Major Spoilers Ahead For Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3!
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 brings the current era of the eponymous team in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a well-deserved conclusion. Many of these characters, including Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Nebula, Drax, Gamora, and Groot, have all been around for nearly ten years, making the conclusion of their arcs all the more emotional.
One hero who has always played a big role in the Guardians of the Galaxy’s adventures is Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord. As comedic a character as he may be, Star-Lord has suffered numerous tragedies in his life, which followed him all the way through to the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
10 Peter’s Mom Died In Front Of Him
Star-Lord may be one of the funniest Guardians of the Galaxy, but his story is deeply rooted in pain. When the audience first meets him in Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill is watching his mother die in a hospital bed. When she reaches out to take his hand, Peter runs away in fear, never to see her ever again.
This moment traumatized Peter for the rest of his life, leaving him alone in the universe. The death of his mother was something that he wasn’t able to fully come to terms with until he found the other Guardians of the Galaxy and, even then, he couldn’t bring himself to face his remaining family members until the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
9 Peter Quill Was Abducted By The Ravagers
Moments after losing his mother, Peter ran away from the hospital where she died, overcome by the trauma of the event. Suddenly, the young boy was blinded by a flash of light as a Ravager spaceship swooped down to Earth and abducted him, taking Peter into a wider galaxy for the remainder of his childhood and early adult years.
Although Yondu and the Ravagers eventually became like family to Peter, the child was robbed of the normal life he would have lived on Earth had he not been abducted. Yondu may have done the best he could, but he was far from the perfect father to Quill, who spent much of his life longing to find what was taken from him at such an early age.
8 Groot Sacrificed Himself For Peter & The Guardians
After the Guardians of the Galaxy formed to take down Ronan the Accuser and his army, the team found themselves in a precarious position as they remained trapped aboard Ronan’s exploding flagship. However, Groot wrapped his body around his team members in order to protect them from the blast, proving himself to be one of the strongest Guardians of the Galaxy in his final moments.
Although Groot’s remains would eventually form into his son, Baby Groot, the original Guardian was, for all intents and purposes, killed by the destruction of Ronan’s flagship. This moment of sacrifice broke the team’s hearts, though it also gave them the motivation to carry on and save Xandar.
7 Star-Lord Learned That Ego Killed His Mother
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 depicts Peter Quill finally finding his father, who is revealed to be a Celestial known as Ego. Ego takes Peter and his friends back to his home planet, which is the source of his power, and begins to foster a relationship with Peter. However, it is soon revealed that it was Ego who implanted the tumor in Meredith Quill’s head, killing her.
Ego misguidedly killed Peter’s mother in an attempt to further his plan to remake the universe in his image. After such a long time searching for each other, the Celestial father and son were unable to see eye-to-eye, as Peter openly rebelled against Ego’s frightful plans.
6 The Guardians Of The Galaxy Were Forced To Kill Ego
After it was revealed that Ego planned on destroying the universe in an effort to remake it as he saw fit, the Guardians of the Galaxy were the last line of defense between the supervillain and the end of everything. In order to stop Ego’s plan, the Guardians were forced to blow up his planet, which resulted in his demise.
This moment was especially heartbreaking to Peter Quill, who had spent his entire life imagining what his father would be like. To not only discover that Ego was pure evil but to also be forced to kill him was the worst thing that could have happened to Peter, whose every dream was proven wrong in a matter of days.
5 Yondu Died To Save Star-Lord’s Life
As Ego’s planet was ripped apart, Yondu swooped in to save Peter from the explosion. Only possessing one space suit, Yondu gave it to Peter, flying him into the safety of space. At that point, Peter was forced to watch as Yondu died in the harsh vacuum of space, his hand resting gently on his adopted son’s cheek.
Yondu’s demise remains one of the MCU’s saddest deaths so far, as he proclaims his love for Peter, the closest thing he ever had to a son. Despite learning that his biological father was a megalomaniac bent on destroying the universe, Peter came to realize that he always had a father in Yondu, only to lose him too.
4 Peter Quill Couldn’t Protect Gamora From Thanos
After losing his mother, Ego, and Yondu, Peter Quill’s only remaining family were the other members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, especially his girlfriend Gamora. However, Peter was unable to protect Gamora from her father, Thanos, who abducted her after a brief confrontation on Knowhere during the events of Avengers: Infinity War.
This moment was only made worse because Peter was unable to fulfill his promise to kill Gamora before her father could take her. Not only did he fail to honor his final promise to Gamora, but his failure would also lead to Thanos acquiring the Soul Stone and eventually completing the Infinity Gauntlet, allowing him to wipe out half of all life in the universe.
3 Star-Lord Caused The Deaths Of Trillions
In Avengers: Infinity War, Star-Lord and the Guardians united with Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange to stop Thanos from acquiring the Time Stone. The group was able to subdue him until they learned that Thanos had killed his own favorite daughter Gamora on Vormir. Overcome with rage, Star-Lord punched Thanos in the face, breaking him out of the trance Mantis had placed on him.
Star-Lord’s brash actions allowed Thanos a second chance at defeating the Avengers and the Guardians. Thanos was therefore able to complete the Infinity Gauntlet and snap his fingers, erasing half of all life in the universe. Star-Lord’s unwise reaction made him responsible for the deaths of trillions, including himself and his friends.
2 Gamora Returned With No Memories Of Peter Quill
During the final battle of Avengers: Endgame, Star-Lord was shocked to discover that an alternate timeline version of Gamora had appeared in Earth-616. However, this version of Gamora had no memories of Peter Quill and therefore fostered no romantic feelings for him.
Peter spent the next several years trying to track down this version of Gamora, believing her to be his second chance at love. However, the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 forced him to realize that she wasn’t the Gamora he once loved. Coming to accept that this was an entirely different person, Peter was forced to finally grieve for Gamora.
1 Star-Lord Was In A Dark Place After Endgame
After saving the world in the Battle of Earth, Peter Quill began to sink into a depression caused by the death of Gamora. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 reveals that Peter had begun to drink his sorrows away, leading his friends and teammates to become quite concerned for their captain.
Much of Peter’s arc in the latest Guardians film revolves around him learning to accept the tragedies of the past. Although it takes some time, he is able to face his traumas and return to Earth, where he hopes to start a new life for himself.
10 Biggest Implications Of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’s Ending
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