Nebula Watch Order: Every MCU Appearance
To watch Nebula in order, start with Guardians of the Galaxy and follow the 7 titles below in story order, ending (for now) with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Nebula’s redemption arc takes her from Thanos’s weapon to a Guardian of the Galaxy.
The releases run from 2014 to 2023. That works out to 6 films and 1 special or short, about 15 hours of viewing in all.
Who is Nebula?
Nebula came from writer Roger Stern and artist John Buscema, first appearing in The Avengers #257, cover dated July 1985. She arrived as a space pirate who had seized Thanos's ship Sanctuary II and claimed to be his granddaughter, a claim Thanos rejected before nearly killing her with the Infinity Gems. Doctor Mandibus rebuilt her as a cyborg. A later Gamora series retconned her history so that Thanos had raised her alongside Gamora. She began as a straight villain, drifted into antihero work and eventually joined the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Karen Gillan has played her since Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, where she serves Ronan and Thanos as an assassin. The MCU makes the family question literal and personal. Thanos adopted her, pitted her against Gamora, and replaced pieces of her with machinery every time she lost, and that abuse drives everything she does afterwards. Her arc runs from killer to reluctant ally to Avenger.
Avengers: Endgame gives her one of the strangest redemption stories in the MCU, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2023 finally lets her stop running, after she had already taken on more of a leadership role in the Holiday Special. Karen Gillan isn't in the announced Avengers: Doomsday cast.
Spoiler Spoilers for Nebula’s story: tap to reveal
- Nebula survives the Snap in Infinity War, spends five years on Earth with the remaining Avengers, then returns to the Guardians once the Blip is undone.
- In Endgame she comes face to face with her 2014 self, fails to talk her out of anything, and that past version dies in the fighting that follows.
- Vol. 3 ends with Nebula staying on Knowhere alongside Drax to raise the children taken from the High Evolutionary.
Nebula in story order
- 1
StreamDisney+
- 2
StreamDisney+
- 3
StreamDisney+
- 4
StreamDisney+
- 5
StreamDisney+
- 6
StreamDisney+
- 7
StreamDisney+
Track your Nebula marathon
Up next: the next title in order
Share, export or back up your progress
Progress is saved in this browser. Use a backup code to move it to another device; there’s no account and nothing is uploaded.
Nothing matches these filters.
Nebula FAQ
Is Nebula in Avengers: Doomsday?
There is no confirmation. Karen Gillan isn't in the announced cast for Avengers: Doomsday, which opens on December 18, 2026.
Is Nebula really Thanos's daughter?
In the MCU, yes: Thanos adopted both Nebula and Gamora and raised them as his daughters. In the comics she originally claimed to be his granddaughter, and Thanos himself denied it.
Why is Nebula part machine?
In the films, Thanos made her fight Gamora over and over and replaced part of her body with cybernetics each time she lost. In the comics her cyborg conversion was carried out by Doctor Mandibus.
What order should I watch Nebula in?
Go top to bottom. For Nebula, story order and release order are the same, so there’s nothing to rearrange. Start with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and work forward.
How many titles feature Nebula?
7 so far (6 films and 1 special or short), released from 2014 to 2023, covering Phases 2 to 5 of the MCU. That’s about 15 hours of viewing.
How long does it take to watch every Nebula appearance?
About 15 hours for all 7 released titles. At two hours an evening, that’s roughly 8 sittings.
Do I need to watch the whole MCU to follow Nebula?
No. These 7 titles tell the character’s own story, and the 2 team-up films on the list cover where it meets the wider MCU. Of these, 3 are graded Essential, so start with those if you’re short on time.