Along with closing the chapter on a lot of the biggest storylines in the MCU, Avengers: Endgame also teased some exciting things for the future. One of the most interesting was Thor joining the Guardians of the Galaxy at the end of the film. This also teased some fun power dynamics as Star-Lord and Thor tried to decide who was actually in charge.
Both Star-Lord and Thor have proven they are true heroes, but they have also proven they can make some very big mistakes. Each has qualities that would make them ideal leaders of the team as well, but they also have their share of faults. Here are the best reasons why Star-Lord should be the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and a case for why it should be Thor.
10 Star-Lord: Cosmic Adventurer
Though Thor is not an earthbound hero, he just doesn't get around as much as the Guardians of the Galaxy. They are the team that helped introduce the cosmic side of the MCU while Thor was still fooling around on Earth and Asgard. And Star-Lord is probably the most well-traveled member of the group.
Having been abducted from Earth as a child, Star-Lord has spent most of his life going from planet to planet. He is very knowledgeable on different species and creatures, which would come in handy during the team's explorations.
9 Thor: God
Let's get the obvious one out of the way right now. Thor is literally a god. That's a pretty big deal and something that Star-Lord can't really live up to since he gave away his Celestial powers. As you can imagine, there are a number of reasons why having an actual god as a leader might come in handy.
One of the biggest advantages is that Thor is nearly immortal. We've seen that Asgardians can indeed be killed and Thor has almost died a few times, but he can withstand things no other Guardian can. Also, as a god, he is probably pretty used to people looking at him for answers.
8 Star-Lord: Less Arrogant
Part of the downside of being a god seems to be that it comes with an enormous ego. Thor's arrogance has gotten him into a lot of trouble over the years, including failing to kill Thanos, resulting in half of the universe being wiped from existence.
Star-Lord is not without his own ego problems but he has them in check far more than the God of Thunder does. Star-Lord knows when they are going up against an impossible enemy and uses caution. Thor rushes into battle often without thinking and that could be dangerous for the members of the team that aren't gods.
7 Thor: Less Human
Though Thor should have gone for the head, he's not the only one whose foolishness led to "the snap." Star-Lord might be the one who is most to blame for Thanos' victory in Avengers: Infinity War. As the other heroes were seconds away from removing the gauntlet from Thanos' hand, Star-Lord loses control at learning of Gamora's death and allows Thanos to escape.
Obviously, Thor has occasionally let his emotions cloud his judgment, but even he would not be so foolish. Star-Lord not only allows his human emotions to blind him, but he also doesn't even kill Thanos. At least Thor showed he could kill him when he finally went for the head.
6 Star-Lord: Proven Leader
Despite being named King of Asgard, Thor has discovered he is not much of a leader. After losing most of his loved ones and his people, Thor finally admits he is not meant to be king. He hands power over to Valkyrie, seeing her as a true leader.
Star-Lord, on the other hand, has shown that he can lead the Guardians. Though his leadership is not without its issues and though there have been bumps along the way, the others do follow him willingly. He has gotten them out of difficult situations and seems to have the confidence to keep leading.
5 Thor: Original Avengers
Thor might be a new member of the Guardians, but he's no stranger to superhero teams. And as stellar as the Guardians are, they just do not stack up against the Avengers. Not only is Thor a member of both teams, but he is also one of the founding members of the Avengers.
Thor understands how a team like the Guardians or the Avengers needs to function during their adventures in saving the day. There is also the advantage that if things ever get too big for the Guardians to handle, Thor can be the go-between for both teams.
4 Star-Lord: Relationships
The Guardians were a very unlikely group to come together. At first, they didn't particularly like each other and some of them actually wanted to kill each other. However, over the course of a few movies, the Guardians have become a real family.
That's one area in which Thor just cannot compete with Star-Lord. The Guardians have formed these strong bonds over their time together. Star-Lord is a trusted and beloved member of the group, while Thor is just the impressive new guy who showed up.
3 Thor: Admired
Although Thor might be new to the team, he certainly did make a good first impression on many of the Guardians. One look at him and the others were already impressed. Drax and Gamora were in awe of his muscles, while Rocket and Groot became quick allies of his.
Star-Lord seems to be the only member of the team who is not totally smitten with Thor. Though the team might feel closer to Star-Lord than they do to Thor, they might follow the God of Thunder just out of pure admiration.
2 Star-Lord: Stable
As fun as it is to think about Thor teaming with the Guardians of the Galaxy, it's not likely to last very long. Thor does not seem like he's ready to settle down into the kind of space-faring exploits of the Guardians. It's likely he will soon leave them to go off on his new adventures in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Star-Lord is a much more stable leader who is likely to stick around for as long as the team is together. He clearly cares a great deal about his friends, especially Gamora, so he's willing to lead them well into the future.
1 Thor: More Powerful
Thor will be the first one to tell you that he is the most powerful Avenger. While you might be able to dispute this, he is certainly one of the most powerful beings in the universe. Armed with Mjolnir and Stormbreaker, Thor can summon lighting and take on just about any enemy.
Star-Lord is certainly a formidable hero as well, but he is nowhere near the same level as Thor. With Thor on their team, the Guardians' credibility would go skyrocketing.