Nebula is one of several children forcibly adopted by Thanos. After he killed her family, she was raised alongside Gamora and trained to be a warrior. Thanos often forced them to fight and Gamora was always victorious.
Ebony Maw researched the Pym Particles and figured out the way for Nebula to jump to the alternate timeline, so she could bring Thanos' forces to the future. Using the Advanced Tech Suit and the Time-Space GPS, Nebula traveled to the future and infiltrated the Avengers, pretending to be her alternate self.
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 meant for Nebula to be anything more than a plaything to torture or a lapdog to control.
The fierce warrior Nebula is the adopted daughter of Thanos and the “sister” of Gamora. As the Mad Titan raised his “daughters,” he trained the two in combat, often forcing them to face off against each other.
However, Red Skull saw his true intentions, informing Gamora that Thanos was, in fact, weeping for Gamora, as he truly loved her as a daughter, and was heartbroken that he had to sacrifice her to get the Soul Stone. Disbelieving, Gamora could not comprehend that Thanos ever showed genuine love for her.
One thing that Gamora has that Nebula doesn't is the ability to take a beating and jump right into the battle. This is due to the fact that Gamora comes equipped with a healing factor.
Director James Gunn confirmedOpens in a new tab that Nebula “took a trip to earth and tore it off his [Bucky's] body because she was feeling so Christmasy.” Although we have no doubt Nebula can beat Bucky in a fight, we much prefer a vision where Bucky lends her a spare arm for Rocket.
Summary. Thanos' death in Avengers: Endgame by Iron Man wielding the Infinity Stones is the most iconic and satisfying death in the MCU. Thanos' beheading by Thor in Avengers: Endgame is a darkly satisfying moment of character development and raises intrigue for the plot.
A quick, comedic scene in Vol. 3's Orgocorp heist teases some potential romance between Peter Quill and Nebula, but James Gunn claims that it was never going to become anything more (per The New York Times).
Thanos never cared much for Nebula, even going so far as to say in Guardians of the Galaxy that Gamora was his favorite. That could be because, to Thanos, Nebula was nothing more than a means to spare Gamora while still obtaining the Soul Stone.
Nebula's feelings on the death of Thanos are understandable, especially with the way Gillan broke it down in her quote. Despite his abusive nature, the Mad Titan was the only parent figure that the character has had for a long time.
Later in the film, Thanos manages to capture his other adopted daughter, Gamora, and uses the sisters against one another. In order to get Gamora to divulge the location of the Soul Stone, he tortures Nebula right in front of Gamora.
However, Drax maintained his immense strength and thirst for violence, which he was always known for. On the other hand, Gamora's origin remained intact. But in a recent video exploring the changes in her comic character to her MCU version, it's revealed that Gamora is actually much weaker than she should be.
Gamora is agile, hits hard, and shows no mercy, making her a real powerhouse among the Guardians. She's not as tough as Groot and Drax, but her exceptional skill makes her harder to hit, and she can use blades and firearms with equal skill in any battle.
Since Gamora was most regularly successful in advancing his ideals and vision for the universe going forward, he favored her, equating her successes with love.
Because she does not have a history with the Guardians, she does not reunite with them at the end of Endgame. Instead, she starts her own journey while Peter Quill is left mourning his dead girlfriend despite the existence of another version of Gamora in his universe.
Informed by the Red Skull that he had to give up the thing he loved the most to receive the Soul Stone, Thanos dragged his beloved step-daughter Gamora to the edge of a cliff and threw her to her death. The experience gave him the power he sought, but caused even someone like him to regret his actions.
Thanos eventually realizes that all the trouble he went for in the snap: Killing Gamora, Killing Asgard's population, and ruining lives, have been for nothing. Thanos commits to finding a solution to reverse the snap. He starts to repair the gauntlet and confronts the Avengers.
Groot's language is known to Thor, but he's likely just calling Groot “tree” by his looks rather than his name. In the comics, Groot's actual full name is “His Divine Majesty King Groot the 23rd, Monarch of Planet X, custodian of the branch worlds, ruler of all the shades.”
Groot is a Flora colossus from Planet X, the capital of the branch worlds. The Flora colossi are tree-like beings whose language is almost impossible to understand due to the stiffness of their larynxes, causing their speech to sound like they are repeating the phrase "I am Groot".
Thanos and Hulk have clashed several times in Marvel lore, with Thanos even admitting he was scared to face the Hulk before acquiring the Infinity Stones. While Thanos is usually the victor, it's generally down to him using superior tactics and technology, rather than simply possessing greater physical strength.
