From Bouncy Waves to a Buzz Cut, Karen Gillan Can Pull Off Any Haircut

Can you believe it's been 5 years since Karen Gillan revealed her shaved head at Comic-Con [1]? The Scottish actress, who returns as Nebula in Avengers: Infinity War [2], shaved off her long red locks when she first played the Marvel villain in Guardians of the Galaxy, and spent the next couple of years giving us a lesson in how to make the most of that awkward growing-out stage. From the cute crop she sported in the early days to the ultimate mussed-up lob, Karen has spent the last few years proving there is no haircut she can't handle. Though Nebula has since returned twice, Karen decided to keep her longer locks intact and is now back to sporting those waist-length waves we fell in love with when she was Amy Pond in Doctor Who. Take a look back at her hair evolution now, then scope out her equally awesome wardrobe [3].

April 2010

Loads of volume and a flipped-over side parting made the most of Karen's rich red locks at a Doctor Who screening.

November 2010

Picking up an award at the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women of the Year Awards, Karen sported cute milkmaid braids.

February 2011

Karen sported sexy waves at the Elle Style Awards.

April 2011

A pulled-back ponytail with loose strands kept things youthful at a Doctor Who screening.

June 2011

Karen sported blunt ends and an even blunter fringe at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards.

July 2011

Parting her fringe and keeping her lengths looking soft gave Karen's bold makeup chance to shine at a London party.

June 2012

A freshly-chopped fringe framed Karen's eyes at the Scottish Fashion Awards.

July 2012

Representing Doctor Who at Comic-Con, Karen kept her hair untouched and natural.

September 2013

Karen shaved off every hair on her head when she took on the role of Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy.

November 2013

Karen sported a buzz cut at the Britannia Awards as her hair started growing back.

March 2014

Plenty of texture jazzed up a cute pixie cut at SXSW.

April 2014

Teamed with winged eyeliner, Karen's gelled-down crop had a '60s vibe when she attended the premiere of Oculus.

July 2014

Plenty of volume made the most of the short cut Karen had while promoting Guardians of the Galaxy.

July 2014

By the time Guardians of the Galaxy had its premiere, Karen's hair had grown out a little more, allowing her to play with products to add volume.

July 2014

A deep and defined side parting was the choice during the TCA Summer Press Tour.

December 2014

By December 2014, Karen's hair had grown out into a little rounded-off bob.

February 2015

Karen was finally able to tie her hair back by the time she attended the Louis Vuitton exhibition.

March 2015

Karen's hair was swept back into a little updo with lots of loose waves when she attended the premiere of Cinderella.

March 2015

Karen showed off a cute little bob with lots of waves when she attended the Empire Awards.

November 2015

Sexy waves showed off Karen's long bob at the premiere of The Big Short.

July 2016

Asymmetric angles made Karen's lob look even longer ad she attended Comic-Con.

March 2017

Vintage-inspires S-waves gave Karen a glamorous look at CinemaCon.

April 2017

Appearing at a press conference in London, Karen sported a deep side parting and natural texture.

April 2017

For the European gala screening of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Karen wore her hair in a sexy, messy ponytail. For her second turn as Nebula, she chose to wear a bald cap, rather than shaving her hair again.