A unique variant of Gamora recently appeared in What If..? teasing fans with the potential of a completely new backstory for the character. Comic book fans know that Gamora's backstory in the Marvel Universe shares some similarities with her MCU counterpart, but also has some key differences.
Gamora is closely tied to Thanos, but also many other major characters, especially Adam Warlock. With Adam Warlock confirmed to appear in the upcoming Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, it's worth exploring her comic book past to see if there might be clues to her live-action future.
Gamora's People Were Killed By The Badoon
In the MCU, Thanos is responsible for killing half the number of Gamora's people, the Zen-Whoberis. In the comics, it's a different story. Gamora is actually the only survivor of her people, who were all murdered by an alien race known as the Badoon. The Badoon also carried out brutal campaigns against the Spartax Empire, which comic book fans of Star-Lord know is the home of his father. The Badoon have made numerous attempts to invade the Earth, but have been pushed back by the combined efforts of the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and others.
The Universal Church Of Truth
The Badoon weren't the butchers of Zen-Whoberis when Gamora first appeared in Marvel Comics, in Strange Tales #180 back in 1975. Originally, it was the Universal Church of Truth. Thanks to some time travel and Gamora's pursuit of revenge, that changed. The Universal Church of Truth destroyed her people for failing to adhere to their myopic doctrine, and she later went back in time to stop them and their leader, Magus. She succeeded, but the timeline changed, and now the Badoon destroyed her people instead.
Thanos Trained Her To Kill Magus
In the comics, Thanos discovers Gamora after the destruction of her people. He adopts her as he does in the MCU, but his intent isn't purely family. He trains her to become a killing machine, one with the sole purpose of taking out Magus, an evil future version of Adam Warlock and one of the most powerful cosmic beings in the Marvel Universe. Magus is the head of the Universal Church of Truth, but Thanos fears him as a rival for his cosmic ambitions. Gamora would come close to fulfilling her mission but ultimately fail.
Adam Warlock Saved Her Soul
Gamora would fall in love with Adam Warlock, especially after he literally saved her soul. As the keeper of the Soul Gem, Adam Warlock could access the Soul World. He used his ability to pass himself and others back and forth between it to save Gamora's life when she was struck down by Thanos.
Thanos first tried to destroy half of all life in the universe in Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 in 1977. Gamora revealed his plans to Adam Warlock and he preserved her soul and his own in the Soul Gem after Thanos lashed out at them. Gamora would spend many years after living inside it.
The Deadliest Woman In The Universe
In the MCU, Gamora is introduced as "the deadliest woman in the universe." She has the same moniker in the comics and it's well earned. Thanos trained her from a very young age to take down a cosmic being, and to do so, she had to be beyond capable. Not only is she one of the best martial artists in Marvel Comics, trained in a variety of alien disciplines from across the universe, she also underwent numerous phases of enhancements to make her stronger, faster, and more durable against a threat as powerful as Magus.
The Infinity Watch
Gamora lived inside the Soul World with Adam Warlock for many years before finally leaving when Thanos assembled the Infinity Gauntlet and succeeded in snapping half of all life in the universe out of existence. Gamora becomes part of the Infinity Watch, a special team of heroes assembled by Adam Warlock to keep and preserve the Infinity Gems. After Thanos was defeated, he assigned each member of the team, including Moonstone and Drax the Destroyer, a Gem to guard. Gamora was entrusted with the Time Gem.
The Godslayer
One of the most powerful weapons Gamora possesses is a sword called the Godslayer. This unique weapon is similar in design to the one she uses in the MCU. The blade first comes into her possession in 2006, not long before she joins the reformed Guardians of the Galaxy team. Thanos gave her the sword to kill Magus, and it's definitely capable of inflicting harm on very powerful beings. She was able to injure Thanos with it, and the sword has been said to have killed other gods and immortal beings in the comics.
Investigated The Murder Of The Watcher
Comic book fans know the Watcher is a powerful cosmic being in his own right, but he's not all-powerful. Uatu was once murdered in Marvel Comics, and Gamora actually participated in the investigation of his death. Gamora joins Moon Knight, the Winter Soldier, and others to find out what happened after his shocking death.
His death kicks off the Original Sin storyline in 2014 and involves much of S.H.I.E.L.D. as they also investigate. This storyline could potentially feature in the MCU either in live-action or in the animated What If..? series given all the characters involved.
Lovers With Nova
In the MCU, Gamora is in love with Star-Lord, but in the comics, she's had other significant relationships. One of them was with Richard Rider, also known as Nova and a founding member of the 1990s team the New Warriors. Her romance with him mostly takes place during the Annihilation Wave storyline in the early 2000s.
Such a romance could potentially see fruition in the MCU if Nova is introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 or Gamora continues beyond that movie. With the Nova Corps destroyed, though, it's unclear what will come of Richard Rider in live-action. In addition, the current Nova in the Marvel Universe is Sam Alexander, a teenage hero and former Avenger who formed a new iteration of the superhero team the Champions with Ms. Marvel and the Miles Morales version of Spider-Man.
Infinity Warps
In an attempt to get back a piece of her soul that had remained trapped in the Soul Gem, Gamora gathers all the Infinity Gems and uses them to fold the universe in half. This fuses numerous characters in the Marvel Universe together, creating many interesting amalgamations. Some of these include the Soldier Supreme, a powerful variant of Captain America and Doctor Strange, as well as one of the most powerful variants of Iron Man, the Iron Hammer, a fusion of Tony Stark and Thor. With Adam Warlock's help, the universe is set back right.
This action shows that while Gamora is heroic, she is capable of doing terrible deeds to get what she wants. It's this ruthlessness that makes her such a unique and fascinating character, not only in Marvel Comics but in the MCU as well.