Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Will Yondu and Nebula Become Full-Time Guardians?

The Guardians were assembled at the conclusion of the original film but it appears as if they've picked up a few new recruits since then. The newest recruit to join the Guardians is also a new character to the #MCU: Mantis.

Mantis, Yondu, And Nebula Are the Newest Guardians of The Galaxy?

Actress, Pom Klementieff is playing Mantis in the upcoming GOTG2. However, a split-second screenshot in the first trailer for GOTG2 shows Mantis being hit with a large, flaming projectile, so she may be fatally injured in the film. That is, unless Mantis possesses abilities that protect herself from physical assaults.

Apart from Mantis, the Guardians will also be joined by two surprising additions to their team: Nebula and Yondu.

The last time Yondu was seen, he was opening up the orb to find Peter Quill had swapped out the Infinity Stone for a troll doll. One would assume that Yondu might not be too happy with Peter Quill, but he can be seen alongside the Guardians in the recent trailer, as well as a promotional image depicting the entire team together.

The reason why Yondu has joined the Guardians in GOTG2 was revealed by Kevin Feige in an interview with Collider:

"There is a story that you saw bits of in the sizzle that Yondu has gotten soft, that Yondu has a soft spot for Quill. He clearly at the end of the first movie opens the Orb and sees that the Infinity Stone is not in there, that a little Troll doll is in there, and he smiles. It’s a very sweet moment in the first movie. I think it shows that he cares about Quill maybe more than he even admits, but there are other Ravagers who think that was shitty and think they should have hunted him down and killed him right on the spot. There is an incident in the first act of this movie where they’ve been hired to get him and yet again, Yondu’s like, ‘We’re not gonna take down the Guardians of the Galaxy. We’d be crazy to do that. We’d endanger ourselves. We’d get the entire Nova Corps, everybody would come after us if we did that.’ And Taserface and some others are like, ‘Bullshit. You’re just doing that because you’re soft on Quill,’ and it leads to a mutiny. And in that we have a sort of a subplot of these mutinous Ravagers, and Yondu and Rocket and Groot sort of teaming up and escaping from that mutiny to go help Quill."

Apparently, Yondu's crew of Ravagers wage a mutiny against him after learning that he's not going to hunt down the Guardians. According to Yondu, hunting down the Guardians would be to draw the attention of the Nova corps. The rest of the Ravagers don't buy into that excuse, causing Taserface to wage a mutiny against Yondu. Yondu then escapes with the help of Rocket and Groot, leaving the Ravagers to join the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Yondu's Leaving the Ravagers to Become a Guardian Of The Galaxy

For the time being, Yondu will likely stick with the Guardians but he may decide to rejoin the Ravagers if he can eliminate the group's new leader of the space-pirates. However, Yondu's adventures with the Guardians could see him become a permanent member of the team.

We've already seen that Yondu cares for Peter Quill like a son and he possesses some of the qualities of a hero. All Yondu needs is an opportunity to prove that he's a hero so he can come to the realization that he belongs with the Guardians of the Galaxy rather than with the Ravagers. If that does happen, we could see Yondu's involvement with the Guardians of the Galaxy continue into Avengers: Infinity War and beyond.

Is Nebula Becoming A Permanent Guardian?

When asked how Nebula fits into the plot of GOTG2, here's what Kevin Feige had to say.

"She (Nebula) comes back into the story relatively early on. In fact, we realize that the payment for the mission that the Guardians have done on Sovereign is to get Nebula. The Sovereign have captured Nebula, and are exchanging her for the services of the Guardians helping them. And they want to take Nebula back to Xandar to have her arrested. Things go awry on that journey and she becomes a much bigger player in the film than she was in the first one."

According to Feige, Nebula is gifted to the Guardians by the Soveriegn after the Guardians take care of a rampaging inter-dimensional beast. When the Guardians attempt to take Nebula back to Xandar to be tried for her crimes, they run into some trouble and Nebula steps up to help them.

As to where this might lead in terms of associations between Nebula and the Guardians, it's possible Nebula will assist the Guardians in GOTG2 to earn their trust, only to betray them later on.

What Could Nebula's Motives Be?

There's no evidence supporting the claim of Nebula infiltrating the Guardians of the Galaxy, but her father, #Thanos, is a master tactician of war, so he could find some use in having Nebula pose as a member of the team.

Nebula has a convoluted past and is filled with vengeful feelings for Gamora. meaning it wouldn't take much for Nebula to stab Gamora in the back — figuratively and literally. On top of that, we don't know where Nebula's loyalties to Thanos lie, making her rather unpredictable. However, Gamora may be able to reason with Nebula, and convince her to switch sides.

Gamora would have to be very convincing but if she's able to sway Nebula then she could be a useful ally. While some could argue Nebula has purely villainous motives, she wouldn't stand idly by if the universe is being destroyed. Nebula might not have a good bone (or real bone) in her entire body, but understanding that universal destruction is on its way will most likely change how she proceeds from that point on.

Will Nebula Betray the Guardians and Return to Thanos, or Will She Find a New Life with the Guardians?

For the time being, we can only make guesses on what Nebula's motivations are. In the best case scenario, Nebula will reveal what Thanos intends to do with the Infinity Stones and direct them to the Collector's museum where they can get a hold of another Infinity Stone before Thanos can take possession of it. Or, the Guardians may venture back to Xandar to warn them of Thanos's arrival (the Nova Corps are in possession of another Infinity Stone).

As for Yondu, we should expect him to remain with the Guardians for the foreseeable future since it doesn't look like the Ravagers are going to be too pleased with Yondu's latest massacre.