How Is Gamora Alive in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy 3?

In her quest to grab The Orb, Gamora got mixed up with several other miscreants who were also keen to have it in their possession, including Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Rocket, and Groot. The gang were sent to prison after causing a ruckus on the planet Zandar, and it’s there they met Drax, a former Kylosian criminal who had declared vengeance on Ronan for killing his family.

Gamora eventually teamed up with Peter, Rocket, Groot, and Drax to snatch The Orb from Ronan and save Zandar from his blitzkrieg attempt on the planet. As a force for good, the gang then became known as the Guardians of the Galaxy.

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Gamora took custody of her adopted sister Nebula (Karen Gillen), who had been tortured by Thanos. Nebula would later join the Guardians, though it took a lot of convincing to get her on their side. In the meantime, Quill and Gamora began a romantic relationship.

How Did Gamora Die?

Years later, the Guardians intercepted a distress call sent by Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and the remaining denizens of Asgard during Avengers: Infinity War. Thor told the Guardians that Thanos was trying to acquire all the Infinity Stones. Gamora realized that Thanos planned to wipe out half the galaxy using the stones, so the Guardians travelled to Knowhere to retrieve one of them and stop his plan coming to fruition.

Unfortunately, Thanos had set a trap on Knowhere, and he kidnapped Gamora and took her to Vormir, a remote barren planet at the center of Celestial existence within the universe, where he knew he could come into possession of the Soul Stone. Gamora had been hiding this information from him for quite a while.

For Thanos to get the Soul Stone, he had to sacrifice someone he loved. He apparently did love his adopted daughter, as he threw her off a cliff on Vormir and the planet gave him the Soul Stone in exchange. It was a sacrifice that cannot be “undone” in the future, according to MCU canon, and Gamora’s soul will remain rapped inside the Soulworld for all eternity.