Marvel Studios doesn't stop surprising audiences around the world. The legendary Marvel Cinematic Universe has been thrilling fans since its inception in 2008 and now, 37 movies and 12 TV shows later (along with $30 billion at the box office), it's clear that there is no end to the love that people have for the MCU. And that extends to its characters as well.
As the studio is hard at work on bringing Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man: Brand New Day to life as both of next year's big releases will kickstart the beginning of the end of the Multiverse Saga. And with that will come new storytelling opportunities. It will also bring plenty of major MCU returns.
All that being said, there is one major MCU character that isn't currently expected to appear in Avengers: Doomsday or its 2027 sequel Avengers: Secret Wars. And yet, a new report claims that he will be back in the franchise at some point (with some pretty big plans to go along with his comeback).
Star-Lord will reportedly return to the MCU and form an unlikely team
According to Marvel insider Alex Perez, Chris Pratt's Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord, will return to the MCU at some point. Replying to a comment about teasing the character's future during his Q&A session with fans (via: The Cosmic Circus), the scooper revealed that Quill will be back and that he will "build a new team of unlikely heroes". Perez was also specific in saying that this new team won't be the Guardians of the Galaxy.
When we last saw Quill in 2023's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he returned to Earth to spend time with his grandfather. It was the character's first time on Earth (outside of saving the planet in Avengers: Endgame) since he was taken by the Ravagers and it served as a touching culmination to his arc. While he had relinquished leadership duties of the Guardians to Rocket Raccoon, who formed a new version of the intergalactic heroes, the ending did leave things open for a potential return to heroism down the line.
The James Gunn movie ended with the words "The Legendary Star-Lord will return", confirming that he would eventually be back on screens. However, it was unclear if that would ever happen, as Guardians 3 marked the end of Gunn's trilogy, bringing about the end of each character's stories, so was there scope for more storytelling? Well, yes, it seems.
With Star-Lord being the only original member of the Guardians with a confirmed comeback at some point in time, there is a lot of story potential for him to try something completely different. Clearly, he's good at leading a team through space and ensuring their survival, but could he do the same on Earth? Now, that could make for an interesting Disney Plus series, that's for sure!
Pratt is a veteran of the MCU, debuting as Star-Lord back in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy. He has since reprised the role in two direct sequels, as well as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, and even The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Needless to say, Star-Lord has more adventures ahead of him and it's going to be very interesting to see what they look like in the not-too-distant future.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in movie theaters on December 18, 2026.