Zoe Saldana Is Gamora In Guardians Of The Galaxy
When Marvel’s super-hero space opera Guardians of the Galaxy came together, it was some of the biggest casting the studio had done yet. Was it so clear that would be the case at the time? No, but it quickly became apparent when Zoe Saldana was confirmed to play the female lead role of Gamora.
When they hammered out a deal, Zoe Saldana joined Chris Pratt as Star-Lord and Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer. Up next would be Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel as Rocket Raccoon and Groot respectively.
It’s hard to remember now, but The Guardians of the Galaxy and Zoe Saldana’s Gamora weren’t exactly comic book household names at the time. Not to be confused with the giant Japanese turtle monster, Gamora is a green-skinned alien created by Jim Starlin in 1975.
The last of her race, Gamora has incredible strength and a Wolverine-style healing factor. Bringing Thanos into the Marvel picture meant that Gamora had a personal stake in the story: in the comics (and the MCU) she was Thanos’ adopted daughter.
James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy stuck to this storyline and it totally worked. They brought in Zoe Saldana as Gamora, made her Star-Lord’s love interest (in a beautiful and ultimately brutal fashion), and even gave her a comedic element as his foil.
Zoe Saldana brought depth and nuance to her portrayal of Gamora. Her performance as the deadly but conflicted assassin earned her numerous accolades, including a Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Actress in an Action Movie. The role required extensive makeup and physical training, all of which she crushed.
At the time, Guardians of the Galaxy added yet another notch to Zoe Saldana’s +1 Belt of Geek Cred. She was perhaps best known for playing Uhura in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek films, but she also appeared (via motion capture) as Neytiri in James Cameron’s Avatar.
Guardians of the Galaxy wasn’t her first comic book role either: she played Aisha in 2010’s The Losers, based on the Vertigo comic series created by Andy Diggle.
Guardians of the Galaxy hit theaters on August 1, 2014. By the time it was all said and done, Zoe Saldana had played Gamora (in all her forms) in five movies: Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
