When Nebula and Gamora were introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Guardians of the Universe, it soon became apparent how much their adoptive father, Thanos, preferred Gamora. The first Guardians of the Universe The film sets up the tense relationship between the two sisters, which grows increasingly hostile as Gamora begins to stray from Thanos’ wishes, and Nebula retains a blind desire to please him. The film also includes a hidden detail that shows just how cruel Thanos can be.
Guardians of the Universe and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 reveal much of the history of Nebula and Gamora. While Thanos raised them as sisters, he repeatedly made them fight each other to test their strength. Every time they saved, Gamora would win, and Thanos would “upgradeOne of Nebula’s body parts, claiming he was trying to make Nebula Gamora’s equal so she could win next time. This cycle caused tension between the two sisters, but it was especially traumatic for Nebula, who changed around the world. guards movies as she began to understand and cope with the physical torture and psychological toll that came from this traumatic cycle.
During a comedy scene from Guardians of the Universe, most notable for Star-Lord’s jack-in-the-box middle-finger joke, there’s a hidden, tragic detail. When Gamora is arrested along with Star-Lord, Rocket and Groot, her high-tech mugshot contains many details about her biological properties and enhancements. In addition to two arms, two legs and various implants to make her stronger and smarter, Gamora is equipped with an Enhanced Regeneration Implant. This is a minor detail that was never explicitly discussed, but it adds another layer to Thanos’ horrific treatment of Nebula, because this enhancement Thanos gave to Gamora made it impossible for Nebula to ever defeat her.
How Nebula’s Augments Affected Her MCU Story
Nebula and Gamora’s battle at the Battle of Xandar proves that Gamora’s ability to regenerate quickly gives her an edge over Nebula. During the fight, Nebula appears to have Gamora defeated when she uses her electroshock batons to severely electrocute Gamora, who screams in pain as electricity flows through her body. However, when Gamora is able to get the batons away from Nebula, she immediately recovers from the electrocution, kicks Nebula over the side of the ship they are on and wins the fight. If Gamora hadn’t improved to recover so quickly, Nebula could have won that fight.
This enhancement was a tool through which Thanos inflicted physical and psychological torture, eventually turning Nebula into a villain Guardians of the Universe next to Ronan. Not only did he make Nebula fight an opponent who would no doubt hurt her, but he also made her endure the pain of replacing her body parts with machines. All the while, he damaged Nebula’s psyche by setting impossible expectations, punishing her for failing to meet them, and telling her those failures were her fault—despite being deliberately responsible for her inability to succeed. Through this vicious cycle, Thanos has also conditioned Nebula to be faithful to him and give him control over her. By making her believe that beating her sister and pleasing Thanos were the keys to avoiding physical and psychological pain, Thanos manipulated Nebula into preferring him over her sister. This psychological conditioning is why, even though Gamora begs Nebula to join her in the fight against Thanos, Nebula retains the desire to please Thanos all the time. Guardians of the Universe – and why Nebula still has conflicting feelings about Thanos and his death in Avengers: Endgame.
Gamora’s Enhanced Regeneration Implant makes clear Thanos’ intentions for Nebula. Despite his claims that he wanted to make Nebula Gamora’s equal, Thanos never wanted Nebula to win a fight. From the very beginning of the sisters’ childhood with him, Thanos never intended Nebula to be anything more than a toy to torture or a lap dog to control. Prior to any of the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgamethis one Easter egg inside Guardians of the Universe a harbinger of how cruel Thanos can be.
