By now, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has made cinema history with its massive tie-in franchise, and many of Marvel's strongest titles have been shown on the big screen, and that even includes some of the less-famous comic book titles. Ever since the 1960s, Spider-Man and the X-Men have been popular, while other titles were more obscure. No longer.
The two Guardians of the Galaxy movies made this band of misfits popular, with Star Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Gamora, Drax, and Groot being lovable and quirky characters together. Arguably, their leader is Peter Quill/Star Lord, a half-alien, half-human who just wants to find the right people to call his family. What are some admirable things about Star Lord, and what could he stand to improve?
10 Best: He's Funny
Every movie needs at least a few scenes of comic relief, and in the case of the two Guardians of the Galaxy, it's more like nonstop humor with a few serious scenes thrown in to keep the narrative balanced. Star Lord is at the fore of the humor here.
His quips, impulsive acts, and references are a riot, and he can make any grim situation a little funnier or weirder with ease. A charismatic, goofy guy like Chris Pratt is just right for the role, and he's got a casual charisma about him.
9 Less Savory: Very Impulsive
To an extent, this is actually a good thing, since a hero needs to be proactive and a little unpredictable to be interesting to viewers. But sometimes, Star Lord gets in over his head, and he needs his friends to help him.
It's a minor miracle he's made it this long before meeting Gamora and the others, since he tends to get carried away. If he could dial back his "leap without looking" factor a bit, he'd be a perfectly balanced hero. Perhaps one day, he will be.
8 Best: Relationship With Yondu
This relationship may not be perfect (more on that soon), but by the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, this relationship reached its zenith, and Yondu made a touching sacrifice to save Peter's life after Ego's destuction.
Both of these guys had a rocky relationship until now, but they've built some bridges, and Peter proved himself a good enough man to be worth sacrificing (on Yondu's part). Fans say that Yondu is the best "dad who isn't a dad," and Yondu wouldn't do it if Peter wasn't worth this kind of paternal care.
7 Less Savory: Clashing With Yondu
This is the other half of Peter Quill's relationship with Yondu, his kind-of sort-of adoptive father. Their relationship was rather dysfunctional at first, but partway through the movies, Yondu started to become a much more paternal figure than before.
Peter was pretty slow to realize it, and he and Yondu keep butting heads. Peter was perfectly willing to yell in Yondu's face even when the latter was trying to help, or trying to make things right. Yes, Peter has suffered, but he needs to realize quicker that things are changing.
6 Best: Not A Pushover
Star Lord may be a bit of a buffoon who gets in over his head sometimes, but at least he's not timid or a total doormat. He is willing to stand up to anyone who tries to exploit or harm him, and later, he'll do this in defense of the other Guardians, too.
He won't suffer bullies, even if he's dealing with another Guardian. Rocket Raccoon keeps trying to mess with everyone, and Star Lord is quick to make a snappy retort or talk down his furry friend. It's good that Peter doesn't let Rocket Raccoon walk all over him.
5 Less Savory: Outbursts
This was an agonizing scene in The Avengers: Infinity War. Star Lord and his allies, from Iron Man to Doctor Strange, had finally subdued Thanos, and Mantis began to use her telepathic powers to turn the tides against the Mad Titan.
But not for long. Thanos revealed that he sacrificed Gamora to obtain the Soul Stone, and Peter, despite the importance of Mantis' work, attacked Thanos and completely ruined everything. Iron Man tried to warn him against it, but he was too late to stop Star Lord.
4 Best: Dance Moves
Star Lord may not be the galaxy's best dancer, but he tries, and he has actually put this skill to good use. During the climactic battle against Ronan, Star Lord challenged him to an impromptu dance-off, which confused Ronan and kept him busy for a few precious minutes.
Besides, it's plain old fun to watch Star Lord go waltzing across a barren alien world with his Walkman, doing funny dances to himself as he goes. It's really charming and adds some personality to Star Lord, and sets the tone for the entire franchise.
3 Less Savory: A Bit Vain
This is far from the worst thing Star Lord could have done, but it's a minor strike against him all the same. At the very start of Guardians of the Galaxy, the rogue known as Peter Quill fancies himself as "Star Lord," but hardly anyone knows that name.
Peter is annoyed when some thugs don't recognize him as Star Lord, and he's happy when villains later call him by that name after all. But a cool name like that has to be earned, and Peter is getting ahead of himself by expecting everyone to call him Star Lord.
2 Best: Committed to Gamora
Star Lord is hardly alone, but he hasn't known true love for most of his adult life so far. That all changed when he crossed paths with Gamora. They were antagonists at first, but they learned to work together and formed the Guardians.
Peter is highly protective of Gamora, even if Gamora is the better fighter, and that is very noble of him. Unlike the cruel Thanos, who uses Gamora as an assassin, Peter values Gamora for who she is, and he's ready to honor her request to end her life if Thanos tries to abduct her. Now that's commitment.
1 Less Savory: A Bit Insecure
This is just a minor strike against Star Lord, but it was rather groan-worthy (in a funny way) when it happened. During the events of The Avengers: Infinity War, the Guardians happened across Thor by chance, and brought him aboard their ship.
Thor is a man's man, tough and cool and imposing. At once, Star Lord felt intimidated, maybe fearing that Gamora would ditch him in favor of Thor. So, Star Lord tried to act super-tough, and he even started miming Thor's voice (the other Guardians weren't impressed). Peter ought to be a little more secure about himself and have more faith in Gamora's love for him. She's not about to leap into Thor's arms like that.