Ending Gamora's arc with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 creates Thanos problems

Avengers: Endgame introduced a different version of Gamora, but can Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 do her character arc justice?

If Gamora's character arc were to end in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. There will be Thanos issues for the film to deal with. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will most likely be the last appearance of this Guardian iteration. Gamora, in particular, has struggled since her debut in 2014, finding the courage to leave her abusive family, become a superhero, and die in the name of fake love in Avengers: Infinity War. Luckily, audiences got to see Gamora again thanks to time travel in Avengers: Endgame - but that's what caused Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Gamora's relationship with her "adoptive father" Thanos has always been a cornerstone of her character. All of Gamora's trauma before and after her Guardians of the Galaxy debut was due to Thanos, but her character arc throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe suggests that despite her past, she's become A good and kind person. However, Avengers: Endgame reset her development, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has to make sure her character arc in this movie is comparable to what she's been through throughout The rest of the MCU so that Gamora's final look doesn't feel empty and soulless. Given the gravity of her previous journey and development, this will not be an easy task.

Gamora's MCU Arc Was Retconned By Endgame

Avengers: Endgame completely reconnects Gamora's entire MCU arc so far. While narratively logical, since the Avengers encounter Thanos and Gamora in Endgame is a version prior to what happened in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. version is completely different. In this new timeline, Thanos is now dead, so Gamora's character development won't be fueled by her choosing to do the right thing and leave him. Her options were taken away. Any new choices Gamora makes now will determine what kind of arc she gets in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Gamora Needs To Leave The MCU With A New (Complete) Arc

Gamora's development didn't choose to leave Thanos behind, but had to happen because of other things in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Either Star-Lord and the Guardians find her and bring her into what they did before, or as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will have Gamora leads the Ravagers because of her time with them. This makes sense, since previous Guardians of the Galaxy movies have proven that the Marauders aren't as criminal as they claim to be. The question remains whether any of these options will be enough to offset the retooled character development for Avengers: Endgame.

Gamora's arc in the MCU is one of the more emotionally complex. Not only because of her relationship with Thanos, but perhaps more importantly, because of her relationship with Karen Gillan's Nebula. The first version of Gamora deserved a good send-off, but due to the way she died in Avengers: Infinity War, that burden now falls to Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. However, 3 is only one movie, and an ensemble one at that - it's unlikely that Gamora will have enough time to deal with her relationship with Thanos, and the choices she's made since he left.

Any new arc in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Gamora has to somehow contend with everything she's been through forward. She needs to be a somewhat recognizable version of a character audiences have grown to love, a character who has the potential to be a true Guardians of the Galaxy Volunteer, just in a different way. At the very least, Gamora deserves some sort of pardon and settlement, and in that moment, she realizes that she never deserved to be mistreated by Thanos, nor to commit genocide against her people. Gamora has deservedly been her all-time hero. That's her arc in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 feels complete.