<Ul> <Li> Karen Gillan portrays Nebula in the 2014 live - action film Guardians of the Galaxy . She is portrayed as an adopted daughter of Thanos , and she is augmented and converted into a cyborg ; at least her arms are completely mechanical , as she is shown making repairs to circuits in her forearm . Despite her familial ties to Thanos , Nebula allies with Ronan the Accuser when Ronan steals an Infinity Stone to destroy Xandar and later use against Thanos only to be defeated in combat by Gamora . When Gamora offers to save her , Nebula rejects Gamora 's help and severs her trapped mechanical left hand so that she can steal a ship and escape . </Li> <Li> Gillan reprises the role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 , released in May 2017 . In the film , the Guardians retrieve the arrested Nebula from the Sovereign race , as she was apprehended after trying to steal their batteries . After the Guardians crash - land the ship on a nearby planet due to the Sovereign 's ambush ( as Rocket was caught stealing the batteries ) , Rocket and Baby Groot are tasked with looking over Nebula while the rest are taken by Ego to his planet . She assists the Ravagers with a mutiny against Yondu which results in her freedom and Yondu , Rocket , and Groot 's capture . Nebula convinces the Ravagers to spare the three due to the many bounties on their heads , of which Nebula wants a 10 % cut . She leaves using one of their ships to track down and kill Gamora on Ego , as the torture she received from Thanos and her cybernetic body parts were a result of Gamora constantly defeating her when they were children . She arrives at Ego 's planet and tries to kill Gamora , only stopping when she finally bests her sister in combat . Her desire to kill Gamora abated , the pair reach an uneasy alliance , after which they discover caverns filled with the skeletal remains of Ego 's many children . She joins the Guardians in combating Ego to defend the universe from his takeover . In the process she rescues Gamora from death and the two reconcile over their shared past trauma . Despite Gamora offering her a chance to stay with the Guardians , Nebula chooses to set out alone in her quest to kill Thanos . </Li> <Li> The character will appear in both Avengers : Infinity War and its untitled sequel , again portrayed by Gillan . </Li> </Ul>
who is nebula on guardians of the galaxy
Karen Gillan