We ranked each hero’s last words in Avengers: Infinity War (so get the tissues)

Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR..Gamora (Zoe Saldana)..Photo: Chuck Zlotnick..©Marvel Studios 2018

1. Gamora

Naturally, Gamora’s final words include her screaming “no” in a sorrowful parallel to her childhood origin story, which Infinity War apparently retcons. We’ve already seen her desperately fighting Thanos while he commits genocide on her home planet before kidnapping her. However, we’re going to accept “This isn’t love” as Gamora’s last quote—because she deserves at least a somewhat noteworthy quote after her on-screen fridging.

Gamora’s death and adjoining last words are the most upsetting in Avengers: Infinity War because, in her dying moments, she knows that she is indirectly a part of Thanos’ plot to kill half the universe along with his misconstrued concept of humanitarianism. She has hated her captor, Thanos, her entire life, and she’s willing to do anything to prevent him from collecting all the Infinity Stones, including killing herself or telling someone else to kill her, such as Peter Quill, as a final failsafe.

Prior to her death, she thinks that Thanos’ own plan to destroy half the universe ultimately defeats him. One of her final phrases, that Thanos “loved nothing,” transitions into her demise. Gamora’s death cynically contributes to her lifelong abuse, caused directly and almost exclusively by Thanos.

She knows that Thanos doesn’t love her because Thanos was never a father to her. He was emotionally, mentally, and physically abusive to both of his stolen daughters. Gamora’s entire life has been unfortunately defined by his abuse. Even in death, she can’t escape his maltreatment and grossly distorted definition of love.

After all, Gamora is correct. Thanos doesn’t love her. Thanos only thinks he loves his kidnapped daughter; however, abuse isn’t affection, and he notably abused both Gamora and Nebula throughout their childhood and into adulthood. As there are layers to most of the bleak moments in Infinity War, Gamora also loses her free will.

Even in the moments leading up to her death, Thanos still controls her life, just like he has manipulated and abused her through his control for decades. He denies her any control over her fate and over her own death by using the Reality Stone just before she stabs herself. She tries to kill herself to prevent the death of billions, but she ends up dying anyway—just not in the context she had hoped for.

Gamora’s death is distressing not only because of her line or because she becomes a part of Thanos’ decades-long plan to wield the Infinity Gauntlet, but also because her death serves as a flippant plot device for the entire film. We all know that Gamora deserves better than being put in the peripheral refrigerator.

All we can say is that we hope Nebula and Gamora reunite in Avengers: Endgame, so they can rightfully defeat Thanos together and officially free themselves from his abuse.