Avengers: Infinity War is less of a movie
than an onslaught on the senses, throwing
40 different characters from the Marvel Cinematic
Universe at the same threat in an unprecedented
crossover.
With so many fan-favorites jockeying for attention
in the fight against Thanos, one unassuming
character, Karen Gillan's Nebula, may prove
to be the most important of all.
Heads up, spoilers ahead.
When audiences first become acquainted with
Gamora's blue-skinned, black-eyed, adopted
sister Nebula in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy,
she seemed like little more than a minor foil
for the good guys.
By the end of the 2017 sequel, Nebula has
reconciled with her sister, and she turns
her murderous tendencies toward her true enemy.
"I will hunt my father like a dog and I will
tear him apart slowly."
By the time the credits roll in Infinity War,
Nebula is one of the lucky 50% of people left
standing, and if the comics history is anything
to go by, Thanos will have to watch his back
for her in the next entry.
Infinity War pulls most of its inspiration
from the 1991 six-issue series The Infinity
Gauntlet, which similarly pitches every Marvel
Comics hero against Thanos as he works to
mess up the universe.
In that story, Nebula is a target of Thanos'
torture, kept barely alive, but Thanos' biggest
mistake turns out to be keeping her alive
at all.
In the comics, Thanos' horrible disdain for
her gives her all the motivation she needs
to turn the tide.
In an unexpected moment, barely clinging to
life, Nebula snatches the Gauntlet from Thanos'
grasp.
While getting the Gauntlet away from Thanos
is a momentary relief, having Nebula become
the most omnipotent being in the universe
isn't exactly ideal.
The power of the Gauntlet proves far too potent
for her scarred psyche to safely wield, and
in a way makes her even more dangerous.
Once Nebula is in control of the Gauntlet,
the Marvel heroes actually team up with Thanos
to get it back from her.
When the universe's remaining heroes confront
Nebula, she uses the properties of the Time
Gem to turn back the clock 24 hours, resurrecting
everyone who was neutralized by Thanos' fateful
snap in the process.
She then moves to consolidate power for herself,
creating a new world order with her as ruler.
Fortunately, she's slightly too insane to
wield the power of the Infinity Gauntlet as
effectively as Thanos was able to, and the
heroes attack her in a mad dash for it.
The Gauntlet ultimately ends up in the hands
of Adam Warlock, a character who has yet to
appear in the flesh in the MCU.
While Adam's ultimate victory likely won't
happen in 2019's Avengers movie, it is possible
that Nebula could fulfill a similar purpose
in the movies as she does in the comics, introducing
a chaotic element that the heroes can use
to their advantage.
Whether the Infinity War will end with everyone
teaming up to attack a superpowered Nebula
remains to be seen, but her history in the
comics means everyone should keep an eye on
her going forward.
And from a storytelling standpoint, she's
got to be alive for a reason, right?
The story of the Gauntlet is just getting
started.
Marvel Studios is set to take audiences on
a journey with Ant-Man and the Wasp in early
July 2018, introduce Captain Marvel in March
2019, and finally cap off the story with the
untitled fourth Avengers movie in May 2019.
We can't wait.
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