Avengers: Infinity War: Predicting the MVP against Thanos
By Jon Hawley
Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR..L to R: Star-Lord/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Drax (Dave Bautista)..Photo: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2018
5. Star-Lord
Star-Lord, or Peter Quill, wasn’t introduced in the comics until years after Infinity Gauntlet. He makes the cut – barely – for two reasons.
First, the MCU has given Quill dormant but significant power. In the comics, he’s a hybrid of human and another alien race, the Spartoi. In the MCU, however, he’s half-Celestial, which came with longevity and matter and energy manipulation powers. I know his paternal planet, Ego, told him he’d lose those powers once he died, but there’s reason to doubt that.
It was in Ego’s self-interest to convince Quill he needed him, and Ego didn’t rewrite Quill’s genes before he died. Quill still has a unique pedigree that should leave him more suited than most to handle Infinity Stones.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, Quill is very good at unpredictable, so-crazy-it-works ploys against his enemies. If anyone could throw an omnipotent enemy off balance, it’s Quill. I mean, he’s got a whole Zune to consult now for tactical karaoke.
In the Star-Lord scenario, I envision Quill figuring out a way to disrupt or damage the Infinity Gauntlet itself, giving an opening to seize at least some Infinity Stones and level the playing field.