Fans of Zoe Saldaña’s Gamora got a treat with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. Gamora was back from the dead after the events of Avengers: Infinity War, albeit displaced in time and with no memory of the Guardians. In her new position as a Ravager captain she got to, in the words of Mantis, kick names and take ass. But there was still an air of sadness about it all. The past Gamora, the one who’d fallen in love with Peter Quill, was still very much dead and this was essentially a brand new person.
At the end of the movie, Gamora understood what her past self saw in the Guardians (and she also understood Groot’s language!) but she returned to the Ravagers. Before going she told Quill, “I bet we were fun,” he responded “Like you wouldn’t believe,” and that was seemingly it for the star-crossed lovers. Unless…
Zoe Saldaña hints Gamora’s arc might not be over
Saldaña talked to The Hollywood Reporter this month and discussed the ending of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. It hadn’t necessarily been the one she’d imagined at first. She told the outlet:
It was a bittersweet decision, obviously. I wanted to know that in the final chapter, Gamora stays on and finds a way to become a Guardian again. But this felt like the right way to end things for her, because of what she had been through. At the end of the day, any multiverse that she would’ve come from, she was still going to have the same experience with Thanos [Josh Brolin], and she was still gonna have the same guilt and the same trauma. So she finally found solace with the Ravagers, and she felt more open than she had ever been.
And she also had some thoughts on how Gamora had left things with Quill:
I think the whole thing with Peter bothered her, because even though she had no recollection of who he was, she had a sense that it must have been special. And I appreciated that takeaway because it kind of gave us the hope that if the Guardians seek help again from the Ravagers, maybe Gamora and Peter will find a way back into each other’s lives, even if it’s just as friends.
If you ask me, a friendship is the ideal ending for Quill and Gamora. Quill’s arc in the third movie was about letting Gamora go and I don’t want that to be walked back in any way, but I do want the Guardians, and especially Quill, to come to know Gamora as she is now. Don’t forget, Quill was raised by Ravagers, so they have that common ground! And Gamora being able to understand Groot indicates she’s very much part of the extended Guardians family, whether she truly realizes it or not.
Could Gamora be recast in the future?
Saldaña does seem to be done with playing Gamora now. Based on the fact that the role is so makeup-heavy, it’s hard to blame her. She told Variety in November 2022, “I miss Gamora, but I don’t miss 3:30 a.m. calls and five-hour makeup sessions and trips to the dermatologist afterwards.” Yeah, that’s fair.
But even bearing that in mind, Saldaña believes that Gamora herself doesn’t need to leave the MCU. She told Total Film in April:
“I think the time has come for me to step down, and for the next generation to come forward. The one thing I would not want is for Gamora to go away. She’s been such an impactful character for fans, and especially female fans, and young female fans. I would love for Marvel to figure out a way to find that next generation of actors that can incarnate these characters, and give them this immortality that fans generationally keep coming back to… But me, per se? I mean, I signed up for one, and I got 10 years. Lucky me, man. I have no complaints. And I’m moving on with so much grace and gratitude in my heart.”
There will almost certainly not be a Guardians of the Galaxy 4; the cast and crew say they consider the story to be over. But the final scene of Vol. 3 informed us that Peter Quill would return at some point, so could a recast (perhaps older?) Gamora join him on an adventure sometime in the future? It seems like anything is possible …
(featured image: Walt Disney Company)
