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Still from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Character · by Jordan Okafor

Star-Lord Peter Quill: Who He Is, Who Plays Him and Where He Ends Up

Star-Lord is the alias of Peter Quill, a human taken from Earth in 1988, and Chris Pratt plays him in the Guardians of the Galaxy films and in Thor: Love and Thunder. He first appears in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), directed by James Gunn, and his father is the Celestial Ego, who arrives in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017).

Image: TMDB

Who Plays Peter Quill / Star-Lord?

Who Is Star-Lord Peter Quill?

Star-Lord is the name Peter Quill gives himself, and Chris Pratt plays him from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) onward. Quill is a human from Earth who was abducted in 1988, right after his mother died, by Yondu's gang of space thieves, the Ravagers. He grew up among them, and by 2014 he works alone as a thief who calls himself Star-Lord.

His first scene as an adult has him stealing a mysterious orb on the planet Morag, which draws in Ronan's men and earns him a bounty from Yondu. That orb drives the whole first film, and it is how Quill meets the people who become his team: Gamora, Rocket, Groot and Drax.

The credits use several names for him. He is Peter Quill in the first film, and Peter Quill / Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Love and Thunder, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Luke Klein is billed as Young Peter Quill in the Holiday Special. All of them are the same man. In Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), directed by Taika Waititi, Thor is traveling with the Guardians of the Galaxy after the war with Thanos.

Quill begins as a thief with a ship called the Milano and no powers. His abilities arrive later, and they come from his father. For the wider line-up, see our marvel characters page.

Peter Quill / Star-Lord Films

How Does Peter Quill Become Star-Lord? His Arc Across the FilmsSpoilers

Quill already calls himself Star-Lord when the story starts, so the films are about what he does with the name, not how he gets it. In Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), the orb he steals holds an Infinity Stone. The Nova Corps jail Quill, Gamora, Rocket and Groot in the Kyln, where the grieving Drax is already held, and the group escapes together in the Milano. Quill later talks the others into a truce, and during the battle over Xandar he distracts Ronan while Drax and Rocket destroy Ronan's hammer. He then grabs the stone and, with his friends sharing its burden, uses it to destroy Ronan. Afterward he tricks Yondu with a fake stone and hands the real one to the Nova Corps. The Guardians' criminal records are wiped, and Quill opens a last gift from his mother: a cassette of her favorite songs.

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), a Celestial named Ego says he is Quill's father. Ego explains that he made a human body to explore the universe and has seeded many worlds, and he needs a child with his powers to activate the seeds. Quill learns that Ego caused his mother's death. Ego drains Quill's energy to start the seeds, and Quill uses his own Celestial powers to hold Ego off while the others flee. A bomb built from stolen batteries destroys Ego and his planet. Quill loses his powers, and Yondu gives his life in space to save him.

The rest of his arc is a run of smaller beats. In The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022), a streaming special without a film page here, the team lives on Knowhere, and Mantis and Drax kidnap Quill's childhood hero, the actor Kevin Bacon, as a Christmas gift. In Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the Guardians rescue Thor, and in Thor: Love and Thunder, Thor leaves the team after a distress call from Sif. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), Quill and Groot get the override code by force on Counter-Earth, and Quill uses it to disable the kill switch inside the dying Rocket.

Star-Lord's Father, Allies and Family

Quill's closest ties are the people who raised him and the crew he leads: Yondu, Ego, Gamora, Nebula, Mantis and Rocket. Each one tells a different part of his story.

Ego, the father. The answer to "Is Quill half Celestial?" is yes. In Vol. 2, Ego is a Celestial in a human body, played by Kurt Russell, and Quill inherits Celestial power from him. The film sets Ego against the man who actually raised him.

Yondu. Yondu's Ravagers abduct Quill in 1988, and later Yondu puts a bounty on him. Over Vol. 2 Yondu admits he kept Quill to protect him. In the Holiday Special, Quill says Yondu eventually changed his mind about Christmas and gave him the blasters he still uses.

Gamora and Nebula. Gamora is sent by Ronan to take the orb and ends up turning on him. She is Quill's ally from the first film, and in Infinity War Thanos wins the Soul Stone on Vormir by sacrificing her. Nebula, Gamora's sister, destroys Gamora's ship in the first film and chooses to keep hunting Thanos at the end of Vol. 2.

Mantis. She joins the team in Vol. 2 as Ego's empath companion. In the Holiday Special she tells Quill they are half-siblings, which she hid so as not to remind him of Ego's crimes.

The rest of the team. Rocket, Groot and Drax round out the crew, and in Vol. 3 Quill hands Rocket the captain's role. His mother, Meredith Quill, is played by Laura Haddock, and in Vol. 3 he goes to Earth to see his grandfather.

What Happens to Star-Lord in the MCU?Spoilers

Star-Lord is alive and back on Earth when we last see him, at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). Quill steps down as leader, names Rocket the captain and goes home to reunite with his grandfather. Gamora rejoins the Ravagers, Mantis sets off on her own, and Nebula and Drax settle on Knowhere to raise the rescued children. Rocket leads a new crew that includes Groot, Kraglin, Cosmo, Adam Warlock and Phyla.

The post-credits scene shows Quill with his grandfather on Earth, along with a note that the Legendary Star-Lord will return. No film is named in that note. Avengers: Doomsday (December 2026) is the next Avengers film, with Avengers: Secret Wars (December 2027) after it, but no source places Quill in either. For the latest, see avengers doomsday.

The Blip is the other loose thread. After Thanos snaps his fingers in Infinity War, the Guardians are among the heroes who turn to dust, and the survivors reverse the snap in Avengers: Endgame. To see where each film sits, use our marvel movies in order guide.

Star-Lord's Best Moments, Picked by Jordan

In my opinion, Quill's best moments are the quiet ones, and I would judge them by how much they change what we think of him.

First, the cassette. At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Quill opens the last gift from his mother, a tape of her favorite songs, and the soundtrack album "Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1" carries that tape into the real world. It ties a space outlaw back to a boy taken from Earth, and it is why the comedy never feels hollow.

Second, Yondu in Vol. 2. The man who put a bounty on Quill gives his life to save him, and the Ravager ships that arrive for his funeral accept Yondu back as one of their own. It could be argued that this, rather than the fight with Ego, is the real climax of Quill's story, because it settles who his father figure was.

Third, the Holiday Special line about the blasters. Quill says Yondu eventually changed his mind about Christmas and gave him the blasters he still uses, and that single detail recasts the earlier films.

Finally, a fairness point on the Thanos debate. Blaming Quill for the snap is a popular argument, but I would hold off, because Thanos reaches the Soul Stone by sacrificing Gamora and completes the gauntlet after taking the Time Stone and the Mind Stone. If you are new to Quill, start with Guardians of the Galaxy, then watch Vol. 2 before the others.

Facts

FAQs

Is Quill half Celestial?

Yes. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Ego, a Celestial who built a human body, is revealed as Quill's father, and Quill uses his own Celestial powers to hold Ego off. He loses those powers when Ego's planet is destroyed.

What movie is Star-Lord supposed to return in?

No film is named. The post-credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) carries a note that the Legendary Star-Lord will return, and no source ties him to Avengers: Doomsday (December 2026) or Avengers: Secret Wars (December 2027).

Is it Quill's fault Thanos won?

That is a fan debate, and the films do not blame Quill alone. In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos gets the Soul Stone on Vormir by sacrificing Gamora, and he completes the Infinity Gauntlet after taking the Mind Stone and the Time Stone.

What is Star-Lord like in the comics?

The films do not show his comics history. On screen, Quill is a thief taken from Earth in 1988 who calls himself Star-Lord and leads the Guardians until he hands the captain's role to Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Why is Peter Quill called Star-Lord, and how does he become Star-Lord?

Quill calls himself Star-Lord. He is already using the name as a thief on Morag when Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) begins, and the films follow him proving himself as he leads the Guardians.

What is Peter Quill's power?

Quill starts as a human with no powers. His Celestial abilities come from his father Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and he loses them when Ego's planet is destroyed. In the first film he also briefly wields an Infinity Stone, with his friends sharing its burden.