By now, you’d have to be living under a rock if you haven’t at least heard about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The trailer for Avengers: Endgame dropped last Friday morning, and racked up 289 million views within the first 24 hours. The previous record was held by Avengers: Infinity War, which got 230 million views. The superheroes— and supervillains— of Marvel Comics have always been a staple of pop culture, but thanks to the popularity of the MCU, their profiles have skyrocketed even further. Even lesser-known characters are getting their chances to shine in the mainstream spotlight.
The butt-kicking, self-serving assassin Nebula is one of them. Played by Doctor Who icon Karen Gillan, Nebula’s fame (or rather, infamy) has increased steadily thanks to her appearances in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies in addition to Avengers: Infinity War.
Nebula’s done some extraordinary feats with her cybernetic body, recovering from seemingly fatal injuries in just a few moments and fighting off her enemies with ease and dexterity. Her bright blue skin catches the eye whenever she’s on the screen, but Thanos' least-favorite daughter's secrets are more than skin-deep. With Avengers: Endgame set to be released in April 2019, it’s time to dig deeper into the details of Nebula’s anatomy. The list below contains spoilers for the movies in the MCU as well as some of Nebula’s comic book appearances.
If you need a quick primer before she returns to movie theaters for Avengers: Endgame, here are 20 Wild Details About Nebula’s Anatomy.
20. Thanos Burns Her And She Barely Stays Alive
With Thanos out of commission in the comics, Nebula takes control of Sanctuary II and claims to be the granddaughter of the Mad Titan. She wreaks havoc as a space pirate, spreading chaos across the galaxy. That is, until Thanos returns to get his ship back.
Thanos doesn’t believe that Nebula is his granddaughter, and essentially burns her alive. She turns into a creepy zombie-like being, not quite alive yet not quite deceased either. Her body is pretty much decstroyed, and her mind is also torn to shreds. In fact, Thanos goes on to reveal that he regards Nebula as his greatest creation, as she’s stuck in a limbo between life and the great.
19. She Heals Herself With The Infinity Gauntlet
As it turns out, Thanos probably should’ve ended Nebula’s life when he had the chance. Cunning as she is, Nebula eventually gets her hands on the Infinity Gauntlet and heals her damaged body. Thanos basically astral projects, sending his mind into the universe to take the place of Eternity after defeating him. This leaves his body defenseless, and Nebula takes the opportunity to steal the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos’ prone body and rejuvenate herself.
The MCU does make several changes to the character’s story, but since we know for a fact that Nebula will be in Avengers: Endgame, maybe they’ll incorporate elements of this story arc. Obviously Gillan isn’t allowed to reveal much, but she did hint at a confrontation between Nebula and Thanos.
18. She didn't always have her Cybernetic Enhancements
Nowadays, when folks think of Nebula, a bald blue alien comes to mind, made of flesh and cybernetic implants. However, when she made her first appearance in The Avengers over 30 years ago, she actually rocked a whole different aesthetic. Nebula had a fully organic body without have any apparent injuries. Plus, she sported a full head of luscious long dark hair. The metal components that she’s now known for come later.
In the Silver Surfer comics, she’s freed from a prison with some serious injuries. Nebula’s right-hand man, Geatar, s Doctor Mandibus, an alien surgeon with a creepy skull-like face. Not much is known about Mandibus, but he gives Nebula cybernetic enhancements to help her survive.
17. She's One Of The Last Luphomoids
According to the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, Luphom— the homeworld of the Luphomoids— is destroyed by Galactus, and very few survivors are left of that alien race. Nebula is one of these survivors, alongside Kraa, Xira, and Zorr. Since there are only four of them left (that we know of), there’s really not much known about the Luphomoids other than their general appearance and their superhuman powers.
In addition to claiming to be the granddaughter of Thanos, Nebula has also claimed to be the daughter of Zorr. If Nebula’s telling the truth, then that also means Kraa is her uncle and Xira is her aunt. They would be quite a formidable family if they ever learn to get along.
16. Her Brain Implant Can Absorb Energy
The Infinity Gauntlet isn’t the only powerful trinket that Nebula gets her hands on. In The Avengers comics, Nebula takes control of the Infinity Union, a combination of three cosmic devices that allow her to control all kinds of ambient energy. She could change her size, teleport, and protect herself from physical harm.
Nebula and Gunthar eventually figure out the frequency that the Infinity Union uses to transfer energy, and give Nebula a brain implant to direct the energy straight to her. She then becomes so powerful that she forced the universe in and out of existence several times. The Avengers struggle to fight her until Sersi removes Nebula’s brain implant, thus significantly weaking the Luphomoid.
15. She Can Lift 800 Lbs to 25 Tons
As we mentioned earlier, not much is known about Luphomoids as a species. For all intents and purposes, they pretty much seem like extra powerful, extra fast, extra resilient humanoids with bright blue skin.
That being said, there is official confirmation of just how powerful Nebula is in particular. The Nova Corps has classified her as a “Universal” threat level, according to Annihilation: The Nova Corps Files. The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe places her at a 4 for strength on the Power Grid, meaning she can lift from 800 lbs to 25 tons. Sure, her speed isn’t particularly spectacular, but she’s rated 6 for energy projection, which means she can discharge multiple forms of energy.
14. Gal Gadot could have played her
Gal Godot is perhaps best known for playing the titular character in Wonder Woman, the DC hit that went on to break records left and right. She’s also going to reprise the role in the much anticipated sequel Wonder Woman 1984 set for June 2020. However, Godot might’ve missed out on the Amazonian warrior had she auditioned for the role of Nebula.
In an interview back in 2013, Godot reveals that she was considering a job for which she’d have to shave her head and get covered in blue paint. Does that ring any bells? Director James Gunn has clarified that she was never offered the role and that he doesn’t if she auditioned at all, but given the timing of Gillan’s casting announcement, it certainly seems plausible that Godot was in the running.
13. Gamora Shatters Her Body
As a behemoth in the entertainment industry, Marvel has released a ton of tie-in materials for the MCU, including a comic book prelude to Guardians of the Galaxy. The comics delve even deeper, showing how vicious the rivalry between Gamora and Nebula really is. In fact, Gamora is the reason why Nebula gets her cybernetic enhancements in the first place.
During a training session on Dervani, Nebula and Gamora compete with each other to get their hands on a data ingot for Ronan. Gamora narrowly avoids falling down a cliff, holding onto some vines for dear life. She tricks Nebula into helping her, asking to team up. However, when Nebula offers her hand, Gamora tosses Nebula down the cliff instead, shattering her body in the process.
12. Even Her Brain Has Been Replaced
Nebula’s most notable cybernetic replacements are the visible plates on the left side of her body, including her entirely mechanical left arm. They go even further than that, as Nebula reveals in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It turns out that Thanos has even ripped out her brain from her skull. You can even see the less apparent augmentations in Avengers: Infinity War when she’s held captive by Thanos.
Based on Nebula’s phrasing, it seems like Thanos has entirely replaced her organic brain. Plus, he does have access to her memory files in Infinity War. Considering the technological advancements in the MCU, it wouldn’t be surprising if Thanos had found a way to literally pull Nebula’s whole brain out and replaced it with a cybernetic cerebrum.
11. She Has Tempersteel Claws
Nebula goes through extensive cybernetic modifications to help her heal from some serious injuries, but Thanos isn’t content with simply fixing her bones. As he says in the prelude comics, “flesh is weak” and as a result, Nebula’s got a whole host of gadgets up her sleeve.
Among the myriad enhancements is her tempersteel claws, which have been built into not only her metal left arm, but also her right hand. Thanks to these claws, she’s able to climb up the exterior of the Cloud Tombs of Praxius without handholds of any kind as she pursues the Orb. Despite the gruelling process of getting mechanical parts, Nebula does it that she’s grateful for her cybernetic ts.
