Who Is Star-Lord’s Love Interest? (Comics & MCU)
Peter Quill, also known as Star-Lord, has been a notable member of the Marvel Universe. A man who went to space and kickstarted the coolest superhero team in Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill is also quite a charming man, at least if we look into his relationships in Marvel Comics and Marvel Cinematic Universe. Both versions of the character had some great relationships, which leads us to the main topic of this article – who is Star-Lord’s love interest(s) in Marvel Comics and Marvel Cinematic Universe?
In Marvel Comics, Star-Lord had various relationships. His most notable partner was the member of X-Men, Kitty Pryde, who at one point joined Guardians of the Galaxy, during which time they even got engaged. After Peter Quill and Kitty Pryde broke off their engagement, Star-Lord rekindled his relationship with Gamora, who was previously with Richard Rider, known as Nova. However, their relationship abruptly ended when Star-Lord was sent into a future alternate universe, where he met Mors and Aradia and entered a polygamous relationship with them. In the MCU, Star-Lord has eyes for only one woman – Gamora.
The new Guardians of the Galaxy comic book, run from 2020, presented us with many new revelations about the characters, while MCU said farewell to some of the Guardians after nine years. We will dedicate this article to all Star-Lord lovers, and if you are interested, stay with us until the end.
Star-Lord’s relationships in Marvel Comics
First, Star-Lord’s character underwent a few changes since his first appearance in 1976. Frankly, the character wasn’t that interesting among other “humans” in the Marvel Universe, but Star-Lord became one of the most popular Marvel characters in the last twenty years. MCU helped, but the new Guardians of the Galaxy comic book run propelled the superhero group into stardom. The Annihilation: Conquest from 2007 really helped the popularity of the characters, and Star-Lord was among the Guardians who got love from the fans.
Of course, new, fresh characterization brought new relationships for our characters, and Star-Lord seems like one Guardian who had a few notable romantic stints. The first character that has been in a serious relationship in Marvel Comics was a member of the X-Men, Kitty Pryde.
In Marvel Comics, Star-Lord was engaged to X-Men member, Kitty Pryde
Star-Lord and Kitty Pryde met during a dangerous mission where time-displaced X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy joined their forces to save Jean Grey from the Shi’Ar army. Their first meeting happened in the X-Men/Guardians of the Galaxy crossover from 2014, in the special story called “The Trial of Jean Grey.”
They meet and hit it off immediately. After the end of the mission, when Jean Grey is saved, Kitty and Peter promise they will see each other again. Funnily enough, Kitty Pryde and Star-Lord go on a date, but it is interrupted by Quill’s estranged father, J’son, and with the rest of the Guardians, helps to rescue her crush from Spartax.
After the tough mission, Peter asks Kitty to stay in space with him, making her a new Guardians of the Galaxy member. They eventually get engaged, but the pair broke it off shortly after during the aftermath of Civil War II, where it was revealed that Quill hid from Guardians that Thanos was on Earth. Gamora wasn’t happy and went on to kill her father on Triskelion. The aftermath of Star-Lord’s secrecy makes his team leave him while Kitty brokes off their engagement.
They were actually good together, but comic books love shattering relationships between their characters, so it wasn’t that strange they broke up. But, Star-Lord moves on from Kitty and decides to court Thanos’ daughter, Gamora.
Gamora was another love interest of Star-Lord, but it was different from MCU
We know that MCU “shipped” Gamora and Peter Quill hard, but things were slightly different in the comics. Yes, they dated and were in a serious relationship. Before they actually dated, Gamora was in love with Richard Rider, known as Nova, and it seemed that they would be together, but Cancerverse destroyed any relationship with the member of the galactic police, Nova, and with Peter as well.
Gamora and Star-Lord weren’t really together, she even kills him during Infinity Wars comic book run, but Quill is resurrected, and the daughter of Thanos tries her best to make up to the man. Gamora and Quill eventually got together, but things became even more complicated.
During the mission to defeat the mad gods Olympus, Star-Lord sacrifices his life to save the Nova Corps and the Guardians of the Galaxy, perishing in the Kree bomb explosion. However, while his teammates mourn his death, Peter finds himself in the future of an alternate universe, which brings us to the next Star-Lord’s love interests.
In the new Guardians of the Galaxy comic book run, Star-Lord is polyamorous and bisexual
While in the alternate future, Peter Quill adapts to the new surroundings and meets Mors and Aradia, with who he enters a polygamous relationship. This moment revealed that Peter Quill is polygamous and bisexual, adding him to the list of LGBTQ+ superheroes in Marvel Comics.
Quill and his new lovers spent 187 years on various adventures, but their idyllic life stops when mad Olympians arrive once again. Guilty, Peter Quill returns to his universe and helps Nova and the rest of the Guardians to defeat mad Gods, Dormamu, and the possessed Ego planet.
What’s also important to add, during this comic book run, written by Al Ewing, Star-Lord, Gamora, and Nova have a strange tension between them. Yes, Gamora dated both of them at one point in the comics, but the trio is hinted at being more than friends. Yes, during the Guardians of the Galaxy issue #18, multiple comic book panels showcase the trio saying they love each other – Gamora tells Peter she loves Richard Rider, Quill says to Gamora he loves him as well, while Nova tells them he loves them both.
I wouldn’t be surprised if these comic book panels softly confirm that Star-Lord, Nova, and Gamora could be in a poly relationship. The writer Al Ewing seemingly hinted at their relationship multiple times in these last few issues of his Guardians of the Galaxy comic book run. This relationship isn’t yet confirmed, but it’s worth mentioning.
Star-Lord’s relationships in MCU
Marvel Cinematic Universe presented us with the Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014 with the first movie, which was an instant success. Marvel fans absolutely loved a goofy superhero team and the fact that Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord was as goofy a leader as his teammates.
Gamora is one and only for Peter Quill
When it comes to love, Peter Quill immediately falls in love with Gamora, who doesn’t like him at first, but eventually starts liking Peter back, and the duo kickstarts a relationship.
They have a really good relationship until the arrival of Thanos, who is Gamora’s father and the one who wants to kill half of the universe’s population. Thanos eventually kills Gamora to acquire a Soul Stone, and Quill is devastated. Since the Avengers: Infinity War, Quill deeply misses his girlfriend, but when Gamora from the past arrives in the present-day Guardians of the Galaxy, he hopes he can be with Gamora again.
However, this isn’t the same Gamora was with him on their adventures, and she cannot return his feelings, which leads to the former pair to finally being separated once and for all at the end of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 movie.
It was a really emotional and heartfelt moment, but understandable since Gamora wasn’t Quill’s Gamora we knew from the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
