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Star-Lord

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For the IPC character, see Starlord.
Star-Lord
Star-Lord from Annihilation: Star-Lord #1 (2007)
Art by Nic Klein.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceMarvel Preview #4 (Jan. 1976)
Created bySteve Englehart (writer)
Steve Gan (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoPeter Quill
SpeciesSpartoi
Place of originSpartax
Team affiliationsGuardians of the Galaxy
United Front
Shi'ar Imperial Guard
Ship
AbilitiesVia suit:

Star-Lord is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comics published by Marvel Comics. The first Star-Lord (Peter Quill) debuted in Marvel Preview #4 (January 1976) and was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Steve Gan.

Publication history

The character was created by Steve Englehart but he never got to tell the character's story:

I conceived something very large. My hero would go from being an unpleasant, introverted jerk to the most cosmic being in the universe, and I would tie it into my then-new interest in astrology. After his earthbound beginning, his mind would be opened step by step, with a fast-action story on Mercury, a love story on Venus, a war story on Mars, and so on out to the edge of the solar system, and then beyond. But - after his earthbound beginning, where I established him as an unpleasant, introverted jerk, I left Marvel, so no one ever saw what he was to become.[1]

The character's origin is related in Marvel Preview #4[2] and with the character's second appearance in Marvel Preview #11,[3] Chris Claremont became the writer. He took the character in a completely different direction, drawing on science fiction adventure stories like the Heinlein juveniles and Heinlein's lawyers threatened legal action over the first cover, bearing a blurb that described the content as "a novel-length science fiction spectacular in the tradition of Robert A. Heinlein," leading to the issue being pulled and reprinted.[4]

The character made appearances over the next couple of years in Marvel Super Special #10,[5] Marvel Spotlight #6-7,[6] and Marvel Premiere #61.[7] After that, he was not seen for twenty-three years, apart from a brief appearance in the three-part Star-Lord limited series, involving another character taking on the guise.[8]

Following this gap, 2004 saw the character revived by Keith Giffen in his Thanos series, leading to his being part of the Annihilation storyline, an eponymous mini-series by Giffen, and its sequel Annihilation: Conquest,[9] that lead to his leading role in Guardians of the Galaxy.[10]

Fictional character biography

Peter Quill was born during an unusual astronomical phenomenon when many of the planets aligned. On the night of his birth, the man who thought he was Peter's father angrily accused his wife of infidelity, claiming the baby resembled neither of them (although Steve Gan's artwork included a strong facial resemblance between this man and the adult Peter). He attempted to kill the infant, but died of a sudden heart attack. Quill was then raised by his single mother until the age of eleven, when she was killed by an alien. He was then placed in an orphanage but ran away and eventually became a trainee astronaut.

Quill's conduct towards a colleague he saved in an accident, however, hindered his progress. When an alien force contacted Earth and offered the mantle of Star-Lord to a worthy candidate, Quill volunteered, but the role was assigned to the same colleague Quill had once saved. This angered Quill who stunned his colleague and attempted to take the role for himself. Quill is then teleported away by an alien entity called the Master of the Sun,[11] who via an illusion allows him to take vengeance on the alien that killed his mother. Quill is then able to truly become Star-Lord.[2]

It is later revealed (by a completely different creative team who ignored the art of the first story, as well as writer Steve Englehart's astrological elements) that Quill's true father is Jason of Spartax, the young son of the galactic Emperor who acted as Star-Lord before him. Years before, his father had crash-landed on Earth and loved Peter's mother, subsequently wiping her mind of the encounter afterwards. Peter's mother then married her childhood sweetheart. As Star-Lord, Quill later discovers the alien that killed his mother was sent by his father's brother, who intended to usurp the throne. Star-Lord finds and kills both the alien murderer and his uncle, and then reunites briefly with his father, now the Emperor. Star-Lord acquires a sentient spacecraft called "Ship"[12] and then leaves to explore the universe.[3]

Years later, Star-Lord does battle with the Fallen One, the rogue Herald of Galactus. He is almost killed in the encounter, and eventually recovers and uses the residual energies from recently deceased souls to defeat the Fallen One, at the cost of Ship. After the battle, both Star-Lord and the Fallen One are taken to the Kyln, an intergalactic maximum security prison. [13] During the events of the Annihilation, Star-Lord serves as the second-in-command to the superhero Nova, who leads the resistance group the United Front against the forces of the villain Annihilus. [14]

Starlord later becomes the leader of the new Guardians of the Galaxy.[15]

Powers and abilities

  • As Star-Lord, Peter Quill wears a suit that grants augmented strength and durability and the ability to travel through space. He also uses an "Element Gun", a special meta-pistol capable of projecting one of the four elements (air, earth, fire and water). Star-Lord was also psychically linked to his vessel, Ship.
  • While incarcerated in the interstellar prison, the Kyln, Peter had himself augmented with cybernetic implants. These were later removed however during the Phalanx invasion of Hala at the behest of Ronan the Accuser Ronan had sentenced him to serving as part of a suicide squad whose mission was to take out a Babel Spire that powered the shield that the Phalanx had erected.
  • As part of his mission, Peter is given a new "Star-Lord" uniform (the same uniform given to his squad mates, but with the Star-Lord insignia painted on it) and helmet. It is assumed that at the very least, the combination suit and helmet allow him to travel in the vacuum of space. While no longer equipped with his "Element Gun", Peter is adept at a variety of firearms, both energy and ballistic.

Other Star-Lords

Other characters have used the Star-Lord alias.

Jason of Spartax

Jason of Spartax was Star-Lord prior to his son Peter Quill adopting the role,[3] whose earliest "in-universe" appearance in the 2003 Inhumans series, tied the characters into the mainstream Marvel Universe.[16][17]

Sinjin Quarrell

Sinjin Quarrell is the third Star-Lord, from an unnamed future, who was the main character in 1996 mini-series.[18][19]

Bibliography

  • Marvel Preview #4 (Jan. 1976), #11 (Summer 1977), #14-15 (Spring - Summer 1978), #18 (Spring 1979)
  • Marvel Comics Super Special #10 (Winter 1979)
  • Marvel Spotlight vol.2 #6-7 (May - July 1980)
  • Marvel Premiere #61 (August 1981)
  • Starlord, the Special Edition #1 (Feb. 1982) [reprints Marvel Preview #11]
  • Starlord #1-3 (Dec. 1996 - Feb. 1997)
  • Thanos #8-12 (May 2004 - Sep 2004)
  • Annihilation: Conquest - Star-Lord #1-4 (July - Nov. 2007)

References

Notes

  1. ^ Star-Lord on Steve Englehart's site
  2. ^ a b Marvel Preview #4 Jan. 1976
  3. ^ a b c Marvel Preview #11 (Summer 1977)
  4. ^ Comic Book Legends Revealed #194, Comic Book Resources, February 12, 2009
  5. ^ Marvel Super Special #10 (Winter 1979)
  6. ^ Marvel Spotlight #6-7 (May - July 1980)
  7. ^ Marvel Premiere #61 (Aug. 1981)
  8. ^ Star-Lord (Dec.1996 - Feb. 1997)
  9. ^ Quill's Heroes: Giffen talks "Annihilation: Conquest - Star-Lord", Comic Book Resources, April 17, 2007
  10. ^ Greeting the Guardians: Star-Lord, Newsarama, May 8, 2008
  11. ^ Master of the Sun at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
  12. ^ Ship at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
  13. ^ Annihilation: Star-Lord #1 - 4 (2007)
  14. ^ Annihilation #1 - 6 (2006); Annihilation: Star-Lord #1 - 4 (2007)and Annihilation:Conquest #1 - 6 (2007 - 2008)
  15. ^ Guardians of the Galaxy #1
  16. ^ Inhumans(vol. 4) #2 - 4 (2003 - 2004)
  17. ^ Jason of Sparta at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
  18. ^ Star-Lord #1 (Dec. 1996)
  19. ^ Star-Lord (Sinjin Quarrell) at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
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