WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy #9 by Al Ewing, Juann Cabal, Federico Blee, and V.C.’s Cory Petit.
The Master of the Sun first appeared in Steve Englehart and Bob McLeod's Marvel Preview #4 in 1975. In that comic, he granted a sullen and violent Peter Quill the powers of the Star-Lord. With the suit the Master of the Sun gave him, Quill could fly and breathe in space. The gun he gifted Quill with could shoot the four elements: water, fire, air, and earth.
With his new powers, the Master of the Sun gave Peter what he needed to exact revenge on the aliens that murdered his mother. From that point, Star-Lord went on to forge a new personality and a more altruistic mission. Still, The Master of the Sun was the one who initially transformed Quill into Star-Lord in his first origin story, although this origin tale is not the one most Marvel fans are familiar with.
In Star-Lord #1 by Sam Humphries and Javier Garrón, Peter Quill was given a new and different origin. In this version, Quill was depicted much more heroically than he was in his previous incarnation. In Marvel Preview, Quill murdered his rival and stole the role of Star-Lord. The new origin story did away with the murders, having Quill steal a ship without having to kill anyone. Eventually, he was captured by the pirate Yondu, who took him under his wing. If this version of Quill has any powers, they’re owed to his half-Spartax DNA.
Along with the murders, the Master of the Sun disappeared as well. He made infrequent appearances in the forty years between the origin stories, revealing very little about himself in his scant few appearances. Without a doubt, he is a being of immense power to be able to hand out flying suits and elemental guns that fire at will, but it’s unclear from where these great powers originate.
Billed as the official origin story of Star-Lord, Guardians of the Galaxy #9 chronicles where Star-Lord’s powers came from and his life after sacrificing himself to defeat the New Olympians. He spends years fighting alongside new friends. He learns their philosophies and with the power he stole from the New Olympians, it is possible that he himself becomes the Master of the Sun.
The issue ends with him using his powers to start a new life as Star-Lord, transporting him back to his original reality alongside his friend and teammate Rocket Raccoon. He returns to his friends at an ideal time, as the Guardians of the Galaxy are sure to need all the help they can get in their upcoming fight against the King in Black.