Marvel Cinematic Universe: Ranking the 20 greatest superheroes

5. Star-Lord

The Star-Lord character does not just tell jokes or fight with the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Instead, he’s one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most developed characters. Go figure, for someone that leads a group of ragtag heroes, right?

This starts with Peter Quill’s parents. He lost his mother to a brain tumor which, as it turns out, was implanted by his father Ego. It pushed the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and led to the explosive battle between a parent and his kid, something that was over 30 years in the making.

Star-Lord does not possess superpowers, either, at least not anymore. He had them for a split second in Vol. 2, before Ego’s death and the destruction of his planet. This reverted Peter back to his normal self. As he said in the movie, “What’s the problem with that?”

This humanized, mistake-prone character feels like one of the best the viewers can connect to. There’s no special ability in Quill’s game, but a desire to save the galaxy and make a name for himself. That has been enough to lead this film series, which should receive its third in 2020 to complete the trilogy. Will this be the end of Star-Lord’s story?