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Guardians Star Recalls Unexpected Path to Iconic Nebula Role

Summary

  • Karen Gillan didn't expect to land Nebula role, had to shave head
  • Shaving head was a profound experience, changed her identity
  • Nebula is a fan-favorite character, but Guardians' future uncertain
Guardians Star Recalls Unexpected Path to Iconic Nebula Role

As of October 15th, 2025, the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand, with new projects hitting theaters and streaming on Disney+. One of the fan-favorite franchises is James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, led by the character Nebula, played by Karen Gillan.

Gillan recently revealed that she didn't initially expect to land the role of Nebula, let alone have to shave her head for the part. However, that's exactly what happened, and the transformation proved to be a surprisingly profound experience for the actress. Gillan shared that her red locks had previously defined her as a performer and person, but shaving her head for the first Guardians film caused her to lose that identity and some of her femininity.

Despite the unexpected path to the iconic role, Nebula has become a fan-favorite character within the Marvel universe. However, the future of the Guardians franchise remains uncertain. While the team is not expected to appear in any upcoming Marvel movies, there is hope that we'll see more of Nebula after the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is set to conclude the current iteration of the team.

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Gillan revealed that shaving her head for the role of Nebula was a surprisingly profound experience, as her red locks had previously defined her as a performer and person. The transformation caused her to lose that identity and some of her femininity.
While the Guardians of the Galaxy team is not expected to appear in any upcoming Marvel movies, there is hope that we'll see more of the character Nebula after the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is set to conclude the current iteration of the team.
Gillan shared that she didn't initially think she would land the role of Nebula, and was surprised when she was asked to shave her head for the part. However, she ended up transforming into the iconic Marvel character.

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