay."
After Christmas, Rocket spent time helping Nebula by improving and modifying her cybernetic enhancements. He removed the hardware on the left side of Nebula's face, and he also built her a new arm capable of changing shape to serve various functions.[17]
Over the next few months, the Guardians of the Galaxy continued working to rebuild Knowhere and turn it into a base of operations for the team. However, during this time, Peter Quill fell into a deep depression, still not over the loss of Gamora, rendering him incapable of leading the Guardians. With Quill unavailable, the rest of the team looked to Nebula, who was leading the rebuild of Knowhere.
Due to his depression, Quill would spend his time drinking in the bar until he passed out, forcing Nebula to have to carry him to his room on multiple occasions, much to the concern of the other Guardians. One day when Nebula put Quill to bed, he touched her arm, thinking she was Gamora, and told her he loved her, which made saddened Nebula. Rocket asked Nebula what she was going to do about Quill, but she rejected that responsibility. Mantis then asked Nebula about Quill, but she once again turned the questioning away from her.[1]
That night, Nebula witnessed Rocket be attacked by Adam Warlock in the street, so she rushed to the armory and equipped a jetpack and flew up to Adam, ordering him to stand down. Nebula fired a blast at him, but Adam he got straight back up and tackled her, slamming her into the ground. Adam then began to savagely beat Nebula while the citizens of Knowhere cried out for him to stop.
Adam threw Nebula into a building. The impact disfigured Nebula's limbs, but once they reset back into place, she got up and returned to the fight, where Adam was now beating Drax the Destroyer. As Nebula approached Adam, she turned her arm into a blade, and stabbed him through the chest. This stopped Adam, who collapsed in defeat. Nebula then rushed to the armory, where Rocket was being hurt by the Med-Pak. They took Rocket to the Med-Bay in the Bowie, where they discovered he had a kill switch inside him and that they needed a passkey from OrgoCorp to save him, so they left immediately.[1]
While traveling in the Bowie, Nebula secretly contacted the alternate Gamora and the United Ravagers to help them, with Gamora having joined the Ravagers after the Battle of Earth. Once they arrived at the Orgoscope, Nebula identified three layers of security shields, so Peter Quill bypassed them. But once they were through, their ship was stopped by the Ravagers, who proceeded to board them, unaware of who they were. Nebula informed the Ravagers they had an appointment with Gamora, who greeted the Guardians, much to Quill's shock.
Nebula listening to the infiltration plan
Provided with OrgoCorp uniforms, the Guardians of the Galaxy listened to Stakar Ogord explain the infiltration plan, in which Gamora would be joining them. Quill asked Nebula why she didn't tell him she was in contact with Gamora, but she knew that it would only freak him out. Donning Space Suits, the Guardians, with Gamora, descending onto the Orgoscope, where Nebula used her arm to cut into the surface to create an entry for them. As she worked, Quill talked to Gamora about their relationship, unaware that the rest of the Guardians could all hear.[1]
After getting inside, they were immediately discovered by Master Karja, but they were able to maintain their cover. However, they did lose their Space Suits, causing Nebula to yell at Mantis, as she put them in the decontamination pod that released them into space. They then split into two teams, with Nebula, Past Gamora and Peter Quill retrieving the passkey, while Drax the Destroyer and Mantis accessed the spaceport so they could escape. Nebula stayed back and watched as Gamora forced Ura to lead them to the files after Quill failed to charm her into helping.
As they waited for Rocket's file, Quill pestered and compared Gamora about the other version of her that he loved, which frustrated her, and she claimed that it sounded more like Nebula that he was describing. Nebula and Quill scoffed at the suggestion, but then she noticed Quill looking at her longingly, so she snapped at him to stop. They obtained the file, but as they went to leave, they were surrounded by guards. Using Ura as a hostage, they escaped into an elevator, and Nebula contacted Groot and told him to pick them up in the Bowie.
Exiting the elevator, the three discovered Drax and Mantis fighting against the Orgosentries, so Nebula went to help them, while Quill and Gamora headed to the security hub. Nebula fired at multiple guards, but when Drax was heavily injured, she rushed to help him. A Orgosentry shot Nebula in the back, greatly wounding her. Master Karja told the three to surrender, so they complied. Before they could be arrested, the Orgosentries' suits began to malfunction, thanks to Quill. The Bowie arrived at their location and the Guardians were able to escape, with Nebula being helped by Quill.[1]
On the Bowie, Nebula recovered from her wound and the Guardians of the Galaxy viewed Rocket's file, and witnessed in horror the torture that he underwent at the hands of the High Evolutionary. Nebula commented that what Rocket went through was worse than anything Thanos did to her. She then saw that the passkey had recently been deleted by Theel, so they decided to track him down and recover it.
Gamora objected to the plan, and when she attacked Peter Quill, Nebula stopped her. Gamora reminded her that she was family, but Nebula stated that Rocket was as well to her, so Gamora stormed off. Nebula checked on Rocket in the Med-Bay, whose lungs had filled with fluid, so she treated him, but noted that he was close to dying. Donning their uniforms, the Guardians arrived at Counter-Earth, where they encountered the Humanimals and were invited into Neelie's house.
As they sat down, Quill attempted to communicate their mission to save Rocket, who Nebula displayed a hologram of with her arm. Mantis tried to help with, but Nebula criticized her. They were directed to Arête Laboratories, so Nebula joined Quill and Groot to find Theel while Drax the Destroyer and Mantis stayed to protect Rocket. Using Neelie's car, they drove to Arête Laboratories, Nebula, Quill, and Groot looked around at Counter-Earth and saw only crime, homelessness, and violence, causing Nebula to doubt how it could be considered the perfect society.
Once they arrived, they were stopped by War Pig and Behemoth, who told Nebula she had to stay behind due to her arm being a weapon. Nebula waited outside as Quill and Groot went inside. When Arête Laboratories began to rise, Nebula told Drax and Mantis to get the ship to her location, but she was disappointed to discover them standing behind her. With the planet exploding all around them, Nebula, Drax and Mantis ran towards Arête Laboratories to rescue Quill and Groot.[1]
"You're no better. The only thing we can count on you for is when someone shows weakness, you'll be right there to support it." "Fine, I don't care. I know you need to find fault in everyone else to make yourself feel okay, so find it in me."
Nebula contacted Gamora and told her to take off without them. The three jumped onto Arête Laboratories but were unable to get inside as it ascended into space. Before the trio passed out from lack of oxygen, Drax the Destroyer was able to break down the door, where they discovered children locked in cages.
Nebula pushed and yelled at Drax for disobeying orders and began to berate him for being stupid, saying that it made him a liability due to contributing nothing else. Mantis defended him, so Nebula insulted her as well, claiming that she only supported weakness. But Mantis didn't care and called out Nebula for always being critical of everyone to make herself feel better. Nebula initially lashed out back at Mantis, but then listened as she continued to explain how despite Drax being stupid, he loved them all and was the only one of them that didn't hate himself.
The group freed the Star Children and Nebula eventually contacted Peter Quill, who told her that he had already escaped from Arête Laboratories. They then overheard Rocket's voice, and Quill confirmed that he was alive, causing Nebula to quietly cry tears of relief and joy. The tender moment was cut short when the High Evolutionary arrived and knocked Nebula, Drax, and Mantis unconscious, and threw them in a pit.
They were found by some of the children that escaped, so Nebula tried to warn them about staying clear of the starboard wall, where Quill would be heading to rescue them. However, because of her stern and aggressive cadence, as well as her and Mantis fighting with each other, the children became scared. Drax was able to calm the children down by making monkey noises and then spoke to them in their language about the plan. Nebula asked Drax why he didn't mention he knew their language, but he responded that she never asked him.
The walls of the pit them lifted, and the three found themselves surrounded by three Abilisks. They tried to escape, but were cut off at every turn, rendering them trapped. When all hope seemed lost, Mantis stepped out and approached one of the Abilisks. Nebula told her to stop, but Mantis reminded them that Abilisks only ate batteries, not people, and suspected the creatures were just scared. Nebula and Drax then watched as Mantis touched one of the Abilisks, which did not attack her, and she used her empathic powers to calm the creatures.[1]
Nebula, Drax the Destroyer, and Mantis were able to ride on the Abilisks through Arête Laboratories. They headed to the starboard, where they were reunited with Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, and Groot. Nebula informed the others about the children and creatures trapped onboard, but Gamora stated that they needed to escape before the ship exploded; however, Nebula was adamant about saving the prisoners. They all noticed Rocket had headed off to save them, so the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy followed his lead.
The Guardians entered a hallway filled with the High Evolutionary's guards and Hell Spawn, and as a team, they managed to successfully defeat every single enemy. Star-Lord made a plan for them to connect the hole in Arête Laboratories to Knowhere, so Nebula and Rocket went to pilot the ship while the other rescued the children. Nebula and Rocket reached the control center, but found it destroyed. Nebula told Rocket she would deal with it, so he went back to help with the evacuation. Using her cybernetic arm, Nebula was able to pilot Arête Laboratories and lined it up with Knowhere.
Once the two were locked in, Nebula rushed back to help the evacuation. Nebula came across some of the children, so she helped them get to the port, carrying one on her back while yelling at them for being slow. With the children safe, Nebula regrouped with Star-Lord, who asked her where Rocket was. The Guardians went to find Rocket, who was fighting the High Evolutionary, so they all joined in and defeated him. They watched as Rocket spared his creator, and before they left, Rocket informed them of the caged animals, so they rescued them just before the ship exploded.[1]
In the aftermath of the battle, the Ravagers arrived to pick up Gamora, so Nebula waited by the ship for her to leave. After Gamora said goodbye to Peter Quill, Nebula approached her sister and the two grunted at each other. Nebula then checked in with Quill, who told Nebula that he needed to speak with the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The Guardians gathered and listened to Quill reveal that he was leaving them team and returning to Earth. Mantis also revealed she was leaving, so Drax the Destroyer tried to join her. Nebula told Drax that she needed him on Knowhere to help take care of the Star Children, affirming that he was not meant to be a destroyer but a dad. Rocket Raccoon asked if Nebula would lead the team, but she instead stated that she was going to lead Knowhere and turn it into the home she wished she had growing up. Quill appointed Rocket the Guardians' leader and they all saluted him.
Quill and Mantis departed, so Nebula went outside and helped the survivors settle in on Knowhere. They all then heard music playing through the speakers, and Nebula watched as Rocket and Groot started to dance. The rest of the citizens of Knowhere joined in, and Phyla took Nebula's hand to encourage her to dance. Nebula softly swayed to the music at first, but soon got more comfortable and let loose, something she had always had trouble doing in the past. Cosmo let out a howl, and all the remaining Guardians howled as well, finally feeling no longer burdened by their past.[1]
Personality[]
"You'd love her. Very practical, only a tiny bit sadistic."
Like Gamora, Nebula greatly despised her father, Thanos, for torturing her and turning her into a cybernetic assassin. However, despite this, she always tried, often in vain, to prove her worth to her father. Nebula lost any desire to do this after betraying Thanos, though, and since vowed to kill her adopted father, now free to express her hatred for him. Her hatred for Thanos eclipsed any fear she had of him, as she went as far as to infiltrate the heavily guarded Sanctuary II just to try to kill Thanos. This however failed miserably, and she was captured and tortured badly by Thanos. This likely compounded her hatred for him even further and Nebula later immediately became furious and brutally attacked him unhesitatingly when he coldly told her he considered killing her would have been a "waste of parts." However, like Gamora, it would appear that as Thanos was the only parental figure she knew for the majority of her life, Nebula deep down did have some sentiment towards him, as she didn't look glad when Thor decapitated Thanos and even cried a bit.
Nebula had very little loyalty to a cause as she quickly betrayed Thanos once Ronan the Accuser harnessed the power of the Power Stone, believing he could kill Thanos as he declared to do so. However, when the Battle of Xandar became too intense for her liking, she quickly abandoned Ronan to escape, despite her sister's pleas for her to help the Guardians of the Galaxy, becoming an independent criminal. Nebula is also known to be highly sadistic, even being referred to as the biggest sadist in the galaxy by Taserface and she seems to take pride in her sadistic killing of her targets, with her proudly telling Gamora that "The screams of my victims can be heard through the galaxy," which Gamora replied in stride by saying that it was because Nebula often took a long time to kill her foes because she tortured them first. Unlike her sister who seeks to atone for her past crimes, even after she had redeemed herself, Nebula shows no visible signs of regret for her own crimes and she was perfectly willing to murder anyone tasked to her and anyone who stood in her own way. However, she did say that she would help the universe by killing Thanos, indicating that after her reconciliation with Gamora, she not only saw Thanos' death as vengeance but also to save other children from suffering at his hands.
Although she and Gamora grew to genuinely care for each other and develop a strong bond, ever since Thanos considered Gamora his favored children and Gamora's repeated victories over her (which caused her to be painfully cybernetically altered), Nebula grew to resent Gamora, both for never letting her win and for being Thanos' favored daughter. However, she does still like and care for her to an extent, as Nebula said she disliked and hated her the least out of all the other children of Thanos and she did not have the heart to let her be captured by Thanos and Ronan, as she knew that one of them would torture her first before killing her, causing her to genuinely believe that when she destroyed her ship and left her to die in space that she was doing Gamora a favor. However, while she ruthlessly tried to kill her sister when they fought in Ego, even dishonorably attacking Gamora despite Gamora saving her, when Nebula finally had the chance to kill her sister, she could not bring herself to do so and although she first revealed that she finally beat Gamora, Gamora's lack of care on it and admonishing her for still continuing their rivalry caused her to reveal why she hated her and this caused them to warm up with each other. Nebula finally forgave Gamora, even joining forces with the Guardians of the Galaxy and saving her. When Nebula departed from their company, she did so on equal terms, sharing a hug with her sister before she left. Her love for Gamora was shown when Gamora was taken by Thanos; when Nebula escaped, she sent a transmission to the Guardians where to meet her and told Star-Lord not to lose Gamora again or she would sew his face to his genitals and she took time to question Thanos on her sister's whereabouts and was absolutely distraught, losing her emotional composure and almost crying, as she realized he had sacrificed Gamora. She continued to mourn her sister's death even years later and having came to regret their past enmity, referred to this with visible shame and regret to the 2014 Gamora and acknowledged her as a true sister, successfully convincing Gamora's past self to work with her against Thanos.
In addition to her sisterly bond towards Gamora having returned, in time, she came to trust and care for the Guardians, as she trusted them enough to tell them to meet her on Titan so they could fight Thanos and was visibly distraught as they ceased to exist, taking them to lay on the floor to mourn their and Gamora's demise and could not answer (only sadly looking away) when Rocket questioned on the other Guardians. She would eventually join the Guardians after they were restored. Although she didn't have much affection for Star-Lord - Gamora's boyfriend - as shown by how she threatened him a gruesome death for his inability to prevent Gamora from being taken by Thanos and later on simply said Gamora only picked him as her boyfriend as the only other choice she had was a tree, Nebula did have the heart to sympathize with him over Gamora's death, only indicating rather than actually saying outright that Gamora is dead.
For Nebula, her reconciliation with Gamora and the events of the Infinity War have been enlightening journeys for her. Having long since been driven by her jealousy and rage towards Gamora and hatred towards Thanos, overcoming those issues has allowed her to move on with her life and truly become a much better person. This was shown by how rather than continuing to work as an assassin, Nebula instead decided to work as a member of the Avengers after the Snap and likewise she would join the Guardians of the Galaxy officially after the Blip and Battle of Earth, showing that she has lost most - if not all - of the killer instinct she was once so proud of herself for and has finally began to follow in Gamora's footsteps by similarly seeking atonement and a better life. She has become much more open, bonding with Tony Stark as they fixed a ship and left Titan, with her using her technology to treat Tony's wounds before they infect, and Tony acknowledging in a message intended for Pepper Potts that she would like the "only slightly sadistic" cyborg, having performed very affectionate acts for Tony, the main ones being when she wrapped a blanket around Tony and positioned him on a chair instead of on the cold floor and also offering food to Tony, and was open to War Machine's attempts to socialize over their respective cybernetics, and rather sentimental, solemnly recounting to the past Gamora of how they grew as sisters in the future. Her growth was most shown when she confronted her past self, hoping to sway her to join their cause by telling her of what she becomes in the future, only resorting to lethal force when she felt that there was no other choice. She has even displayed a subtle lightheartedness and a knack for dark humor, engaging in macabre but playful banter with her comrades in the Guardians upon reuniting with them.
After rejoining the Guardians, Nebula formed a much closer relationship with them, including Kraglin and Cosmo, and came to view them as her family while also forming a friendship with the other Knowhere inhabitants. She initially had similar views to Yondu Udonta about Christmas, considering occasions like that to be mere trivialities and initially prioritized rebuilding Knowhere over celebrating Christmas. However, like Yondu, Nebula changed her mind on it upon seeing how much Mantis and Drax were prepared to restore Star-Lord's love for it to the point of kidnapping Kevin Bacon from Earth, which prompted her to also return to Earth and steal Bucky's arm as a present for Rocket and she then celebrated it alongside the other Guardians, Kevin Bacon and the other inhabitants on Knowhere. She had the closest friendship with Rocket among the Guardians, given that they were the only Guardians who survived Thanos' Snap. This was shown when she gave Rocket Bucky's Arm as a Christmas present, was horrified at witnessing the High Evolutionary's experimentations on Rocket and considered it to be worse than Thanos' mistreatment of her, firmly told Gamora during an argument that she also considered Rocket to be her family and was concerned for his wellbeing after Drax and Mantis abandoned him and Gamora. Her close friendship with Rocket also caused her to openly break down crying for the first time after learning that Rocket was revived from Adam Warlock's attack, demonstrating that she was opening up her emotions more. However, she still cared enough for the other Guardians to carry a drunken Quill to his bed when he was depressed over losing Gamora, save Drax's life when the Guardians were attacked by Adam Warlock and restrain the alternate Gamora when she tried to attack Quill over her frustrations with Quill comparing her with the original Gamora. Nebula was also still haunted by her earlier enmity with Gamora, which motivated her to have a closer relationship with the alternate Gamora as evidenced by her secretly maintaining contact with her to summon Gamora's help during their mission to save Rocket.
Despite her close friendship with the Guardians, Nebula had the least tolerance among them for mistakes, failure or distractions and usually served to keep the Guardians on track when they had missions to do, such as during their missions with Thor before he later separated from them. She especially got the most frustrated with Drax among them, resulting in her angrily lashing out at Drax when he disobeyed Quill's order for him to protect Rocket with Mantis and Gamora when she initially believed Gamora and Rocket were killed during the destruction of Counter Earth, accusing Drax of being a liability to the team due to his naivety and occasional tendency to ruin their plans. She also blamed Quill's alcoholism for Rocket's near fatal injuries despite sympathising with him over the loss of Gamora and was also frustrated with Mantis when she accidentally caused their Spacesuits to be ejected into space at the Orgoscope and when Mantis later defended Drax from her. However, as pointed out by Mantis, Nebula merely kept seeing flaws in others to cover up her own insecurities and was still capable of caring for her friends and being concerned for their wellbeing on the inside, such as her emotional response to Rocket's revival.
Nebula was also inexperienced in handling children which resulted in her and Mantis unintentionally scaring the Star Children on the Arête Laboratories when they attempted to communicate with them, with Nebula harshly telling them to stay away from the ship's starboard wall. This resulted in Drax intervening and calming the children himself due to his past experience as a father and his knowledge of their language. Despite her harsh nature, Nebula still cared about the children, a huge contrast to her earlier ruthless and sadistic nature, as she visibly regretted scaring them and protested against Gamora's initial wish to leave the ship and abandon them before they all chose to rescue them and later the other imprisoned animals. Nebula also gained more respect for Drax due to this and invited him to stay behind on Knowhere with her to help her raise the rescued children, stating that he was born to be a father and not a destroyer, when she decided to separate from the Guardians to lead and protect Knowhere. After the Guardians defeated High Evolutionary, Nebula fully opened her emotions and when they danced together with the rescued children and Knowhere inhabitants to celebrate their victory, she finally expressed laughter and genuine happiness, which she was initially unable to do due to her tragic past.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
Luphomoid Physiology/Bionic Enhancement: Nebula possesses natural higher physical capabilities beyond any human being, which are further enhanced by her cybernetic enhancements.
Nebula has higher levels of superhuman strength, much greater than that of a human being. She managed to break through the windshield of an M-Ship and throw its pilot out of the vehicle in mid-air with ease and managed to temporarily overpower Gamora after the two of them survived an explosion. During the Battle on Ego's Planet, Nebula was able to throw Gamora on top of a stone wall. She was also able to easily snap the neck of a Chitauri soldier with one arm, even while weakened due to prolonged torture at Thanos' hands. Nebula was even able to slightly stagger Thanos with a punch and several baton strikes, although Thanos soon easily overtook and sent her flying with a punch. She managed to steal Bucky's vibraniumarm after fighting with him.[15][16] In the Attack on Arête Laboratories, Nebula was able to easily break a metal lock on a cage containing the Star Children and she also managed to carry a tapir on her shoulders without effort while escaping the ship. With her new bionic arm, Nebula's strength apparently increased, as she managed to stop a punch from Gamora that would have mortally wounded Quill, whereas before their strength was somewhat equal.
Superhuman Durability:
Nebula being hit by a rocket launcher
Nebula can easily withstand multiple injuries, especially impact trauma, such as falls from great heights. While her body was contorted by being blasted with Drax the Destroyer's cannon at point blank range, she was otherwise unharmed and her cybernetic implants twisted her body back into place. She managed to jump onto an M-Ship from several stories without withstanding injuries and survived to be inside an exploding ship before landing on her feet several stories down unharmed. When plugging her mechanical arm into the ship to power the ship's energy beams, she was electrocuted and experienced great pain, but otherwise survived. She even managed to survive a powerful blow from Thanos and later a shockwave from the Infinity Gauntlet. During the Attack on Rocket, Nebula withstood extremely strong hits from Adam Warlock, breaking her jaw and stomach and being thrown into the wall at a high speed by the Sovereign, healing herself afterwards. Nebula also withstood Master Karja's gunfire, which were able to injure Drax the Destroyer. In the Attack on Arête Laboratories, Nebula was able to withstand the quantum blast of an Abilisk, and after Mantis tamed the Abilisks, Nebula jumped off an Abilisk with no injuries.
Superhuman Agility:
Nebula leaping towards a rock
Nebula's agility and coordination allows her to easily keep up with Gamora in a fight and dodge her sister's attacks. Nebula was able to leap a considerable distance while escaping from Ego’s planet alongside Gamora. During the Battle of Titan, she was able to leap at a great height to attack Thanos after she crashes her ship. Nebula jumped a great distance to reach the Arête Laboratories alongside Mantis and Drax.
Enhanced Stamina: Nebula's cybernetic enhancements, granted by Thanos in order for her to keep up and be on equal footing with her adoptive sister, Gamora, allowed her to gain increased stamina.
Enhanced Reflexes: During her training with Gamora under the tuition of Thanos, she heightened her reflexes fast enough and they were enhanced by body cybernetic modifications.[18]
Enhanced Senses: Neural circuitry located under the headplate on her face augment Nebula's vision and hearing.[18]
Regenerative Healing Factor:
Nebula repairing her broken body
Nebula's extensive cybernetic implants allow her to quickly heal from otherwise near-fatal injuries, such as when her body was crushed and mangled when withstanding a direct blow from Drax's cannon. Due to her implants, she was able to reshape her body back to its original form by snapping her arms and jaw back into their normal place. Nebula was able to reshape her body after the impact of an exploding M-Ship. Nebula was able to reshape her body after being attacked by Adam Warlock and the Hell Spawns. Nebula also recovers from piercing damage, as Kraglin's Yaka Arrow pierced her but did not mortally wound her.
Holographic Projection: Nebula's built-in synaptic drive and bionic visual enhancements give her the capability of replaying memories in the form of light projections. Thanos accessed her memory files through her past self, as the two were mentally linked through their matching cybernetic neural networks, and was able to watch the fate of his own counterpart.
Weapon Creation: As of 2026, Nebula acquired a new arm as part of her further cybernetic upgrades from Rocket. Nebula can change the arm's shape at will, which she demonstrated during the Attack on Rocket, turning it into a cannon and later a blade, both to inflict damage on Adam Warlock.
Energy Blasts:
Nebula using her energy blasts
With her new arm, Nebula manages to modify her arm into a plasma cannon weapon, capable of sending Adam Warlock through buildings. She also damaged the High Evolutionary with her energy blasts.
Concussion Beams: Nebula's cybernetic arm allows her to fire concussive electroshock charges from her hand towards her enemies or over a specific target area.
Electronic Communication: Through her cybernetic enhancements, Nebula can interpret and intercept electronic information. She managed to read all of Rocket's files, discovering that he had a kill switch embedded inside his body. Later, after getting the device from Theel, Nebula was also able to see and interpret all of the files, seeing all the experiments that Rocket went through, showing through a hologram to the other Guardians.
Nebula is a highly skilled and formidable hand-to-hand combatant, having trained extensively as an assassin under Thanos ever since she was a child as well as years of fighting experience when carrying out Thanos' missions. Nebula's skill in combat allowed her to compete with "the deadliest woman in the galaxy," Gamora, for a prolonged amount of time and even managed to defeat her when both were wounded after escaping an explosion, although it should be noted that Gamora was weakened more than Nebula was due to Nebula's more extensive cybernetics and the fact that Gamora had not been fighting to kill, but was trying to reason with Nebula; thus, she was holding back. Her most impressive display of skill was seen when she briefly fought Thanos one-on-one; although she was eventually no match for her far stronger and more experienced father, Nebula was still able to fare better than Drax the Destroyer as well as Doctor Strange, able to briefly pressure and land two blows on Thanos, whereas Drax and Strange had difficulty fighting Thanos even with a webbed cotton hampering Thanos' eyesight and could not a land single hit in said occasion, although Thanos was briefly distracted by her mentions of Gamora and soon easily knocked her aside. During the mission to save Rocket, Nebula fought several soldiers on the High Evolutionary's ship.
Staff Mastery:
Nebula using her electric batons
Nebula is highly skilled at using sticks and staffs in combat, her retractable electric batons being her preferred weapon. Using her staff, she was able to contend with Gamora using her sword and even managed to disarm her. Later, she was able to briefly force Thanos to the defensive and land some blows until she was defeated easily.
Sword Mastery: Nebula is a skilled Swordsman, with her using her Bionic Arm's sword, to fight and stab her enemies.
Expert Marksman: Nebula is a highly skilled marksman proficient in sharpshooting. During the Attack on Berhert, Nebula was able to accurately shoot off Yondu Udonta's Yaka Arrow Controller before incapacitating Rocket. She was also able to rapidly draw her blaster and fatally shoot her past self in the chest as she was aiming her own weapon at past Gamora.
"I am every inch the warrior you are. The screams of my victims fill every field."
Master Assassin: Nebula is a highly skilled assassin, having trained extensively as an assassin under Thanos ever since she was a child. She trained with Gamora throughout her childhood, but Nebula stated that she was not as skilled as her sister. Despite that, Nebula was skilled enough that even Thanos commented Nebula almost succeeded in killing him after sneaking into his spaceship.
Expert Pilot: Nebula is a highly trained pilot, with Gamora acknowledging her as being better and more knowledgeable at piloting than her, capable of easily flying a Necrocraft and an M-Ship with great efficiency. During the Skirmish on Knowhere, Nebula was able to maneuver around Gamora's mining pod with ease and eventually shoot her ship down.
Bilingualism: Nebula is fluent in her native language, and she can also understand Groot after spending years with him.
Equipment[]
Cybernetic Enhancements[]
In her early years under Thanos' wing, Nebula received various upgrades that allowed her to gain extensive cybernetic properties and body features.
Cybernetic Arm: Nebula possesses a cybernetic metal left arm after her escape from a Laser Thorn Energy Net within the Cloud Tombs of Praxius.[3] The arm is capable of acting as a generator for electricity as it was used to power the broken down Ravagers ship her and Yondu Udonta were on to eliminate the multiple Sovereign ships. Her hand is designed to imitate the appearance of flesh, but it is capable of hacking into computer systems, demonstrated by a time traveled version of Nebula from 2014. However, after losing her left hand during the Battle of Xandar, Nebula replaces it with another cybernetic hand which does not imitate the appearance of flesh, nor capable of hacking into computer systems. In order to obtain the Orb, Nebula had to damage her arm in order to pull it out of the energy barrier encasing it.
Contact Whiplash: Nebula possesses a grappling hook within her left arm.
Tempersteel Claws: Nebula possessed two sets of retractable claws, one in each hand, that she can activate to grip onto surfaces to assist her when she is climbing. After losing her left arm, Nebula lost her left set of tempersteel claws.[3]
Regeneration Implant: Nebula possesses a regeneration implant that is situated within her body. This implant allows her to rapidly heal from near-fatal injuries and wounds as well as enabling her to reshape her body back to its original form.
Cybernetic Communicator: Nebula has a cybernetic message communicator planted in her brain, which she used to alert the Sakaarans that Gamora had the Orb, and to directly confront her shortly thereafter. Nebula also used to it to alert Thanos that she was in possession of the Nano Gauntlet during the Attack on the Avengers Compound.
"I just never noticed how black your eyes were." "They were replaced by my father as a method of torture."
Visual Prosthesis: During Nebula's upbringing with Thanos, her father had pulled her eye from her head as a consequence for losing a battle against Gamora. Thanos replaced her left eye with a bionic one, this bionic eye allows her to create projections of a specific event.
Synaptic Drive: One of Nebula's cybernetics includes a neuro-synaptic implant located on the side of her head and also forms part of her brain. It is capable of recording memories and replaying memory files from past events. Thanos used Nebula's synaptic drive to replay the recorded memory of her conversation with Gamora, in which she confessed that she found the map to the Soul Stone's location and burned it.
Translator Implant: Nebula has a translator implant that helps her understand many of the languages spoken in the universe.[19]
Nebula's weapons of choice are baton-like electroshock weapons which can be combined to form a longer electroshock staff that can generate powerful amounts of electrical energy. It could also be thrown and return magnetically to her cybernetic arm, demonstrated by her brief skirmish with Thanos.
Electric Blaster: Nebula's alternate weapon is a blaster which can fire blasts of electricity to electrocute and stun its targets, knocking them unconscious. She used it on Rocket and Yondu Udonta to escape Berhert. This weapon, however was more than capable of being lethal, as Nebula blasted a hole into the chest of her past self, killing her.
Jetpack: During the Attack on Rocket, Nebula used a jetpack to fight Adam Warlock, flying to the sovereign. The jetpack was destroyed in combat after Adam Warlock knocked Nebula to the ground.
Other Equipment[]
Advanced Tech Suit: This suit was designed in order to time travel through the Quantum Realm safely. It is a white, red and black suit that materialize around the wearer's regular clothes, managing to be summoned when time travel is required again, and disappear when no longer in use. It has size-shifting adaptability down to subatomic levels and a wrist gadget that allows for displacement through time and space.
Lock Pick: A small device designed to automatically open doors, stolen from Star-Lord in Morag, and used on the door to the Temple Vault storing the Orb.
Space Suit: A special suit used to survive in the vacuum of space. Nebula and the other Guardians of the Galaxy used the suits until Mantis accidentally threw them away.
Vehicles[]
Q-Ship: As being a part of Thanos' Black Order, she commandeers the Q-Ship with her sister. Gamora, in missions that benefit her adoptive father.
During her time working with Ronan the Accuser, Nebula was a passenger on his ship. She and everyone else on the ship used it for transportation during Ronan's campaign for vengeance. She later abandoned the ship during the Battle of Xandar.
M-Ship: After being defeated in combat by Gamora during the Battle of Xandar, Nebula was left hanging hundreds of feet above Xandar's surface, with her hand trapped onto a spike on the outside of the Dark Aster. Gamora tried to reason with Nebula but Nebula refused and cut off her cybernetic hand. Instead of falling from the sky to her death, she landed on top of a Ravager's M-Ship. Nebula then threw the pilot out and took control of the ship before flying it far away from the battle. She would later use another M-Ship to fly to Ego to try to kill Gamora, she crashed the ship during her fight with Gamora.
Eclector M-Ship GK9: Nebula used the Eclector M-Ship GK9 on her hunt for Thanos in her attempt to kill him. She kept a log while on the ship, noting her feelings as she reflected on her relationship with Gamora and the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Laser Drill: When Nebula and the Guardians of the Galaxy were strained on the living planet, Ego, Yondu, Rocket, and the baby Groot managed to hijack the Laser Drill ship after escaping from the mutinous Yondu's crew and she boards in it to kill Ego before the Sovereign sent a fleet of drone ships to destroy them, so Nebula plugged her cybernetics into the battery to power the ship, resulting in the entire Sovereign fleet being destroyed. The Laser Drill was destroyed after flaming debris struck the fuel line, forcing Nebula, Quill and Yondu to bail out.
Sanctuary II: Nebula snuck aboard this ship to kill Thanos. She nearly succeeded, but failed and was captured. When Thanos captured Gamora, he brought her to Nebula to force her to reveal the location of the Soul Stone. Thanos started to torture Nebula and Gamora told Thanos where he could find the stone to stop her sister's suffering. After Thanos and Gamora left, Nebula escaped after killing a Chitauri henchman and stealing a Necrocraft.
Necrocraft: After having located the Guardians of the Galaxy on Knowhere, Nebula and Ronan the Accuser piloted a Necrocraft where Ronan went to confront Drax the Destroyer, while Nebula boarded a Necrocraft pilot to reclaim the Orb from Gamora. After escaping captivity on the Sanctuary II, Nebula stole a Necrocraft and used it to go to Titan and crashed the ship onto Thanos in an attempt to kill him, interrupting his battle with the Avengers and Guardians, although Thanos was uninjured.
Following the Battle of Titan, Nebula and Iron Man fixed Star-Lord's ship and left the planet. It would break down after 24 days of travel, but eventually, they were rescued in deep space by Captain Marvel, who delivered them to Earth. Nebula would also ride the Benatar to take part in the Ambush on Thanos. After the Snap, Nebula used the Benatar as her home alongside Rocket. Five years later Nebula rejoined the Guardians of the Galaxy after the rest of the team returned back to life and the team took off in the Benatar, leaving Earth with Thor.
Benatar's Space Pod: After Nebula successfully retrieved the Orb, Rhodes and Nebula planned to use their Time-Space GPS to return to their original timeline, effectively abandoning the space pod in the alternate past. However, while War Machine successfully returned, Nebula was unable to as her network and synaptic drive linked with that of her alternate past self, realizing that the Thanos of the alternate 2014 timeline had been made aware of their plan, Nebula rushed to the space pod and used its communication device to inform Romanoff and Barton, although to no avail. The space pod, with Nebula inside of it, was then tractor-beamed into the Sanctuary II.
Bowie: Nebula and the Guardians used the Bowie following the Guardians buying Knowhere and selling the Benatar for the bigger ship. Nebula and the Guardians used it to investigate Rocket's past to save Rocket's life.
Facilities[]
Avengers Compound: When she and Tony Stark were stranded in space after the Snap, she and Tony were saved by Captain Marvel who takes them to Earth. After she joined the Avengers, Nebula was offworld dealing with the chaos that was done by Thanos and returns to the Avengers Compound where she joins in the Time Heist.
Thanos' Farm: Nebula and the Avengers discovered high levels of an energy burst in a distant planet, believed to be similar to the Infinity Stones and the location of Thanos, so she joins the Avengers to travel there as they ambushed Thanos and learned that he destroyed the stones to prevent anyone from undoing his work and from being corrupted by their powers.
Temple Vault: During the Time Heist, Nebula and War Machine were sent to the planet Morag where the Power Stone is locked and sealed. She and Rhodes encounters Star-Lord doing his dancing routine before War Machine knocks him out cold and Nebula steals the stone.
In the comics, Nebula is a space pirate and mercenary who claims to be Thanos' granddaughter. Her appearance in the movies seems to be based more on her second incarnation from the comics.
Behind the Scenes[]
Gal Gadot revealed she was up for the role of Nebula.[20]
In Guardians of the Galaxy, Karen Gillan shaved her head to play Nebula (the hair, in turn, was made into a wig, which Gillan wore in the TV show Selfie).[22] In later appearances, her hair was only shortened, with the reminder lifted into a bun which was hidden by the prosthetics that make Nebula's facial make-up.[23]
Nebula's make-up, which includes a glued together five-piece prosthetic in the head and contact lenses, took approximately four hours and 15 minutes to apply and another 30 minutes to remove in Guardians of the Galaxy.[24] By Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the applying was reduced to a two and a half hours.[23]
Karen Gillan stated that "I think she's a really interesting character. What I like to play around with is how jealous she is. She's Gamora's sister, and there's a lot of sibling rivalry. That's the most interesting aspect to me because jealousy can consume you and turn you bitter, and ugly. And she's a total sadist, so that's fun too."[25]
Karen Gillan also said, "She is very sadistic and evil, but I like to think for a very valid reason."[26]
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