It is never easy to bid beloved characters farewell. This holds true for the Marvel universe as well, but what if we told you that Zoe Saldaña’s Gamora’s life, one of our favorite characters from Guardians of the Galaxy, was in danger before we even realized it?
James Gunn has set his sights high for the Guardians of the Galaxy story. Kevin Feige, on the other hand, thwarted one of these plots since Gunn had originally planned to kill Saldaña’s Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Marvel Studios still wanted her to live because that “worked better for the story”.
Zoe Saldaña’s Gamora Nearly Died in Marvel Way ‘Before’ Avengers: Infinity War
Although Zoe Saldaña‘s Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy was killed off in Avengers: Infinity War, the character reappeared in Avengers: Endgame in an alternate reality that predated Guardians of the Galaxy. However, James Gunn claimed that it almost looked completely different.
The writer-director discussed his relief at the trilogy’s conclusion as well as the unexpected demise of the characters in a highly spoiler-filled interview with the NY Times:
“Gamora was going to die originally in ‘Vol. 2’ [2017], and then we talked about it happening in ‘Infinity War’ and that worked better for the story. But the rest of them, I always knew where they were going. I knew that the whole trilogy is about Rocket, who we think of as a supporting character, becoming the captain of the Guardians.”
Given Gunn’s original thought, we can not help but wonder what other plots might have developed if Gamora had died in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. What effects might her demise have had on Nebula, Star-Lord, and the other Guardians?
Moreover, what impact might it have had on significant incidents in the Avengers: Infinity War? There are seemingly limitless options. Though Gamora died in the 2018 movie, a different version of her makes an appearance in Avengers: Endgame in 2019 and, of course, in this year’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the last film in the Guardians trilogy.
James Gunn Believed That Gamora Would be the one to ‘Sacrifice Herself’
James Gunn disclosed to ComicBook that, despite the cancellation of those plans, Gamora nearly suffered a terrible end in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Knowing that Zoe Saldaña’s time as Gamora was finite, he clarified, “so [he] was going to have [Gamora] die”. He added:
“So things always change and you never know. But Gamora almost died in ‘Vol. 2.’ I knew from the beginning Zoe only wanted to play the character for so many years, and she’s been very honest saying that she’s done [after ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’]. And so I was going to have her die.”
Gunn stated that he “thought she was the one that was going to sacrifice herself” before coming to the conclusion that Yondu’s death would act as a springboard for Peter Quill’s character growth in the sequel:
“I thought she was the one that was going to sacrifice herself, and Quill was going to learn about himself as opposed to Yondu in the second movie, and I thought different of it.”
After being “talked out of it by Kevin [Feige] and Lou [D’Esposito]”, Gunn ultimately concluded that Yondu’s demise was “correct for the story”:
“I was kind of talked out of it by Kevin [Feige] and Lou [D’Esposito], and then it just didn’t work that well. It didn’t feel right, it felt much more right to go where we go in that movie. That seemed what was correct for the story.”
As a part of MCU Phase Five, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was released on May 5, 2023. It was as successful commercially and critically as its predecessors. With over $845 million in global box office receipts, it ranked as the fourth highest-grossing movie of 2023.
Guardians of the Galaxy (vols. 1, 2, and 3) are streaming on Disney Plus.
