With Gamora and Peter’s love story getting a second chance, the entire crew fighting one last fight (and possibly dying together), and James Gunn’s bidding farewell to Marvel, how could the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 not turn out to be an absolute wonder? Well, there is a wildcard in the mix — the alternate Gamora who, as explained by Zoe Saldaña, is nothing like the one Star-Lord and the fandom fell in love with.
Going against the MCU’s secret recipe for movies is what Gunn excels in and evidently, breaking his own themes is a part of his procedure (which inadvertently also involves hyping his DCU run with the only flaw in his last Marvel film).
Zoe actually only signed on for one film in the franchise and that was Guardians of the Galaxy back in 2014. But as we know, that contract was extended. Thus, even after the OG Gamora was sacrificed by her father, Thanos, in Avengers: Infinity War to get the Soul Stone, an alternate Gamora, who has no memories of Peter or the rest of the Guardians, returned in Avengers: Endgame. But apart from not being the real Gamora, the character also has a distinct “wild side.”
The actress sat down with Digital Spy and explained, “There’s definitely a wild side to her. This Gamora enjoyed, I wouldn’t say she enjoyed violence, she enjoyed living on the wild side and that’s something that the old Gamora abhorred, she used to despise it.”
In the world of MCU world, where superheroes, anti-heroes, and villains are being created on the fly, anything is possible because the different timelines make it possible to bring back a person to life or make them old like Captain America who went back in time and returned with wrinkles as well as a whole life story. This is how they do it, and apparently, switching Gamora’s kind persona and aversion to violence to the contrary is also part of the deal.
“Violence was something that caused a great deal of trauma to her, and every time she had to be violent, it would not make her feel proud of herself so that was the difference in this installment. It was fun being in her skin, but she’s quite crazy so I don’t think she has anything in common with the old Gamora or with me, I’ll have to say.”
So, will this Gamora live on, even after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
Deeper into the interview, Zoe explained how her films involving stunts are nearing the end of the slope.
“I know that my films are numbered, the opportunities of me being able to do my own stunts are becoming fewer and fewer because my body is sort of like tapping me out. Doing those stunt rehearsals for this last installment was the beginning of like, ‘Ooo what’s that, I just heard my shoulder here, oh my elbow’s trying to say something as well’.”
Giving love to her stunt double Alicia Vela-Bailey who followed her from Avatar, she talked about much shooting the movie was a blast. While her comments only add to the fact that she doesn’t plan to return as Gamora after the film, only time will tell if this particular Guardian lives to fight again as when it is the MCU we are talking about, never say never.
Watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in theaters on May 5.