Marvel Cinematic Universe: 20 best actors, ranked

19. Karen Gillan as Nebula

Karen Gillan’s role as Nebula flies under the radar. It has a lot to do with the amazing cast that was in place. Also, Nebula isn’t as funny or animated as the rest of the cast. That said, Karen Gillian’s performance was one of the most underrated and under-appreciated in the MCU. It may have looked like all she did was get angry, but it was more than that. Nebula’s anger stemmed from the jealousy of her sister.

When she was alone, she was bitter. When Gamora (her sister) was around, she was furious and envious. A perfect example is when Thanos called Gamora his favorite daughter and Nebula cringed. You could tell she hated it. It was subtle things like this that made Gillian’s performance great. In the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie, Nebula had more time to shine. She still had the anger, but it was amped up with rage. When her and Gamora had a sisterly moment, we saw compassion — well, compassion as only Nebula could show. Gillian took a side character with anger issues and showed how someone with seemingly one emotion can have range.