Forget Flerkens; if there’s anyone with nine lives in the MCU, it’s Gamora. James Gunn, the writer and director of the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies, recently revealed that the character has tempted fate for many years. In fact, Gunn wanted Gamora to find her death in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but Marvel executives convinced him it wasn’t the right way to go. And eventually, Gunn’s story agreed.

Gamora with green skin and red hair looks over her shoulder in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Marvel Studios

James Gunn recently shared of Gamora’s near Guardians of the Galaxy death:

Gamora almost died in Vol. 2, ‘I knew from the beginning Zoe only wanted to play the character for so many years, and she’s been very honest saying that she’s done [after this]. And so I was going to have her die. I thought she was the one that was going to sacrifice herself… I was kind of talked out of it by Kevin [Feige] and Louis [D’Esposito] and then it just didn’t work that well. It didn’t feel right. It felt much more right to go where we go in that movie. That seemed what was correct for the story.

Marvel Studios

Instead of Gamora, Michael Rooker’s Yondu met his end. However, Gamora, of course, did (in a sense) die in the MCU. In Avengers: Infinity War, the Gamora of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was killed. But also Gamora remained alive. A version of Gamora from the past returned to join the Guardians. Does this mean Gamora fulfilled the prophecy of her MCU death? Or does she still have an ultimate death that awaits her in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? Only James Gunn knows for sure. But this time, Marvel won’t be coming in for the save.

Kevin Feige notes about killing characters, “On previous movies, we had some discussions about that but not on this one. This one really was about seeing it through because it always was designed as a trilogy capper.”

We will find out if Gamora lives or dies when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 releases on May 5.