Guardians of the Galaxy: Gamora’s Original Fate Revealed – She Was Meant to Die in Part 2
Zoe Saldana’s character Gamora, an integral part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), was originally intended to meet her demise in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. However, the persuasive powers of Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige successfully convinced writer-director James Gunn to spare her life.
In an interview with ComicBook.com, Gunn disclosed that he had always known Saldana’s desire to portray Gamora for a limited time. With this knowledge, his initial plan was to sacrifice the character in the second Guardians movie.
Gunn explained, “I thought she was the one that was going to sacrifice herself, and Quill [Star-Lord] was going to learn about himself as opposed to in the second movie, and I thought different of it. I was kind of talked out of it by Kevin [Feige] and [Marvel producer 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.”
Although Gamora’s fate was altered, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 did feature a significant character death—Yondu, portrayed by Michael Rooker, met his demise as the storyline organically progressed in that direction. Gunn admitted feeling a sense of regret about killing off Yondu but acknowledged the necessity based on the story’s natural trajectory.
Gamora ultimately met her end in Avengers: Infinity War, where her own father, the formidable Thanos (played by Josh Brolin), callously threw her off a cliff in order to obtain the Soul Stone. However, in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, a different iteration of Gamora exists—one who never experienced a romantic connection with Peter Quill (Star-Lord), portrayed by Chris Pratt, and does not recollect her past adventures with the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Zoe Saldana will reprise her role as Gamora one final time in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, scheduled to hit theaters on May 5. While Saldana believes the Guardians series will continue, she personally will not be involved, stating, “I don’t think this is the end for the Guardians. It is the end for me, for Gamora.”
Anticipated to be a blockbuster, Vol. 3 is projected to fall short of the box office performance of Vol. 2, leading some to speculate on a growing “indifference” towards MCU Phase 5.
