Guardians of the Galaxy: Zoe Saldana is Gamora, the film’s real Hero and the best thing to happen to Marvel and Disney

Although Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill is the focus of the movie, I think one could argue that Zoe Saldana’s green alien Gamora is the movie’s moral center and real hero. She just needs the help of some other unlikely heroes to accomplish her galaxy saving task.

Based on exit polling it’s clear that audiences are responding to this prominent role too. 44% of the audience was female, which is the largest share ever for a Marvel Studios film. The previous holder of that title was The Avengers, which drew in 40% female viewers.

This wider appeal is a big win for Marvel and Disney. It will likely mean not only a longer life at the box office, but bigger sales at the merchandise counter too. Let’s just hope that Disney remembers to product those t-shirts in a women’s cut this time.

Finally, with numbers like these, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Black Widow led film in the near future, or, for that matter one featuring Gamora on her own mission. Zoe Saldana has shown she can carry a film in Columbiana and to a lessor extent Avatar. She’s also playing Nina Simone in a biopic (although that has its share of controversy).

Here’s an brief interview with Saldana explaining how she came to a style of fighting for Gamora that owes a lot to bull fighting moves;

Which movie would you rather see first from Marvel? Black Widow or Gamora?