Guardians Of The Galaxy: Things You Didn't Know About Star-Lord

Highlights

Glenn Howerton was almost cast as Star-Lord, but Chris Pratt's portrayal was a perfect match.
Star-Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy defeated Thanos, showing their strength as a team.
Peter Quill's spaceship in the MCU was named after his childhood crush, Alyssa Milano.

Making his comic book debut in 1976, Star-Lord became one of the more beloved Marvel characters thanks to starring roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, video games, and a variety of great comic book outings. The Marvel hero has gone from strength to strength and seems set to remain a fan favorite for years to come.

Rocket and Peter in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

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With such a rich history, there are probably a lot of facts and moments from Peter Quill's life that aren't common knowledge. So why not read on below to find out some interesting facts about this questionable galactic guardian?

10 Glenn Howerton Almost Landed The Role Of Peter Quill In The Marvel Cinematic Universe

The It's Always Sunny Cast Member Was A Frontrunner To Star-Lord

Chris Pratt is now synonymous with Star-Lord. So much so that he's often the go-to figure when fans think about the character, people even found his take on the character to be influential on Eidos Montreal's Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy game. Fans and movie-goers alike could tell the casting was a perfect match, but that wasn't the only casting choice.

One of the actors who nearly found themselves donning the red jacket was It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia star Glenn Howerton. The actor was Gunn's second choice for the role but ultimately lost out, though it certainly would have been interesting to see what Howerton's take on the character would have been, it's probably one of the few castings that was spot on. After all, we're not sure how Ronan would have dealt with the threat of Howerton's 'implication' over Pratt's dancing distraction.

9 Alongside The Guardians of the Galaxy, He Killed Thanos

Certified Mad-Titan Killer

The Mad Titan is known as one of Marvel's strongest villains, killing heroes and dropping great quotes left, right, and center. So the fact that he was beaten by Star-Lord and the band of Guardians shows just how strong the team can be.

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Telltale games have delivered some truly great narrative experiences to gamers, and their tale in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy was no different. It all kicks off in the opening episode too, after Star-Lord receives a call for help from Nova Corp, who are struggling to deal with the Mad-Titan. The Guardians head on down to the Kree planet and, after solving a few puzzles, end up getting into a great brawl with the Thanos. The fight ultimately leaves the crew seemingly defeated before Star-Lord grabs Rocket's experimental weapon and delivers the killing blow to Thanos, leaving Star-Lord and the Guardians as certified Titan slayers.

8 Star Lord's Spaceship In The MCU Was Named After Peter's Childhood Crush

A Gunn Confirmed Fact

As many fans will be aware, James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 was packed full of 80s cultural references, from the likes of Footloose and Kevin Bacon, to Peter's Walkman and the plethora of film references littered throughout. One of the few references that skated by movie-goers and fans alike was how Peter decided on the name of his ship.

Gunn tweeted the confirmation in 2014, noting that his ship was indeed named after Peter's childhood crush, that crush being Alyssa Milano. Growing up in the 80s before his Ravangers abduction, he was exposed to plenty of pop culture and, most likely, that included one of Milano's starring roles as Samantha in Who's the Boss? Though it's probably a shame that he never got to experience her as the powerful witch Phoebe in the magically-charged show Charmed.

7 In Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Lord's Outfit Was Designed To Be A 1980s Time Capsule

A Blast From The Past

With the ever-rising popularity of the Guardians, new and fresh takes of the characters are constantly being introduced to fans and players out there. One of the more recent interactions was Eidos Montreal's take on the galactic protectors when they released their action/adventure game Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy in 2021.

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When translating the characters to their world and game, Eidos Montreal's art director, Bruno Gauthier-Leblanc revealed the care taken when approaching the design of these characters. In the behind-the-scenes commentary, he revealed that Star-Lord's in-game outfit was designed like an 80's time capsule, noting that his outfit is covered with 80s Easter eggs from his childhood and adorned with the Star-Lord logo of the character's favorite in-game rock band, Star-Lord

6 Peter Quill Was Engaged To Kitty Pryde

A Crossover Between Guardians & Mutants

X-Men member Kitty Pryde probably isn't the first love interest fans picture when trying to match with the galactic hero, but following an adventure that entangled the Guardians and the X-Men, that's just what happened. Meeting in the 2014 comic crossover The Trial of Jean Grey the pair ended up hitting it off during the mission, which led them to continue to flirt and maintain a long-distance relationship through technology.

After becoming entwined once again on another galaxy-saving mission, Peter surprised Kitty by proposing to her, to which she said yes and took a leave of absence from the X-Men to join the Guardians in space. Shortly after the proposal, Peter was named the new King of the Spartax Empire, which she supported. The decision kept the pair separated, and in the meantime, Kitty decided to join the Guardians full-time as Star-Lord in his stead.

5 Peter Quill Has A Different Half-Sister In The Comics

Empress Victoria In The Comics, To Mantis In The MCU

Most fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be aware that Mantis was revealed to be Peter's half-sister in the Disney Plus The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Seeing as she was also a child of Peter's estranged father, the living planet Ego, but in the comics, Peter has a different half-sister hailing from his father who was the emperor of the Spartax Empire.

Empress Victoria was an illegitimate daughter of Spartax's ruler, J'son. She spent most of her life her childhood hidden off-world until she returned. Upon returning to Spartax, she was sent to military school, where she went on to become Captain Victoria, Commander of the Spartax Royal Guard. Currently, she is Empress Victoria, Leader of Spartax. The pair have had a few run-ins in the past following her debut in Legendary Star-Lord #1 (2014). She is a fierce warrior, and the current 2023 run of Guardians of the Galaxy comic run sees them set up to have yet another clash for the sake of the universe.

4 James Gunn Changed Peter Quill's Father For The MCU

From Galactic Ruler J'son, To The Living Planet, Ego

In Marvel Comics, Peter Quill's father was J'son the ruler of the Spartax Empire who crash-landed on Earth and fell in love with Peter's mother, Meredith Quill. J'son didn't stay on Earth long and soon returned to his homeworld. Though, as many fans and movie-goers are aware, J'son did not make the cut as Peter's father in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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When James Gunn was writing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, he decided on the change to shift Peter's parentage from the heir of the Spartax Empire to the son of a celestial planet called Ego. In a Q&A session he hosted on Facebook live following the film's release, he revealed the reasoning for the change of parentage was the fact he wasn't a fan of the character very much, and believed that following a royal bloodline plot would have made it feel like Star Wars.

3 Old Man Quill Was All Alone

A Powerful Imagination

A lot like the much-lauded Old Man Logan series by Mark Millar, Old Man Quill took fans and readers alike down a path packed with apocalyptic chaos and the same relentless universe that Logan was subjected to. The 12-issue run was also well received and gave readers their fair share of stellar moments and shocks, though one shock hit fans with an added dose of sadness.

With the Church of Universal Truth acting as heralds for Galactus, after Peter was left wallowing in alcohol after he failed to save Spartax, the Guardians reached out to recruit him to find a weapon known as the ultimate nullifier, to bring a stop to Galactus. However, things took a dark turn. When searching for the weapon and attacked by Gladiator and the Church's Imperial Guard, Peter is hit with the revelation that the Guardians are already dead. The crew died trying to stop Galactus in the past and sent out a distress call for Peter, but died in the transmission. The crew never came to hire him, and they haven't aided on the quest at all. It's been Peter's hallucinations the entire time, and he's been manifesting the team to try and help him get the job done.

2 He Has Been Assimilated By Groot

Guardians of Grootspace

The Guardians of the Galaxy have had some pretty great comic runs over the years, and since their Marvel Cinematic debut, more and more fans have been looking to find themselves even more great Guardians tales. With fans hoping for even more outrageous tales, Marvel released the grand event of Grootfall on the Guardians team in 2023, a story arc written by the talented Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly.

The series has been a roller coaster for the Guardians and the run has taken characters where most fans wouldn't expect. After mounting an assault, it was believed the Guardians would halt the event, but instead, they were defeated and assimilated by the all-consuming power of Grootfall. Drax mentions that the Guardians have died following the event and the crew have been regrown by Groot, serving as protectors of the galactic territory christened Grootspace. The assimilated Peter Quill leads the rest of the assimilated Guardians as protectors of Grootspace.

1 His Guns Are One Of A Kind

A Gun In A Million

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star-Lord is known for using his pair of Quad Blasters that were gifted to him by Yondu Udonta, following Peter wanting to celebrate Christmas and give the Ravangers gifts. The Quad Blasters top barrels deliver lethal plasma shots whereas the lower barrels dole out an electric shot that can be used to electrocute and incapacitate enemies.

In the comics, Star-Lord possesses the Element gun which was left behind by his father, J'son. After a squadron of Badoon attacked him and his mother, Peter found the gun and used it to defend himself. Peter toyed with and reconfigured the gun over the years, even adding voice chips and separating the gun into a pair to be dual-wielded. The element gun is capable of generating and manipulating the four elements; fire, air, wind, and water. These elemental powers made him an excellent hero choice for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3.