Ayesha

"Don't screw with the Sovereign!"

- Ayesha

Ayesha is the secondary antagonist in the 2017 movie Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. She is based on the comic character Her/Kismet, the artificial sister of Adam Warlock.

Ayesha is the High Priestess of the Sovereign, a proud, genetically-perfected species who view all other species as inferior. After hiring the Guardians of the Galaxy for a job and learning that Rocket Raccoon had stolen from them, Ayesha orders the Guardians' elimination.

She was portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki who also portrayed Victoria Vinciguerra.

Employing the Guardians of the Galaxy
Ayesha hires the Guardians of the Galaxy to protect her people's energy batteries from being destroyed by an alien monster. The Guardians succeed in killing the beast and protecting the batteries and thus return to Ayesha to collect their reward.

During the audience, Ayesha thanks the Guardians for risking their lives for the batteries but also explains that they were only hired because the Sovereign consider themselves too precious for risking their own. Gamora then reminds Ayesha that they were promised something in return for their services and true to her word, Ayesha has the payment brought to them - Gamora's sister Nebula. Ayesha reveals that Nebula was apprehended while trying to steal the batteries and tells Gamora to do with her as she pleases. Before the Guardians turn to leave, Ayesha asks about Star Lord's heritage and he replies that while his mother is from earth, he does not know his father. Ayesha calls Peter an unorthodox geneology hybrid. While Ayesha is talking, Rocket ironically claims that he was told that the Sovereign were douchebags but that this is not true at all. This shocks and insults the proud Sovereign and the Guardians leave before they can insult the Sovereign even more. However, it is revealed that Rocket secretly stole some of the batteries.

When the Sovereign learn that they have been robbed, Ayesha order the Guardian's termination. A fifty ship strong Sovereign fleet immediately starts pursuing their spaceship but they are all destroyed by the mysterious Ego. After the destruction of the fleet, Ayesha and a group of Sovereign track down Yondu Udonta and his Ravagers, employing them to capture the Guardians and bring them to the Sovereign instead.

Revenge on the Guardians
After the Ravagers are all killed, Ayesha sends a vast fleet of Sovereign warships after the Guardians. They arrive at Ego's planet and attack the Guardians while they are about to destroy Ego's core. Cornering their ship with their spaceships, Ayesha briefly informs the Guardians that they will be destroyed as a warning for all others who intend to betray the Sovereign. She then orders her troops to fire onto the starship but Yondu and Nebula manage to create an enormous blast of energy rays that destroys most of the Souvereign ships. Realizing that her perfect brethren are being slaughtered by the Guardians, Ayesha furiously screams and rages inside the command ship.

Back at the Sovereign base, Ayesha waits to go on trial with the Sovereign Council for wasting thier resources, she looks onto her newest genetic creation, claiming that she will call it Adam.

Personality
"Just who in the hell do you think you are?"

- Ayesha to the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Much like the rest of the Sovereign people, Ayesha is a xenophobic and conservative person. However, she was very demonstrative and grateful to them for defeating the Abilisk. She saw the Guardians as being extremely rude, obnoxious, and disrespectful to her and her fellow Sovereign, however displayed interest in Peter Quill. When Rocket stole some of the Anulax Batteries, she saw this as an act of war and one of the highest restrictions, becoming obsessed with defeating and killing them.

Additionally, she can be extremely pretentious and arrogant, being by thinking of herself and the Sovereign people as much more superior than any other race in the galaxy.

Trivia

 * The post-credit scene reveals that Ayesha is responsible for the creation of Adam Warlock.
 * The Sovereign have a similar attitude to the Omega Fraternity from Animal House.
 * Ayesha is similar to Yellow Diamond: Both are Golden, they are leaders of their people and they are arrogant supremacists.
 * Director James Gunn put special attention on the Sovereign's appearence, specially Ayesha because he wanted her dress to look like part of her throne.