Avengers: Infinity War - Nebula's Backstory Will Be Even Darker
Revenge might be even sweeter...
By the end of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2, one of the most compelling set-ups was Nebula's refusal of a place on the team and her vow to go after Thanos for revenge on her own. Given what comic book fans would have known about her part in the Infinity Gauntlet arc, it looked like we were being fed a culmination of her story that would closely follow what was on the page.
That would mean she'd probably end up wearing the Infinity Gauntlet herself, or at least playing a very significant part in Thanos' downfall (following on from the very personal stakes that tend to float around even the biggest MCU villains).
Now there's a little more information around Nebula's involvement in the film that could fit with how important she will be. Despite the fact that there will be precious little space for luxury story-telling and exposition, because of how much primary story there is to tell, it seems we'll be getting a little more of Nebula's backstory. And it's going to be super dark.
During her appearance at Florida SuperCon (via Comic Book), Karen Gillan revealed the fact:
“Without giving away any spoilers. We’re definitely going to continue the arc for Nebula and find out more about her past. And actually, we’re going to find out that it’s even worse than we know.”
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The only reason to go back into that past detail is to make Nebula more of a sympathetic figure and to go heavier on her personal stakes with Thanos. The presence of the Black Order - Thanos' other children - makes it likely we'll see Nebula and Gamora face off with their "siblings" for some prime poetic material, but pushing Nebula's tragic story definitely feels like the set-up for her to be key to her father's downfall.
And the added darkness could easily turn into the big red button that pushes her over the edge when she comes into contact with Thanos again and drives her to take the Infinity Gauntlet for herself as she did in the comics. Now that would be a compelling way to advance her as a character.