WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy #14 by Al Ewing, Juan Frigeri, Federico Blee & VC’s Cory Petit, on sale now.
Star-Lord went from a fan favorite in Guardians of the Galaxy to a meme following Avengers: Infinity War. The self-proclaimed leader of the Guardians proved too emotional for his own good. Star-Lord became the most hated superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This public opinion of Star-Lord reached its apex in Avengers: Infinity War when he helped cause half the universe to snap out of existence. The Avengers were battling Thanos, and they were winning. Mantis had Thanos subdued, the heroes preparing to rip the Infinity Gauntlet off his hand. Peter was angry about Gamora’s disappearnce. He got in Thanos’s face, and lit into him before the other heroes could get the gauntlet. Thanos woke from Mantis’s spell and won the fight. Memes spread across the Internet proclaiming Star-Lord ruined everything.
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In the comics, he is still a powerful leader. Star-Lord might be one of the most capable leaders in the Marvel Universe. In a recent battle, Doctor Doom showed up and tried to steal Emperor Hulkling’s Sword of Space. Doom failed, and before Hulking could order his arrest, Star-Lord had a better idea. He used reverse psychology to force Doctor Doom to join the Guardians of the Galaxy and work with them and not against them. Star-Lord outmaneuvered Doctor Doom, one of the smartest men in the universe.
When the new Guardians of the Galaxy run began, Peter Quill joined Nova in a battle against the gods. Star-Lord believed he sacrificed his own life to stop Zeus and the Olympic gods, but he didn’t die. Instead, an explosion blasted Quill into another dimension where he lived for well over 187 years, while barely aging. He picked up a century’s worth of experience, both fighting and living life. Quill sacrificed his happiness again when he returned to his own timeline and saved his beloved companions, Mors and Aradia. No one in the Guardians of the Galaxy has the experience of Peter. He is now a stronger leader and strategist than even Nova — and he wasn’t too shabby before this recent incident happened.
He proved himself in a major intergalactic war as a fighter during the Annihilation event series in 2006 by Keith Giffen and Andrea Divito. In this series, Annihilus began his conquest, taking out Xandar and the remaining Skrull Empire. Peter Quill was a general in the United Front, the number two to Richard Ryder’s Nova. They fought a war they had no chance to win. However, they won when Peter Quill, Nova and Phyla-Vell took on Annihilus in the end. They never backed down. While Nova saved the day, Star-Lord was with him to the end, giving as much advice as following orders. Quill and Nova returned with mental scars, but both heroes proved their mettle to the universe.
After this, Star-Lord moved into a new leadership role. Following a battle in the symbiotes’ home world, Star-Lord returned in 2013’s Guardians of the Galaxy #23 by Brian Michael Bendis and Christian Ward. Here, Captain Marvel revealed Quill won the election as the President of the Spartax Empire. He served in this leadership role, even after Secret Wars recalibrated the Marvel Universe. It all ended when his constant battles with villains caused his people to oust him as king to stop the damage to their world. Peter settled down to retire from heroics, but joined Nova for a new battle when the Olympians destroyed everything they encountered in the universe. It was here that Quill sacrificed his life to save everyone. Star-Lord was a meme-worthy joke to many fans of the MCU. In Marvel Comics, he is a powerful leader, someone who has ruled his own planet, helped win the Annihilation War, and outsmarted Doctor Doom.
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