Marvel Theory Makes Thanos' Relationship With Nebula Even More Gut-Wrenching
While Thanos (Josh Brolin) ultimately proves to be a power-hungry threat in both "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame," the titan's twisted relationship with his adopted daughters Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) and Nebula (Karen Gillan) has had some fans thinking deeper about the supervillain's motivations. One Marvel aficionado has even theorized an especially dark concept behind his plans with the sisters and the Soul Stone.
On a Reddit thread, u/LemoLuke stated that Thanos' original intent when taking Gamora from her home planet was to eventually sacrifice her to obtain the Soul Stone. Overtime, he'd come to genuinely love her and felt he wouldn't be able to go through with the act. In adopting Nebula, Thanos hoped to have the sisters venture to Vormir where Gamora would sacrifice Nebula.
In this regard, the user also saw it as a reason why the two were often made to fight, stating, "Every time that Nebula lost, he would replace a part of her body with cybernetics, not to make her stronger, but actually the opposite, making sure she would always be at a handicap against her sister, as well as fostering a deep resentment in Nebula, ensuring she would be willing to fight to the death even if Gamora tried to refuse." The user believes that this is the reason why Nebula knew more about the price of the Soul Stone, while also believing that Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive would have filled this purpose had the sisters not worked out. The theory itself makes for a chilling bit of backstory, especially considering all the suffering Nebula has had to endure under Thanos' tutelage. However, others aren't sure that this proposition is all that solid.
Fans don't believe that Thanos was thinking that far ahead
The theory that Gamora and Nebula were adopted for the purpose of obtaining the Soul Stone doesn't sound too out of left field for the Mad Titan. However, others failed to see how it would work organically into the events of "Avengers: Infinity War."
Some didn't see how Thanos' reaction to learning of the Soul Stone's price lined up with the theory. While admitting to the liking the idea, Redditor u/MrcleWhp also stated, " ... but I don't think it's true. In 'Infinity War,' Gamora was the only one who knew where the Soul Stone was. After they arrived at Vormir, Thanos learned from Red Skull that he needed to sacrifice Gamora. So Thanos had no idea that he had to sacrifice her."
A good majority of responses were in line with this mindset, given that Thanos was unaware of the Soul Stone's location and that Red Skull informed him of the its price. Additionally, Redditor u/joec0ld points out that even if Thanos' motivation in adopting the sisters was to sacrifice them, he would have never been granted the stone to begin with. "If he had picked Gamora ... solely for the purpose of sacrificing her for the Stone the connection would ... not fit the needs of the Soul Stone," the user stated. "It would have known if Gamora was being used only to accomplish a want or need, and would not have granted the Stone to Thanos." Similarly, they believe that Nebula knowing of Gamora's death was a matter of basic deduction, knowing Thanos would do anything to obtain the stones. This notion certainly gives Thanos an extra layer of depth, but it doesn't entirely snap into place in the grand scheme of things.