Why Is Gamora Green in the MCU? Her Origin, Explained

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of known and popular characters of all races and species. Characters that are coming from different parts of the universe are particularly interesting because while some of them may appear as regular humans, some of them can be easily recognized as aliens. But there are literally countless alien species across the universe in the MCU, and each of them is recognizable by different appearances. In this article, we’ll talk about Thanos’ adopted daughter Gamora. We remember some memes joked that she could be related to Hulk since they’re both green, but we know that’s nonsense. So, now for real, let’s give a clear answer to this question: Why is Gamora green?

Gamora was born on the planet of Zen-Whoberi. The inhabitants of the planet Zen-Whoberi are Zehoberei (or Zehobereian), a green-skinned humanoid race that differs from humans by numerous biological traits. Apart from the skin pigmented in pale green, their facial bone structure provides them with heightened cheekbones. The hair of the Zehobereian is typically dark and can fade into red at the tips. Additionally, the Zehobereians have one additional liver, which allows them to consume more alcohol than other races. While the Zehoberei is physically weaker than some other races in the Marvel Universe, their skin is much more durable, so they take less damage from certain attacks than some other races. When Thanos killed Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War, we could’ve seen that Zehobereians also have green blood.

When Guardians of the Galaxy debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, some viewers called them “Space Avengers.” By using that logic, it’s definitely that Gamora is the Black Widow of this team. She was introduced as a fearsome and physically agile assassin who was trained by the Mad Titan himself, her adopted father, Thanos. Interestingly, this is already the second time Zoe Saldana has played an alien.

We all know her from James Cameron’s Avatar, where she played Neytiri, and now in the MCU, she plays Gamora. The only difference is that Neytiri was made entirely with CGI, while for the role of Gamora, Zoe was required to wear make-up on the set. Still, these two roles made her the only actress in history who starred in four movies that grossed more than two billion dollars worldwide.

What is known about the planet Zen-Whoberi in the MCU?

Gamora was first introduced to the audience when she was already a grown-up trained assassin and one of Thanos’ most loyal subordinates. In the original Guardians of the Galaxy movie, she explained how Thanos invaded her planet, killed her parents, and adopted her to become a fearsome assassin. In Avengers: Infinity War, we have seen what exactly happened and how the planet of Zen-Whoberi was one those he attacked and massacred half the population.

Thanos believed the planet was on the brink of collapse before he “saved” it, claiming that since his attack, new children born of Zen-Whoberi have known “nothing but full bellies and clear skies.” Unlike Thanos, Gamora doesn’t share his opinion that murdering half of the planet is a small price to pay.

When Gamora and Thanos arrived at Vormir searching for the Soul Stone, Red Skull, now a Stonekeeper, informed Thanos about the high price of getting the Soul Stone. Although Thanos claimed that he loved Gamora, the commitment to his self-proclaimed mission was too great, so he threw her off the cliff to pay the ultimate price for the Soul Stone. To make the scene even harder to bear, the directors showed us Gamora’s body, which showed that Zehobereians have green blood.

It’s known that the planet of Zen-Whoberi still exists, and if we can trust Thanos’ words, it’s a good place to live ever since we attacked it. However, apart from that flashback scene in Avengers: Infinity War, we didn’t get a chance to revisit this planet in the MCU after Thanos’ attack. But who knows, considering we’ll see Gamora one last time in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it might be a good chance for the movie to visit her home planet.

Gamora isn’t the only person that Thanos adopted after attacking her planet. Similar to Gamora, Thanos invaded Nebula’s planet, killed her family, and took her to train her as a fearsome assassin devoted to his cause. Unlike Gamora, we don’t know much about Nebula’s history. What is known is that Nebula is Luphomoid. Luphomoid is also a humanoid race, just like the Zehoberei, with the difference that Luphomoids are recognizable for their blue and purple skin pigments. Nebula is also partially a cyborg as a result of Thanos’ rigid training.

After the original Gamora died in Avengers: Infinity War, the alternate Gamora time traveled from 2014 to 2023 in Avengers: Endgame. That alternate Gamora didn’t meet Guardians yet, but Peter Quill/Star-Lord is still determined to find her and bring his love back to the team.

Zoe Saldana reprises the role of Gamora, presumably for the last time, in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Written and directed by James Gunn, the movie is set to premiere on May 5, 2023.

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