While the MCU's version of Gamora looks a bit different from the comics, some new concept art from Guardians of the Galaxy proves she almost had an entirely different design. In less than two weeks, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will burst into theaters, keen to follow the commercial and critical success of its predecessor. So far, the early reviews are pretty positive for the film, indicating the heart and humor from the first movie will be intact in the followup. Meanwhile, the domestic projections and early international box office numbers look to be on track to top 2014's movie.

On top of catching us up with the Guardians in the months since their last adventure, we'll get a better idea of how the unconventional family operates as a team. Part of that will come in the form of relationships like Gamora and Nebula. Though teased in the first movie, the new film will dive into their sibling rivalry and their time growing up with Thanos. Of course, they're not sisters in the traditional sense, as Thanos kidnapped them both as children and experimented on them while training the two women to be elite assassins. According to some newly released concept art, however, they almost shared some physical similarities.

Resident Marvel concept artist Andy Park posted an early design he did of Gamora on Instagram. Before Zoe Saldana was brought in and her final look was locked down, it seems the idea of playing with her skin color and facial patterning from the comics was considered. Check it out below:

Closeup of a concept design version I painted for Gamora. This was early days on the first #GuardiansoftheGalaxy so we played with the idea of giving her a different skin color. I had fun with this one. #gamora #alien #conceptart #design #illustration #art #vfx #digitalart #digitalpainting #marvel #marvelstudios A post shared by Andy Park (@andyparkart) on

While the change from the source material would have no doubt angered certain fans, it should be noted that even the final look of Gamora varies from the comics in a number of ways. Her hair and eye color, along with her facial patterning and costume are all noticeably different on the page. Likewise, characters like Drax, Nebula, and Mantis have all had their physical features altered in various way. What's most interesting about this early design for Gamora is that she looks a lot closer to Nebula. Not only in the purplish-blue skin hues, but the various lines and designs on her face, recalling the more surgical look Nebula has.

The reasons for those key differences between Nebula and Gamora will likely be brought to life in Guardians 2. Originally, Nebula was meant to die in the first film, but now she looks poised to possibly get her own spinoff. All told, she clearly has a dark and fascinating past that will likely feature heavily in the future of the MCU. And in just a short time, we should have an even better idea of who both she and Gamora are when the sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy hits theaters.

Source: Andy Park

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