Why Star-Lord Needs To Die In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

Warning: SPOILERS for The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special ahead!James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 should kill off Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord for the best ending for his character. Last seen in the Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special, Pratt debuted as the suave space explorer in the MCU back in 2014 via the original Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Since then, he has played the role five times, with a sixth and potential final outing in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 which will also wrap up Gunn’s trilogy. Because of this there’s been intense speculation about whether Star-Lord dies in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It’s not confirmed the Guardians of the Galaxy will be killed off, but many believe Star-Lord needs to die regardless.

The MCU is full of tragic characters, but Peter Quill’s life has been defined by loss. Star-Lord’s mom died from cancer, which he later learned in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was caused by his dad, Ego the Living Planet (Kurt Russell). Star-Lord also lost Yondu (Michael Rooker), the surrogate father who raised him (and gave him his trademark pistols as a Christmas gift). In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos (Josh Brolin) killed Gamora (Zoe Saldana) for the Soul Stone, leaving Quill heartbroken yet again. When all is said and done, the death of Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 would be the perfect end to his character arc.

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Why Star-Lord’s Death Is His Best Possible MCU Ending

Given all the loss that Peter Quill has suffered, giving Star-Lord a meaningful death in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the best way to cap off his story. While a Gamora exists in the MCU, this time-displaced 2014 Gamora doesn’t have any recollection of Star-Lord. This makes things actually worse for Quill. Instead of being able to move on from her death, he is wrapped up in the possibility that the MCU’s alternate Gamora will fall in love with him again. Although this isn’t outside the realm of possibility, doing this could cheapen the character’s tragic fate in Avengers: Infinity War. Having lost almost everyone he loved dearly, Star-Lord can sacrifice himself for the greater good, or perhaps, even just to save the remaining Guardians of the Galaxy. This could also function as his penance for his colossal mistake on Titan that partially led to the Blip.

Iron Man’s fate in Avengers: Endgame proved that a character’s death can be beautiful if it’s meaningful. Albeit tragic, there’s something poetic about seeing Tony Stark sacrifice himself for the greater good. Although the specifics are different, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 can give Star-Lord the same meaningful send-off if he follows in the MCU’s inaugural hero’s footsteps and make the ultimate heroic play in the threequel.

The GotG 3 Trailer Already Set Up Star-Lord’s Death

The first trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 not only showed clips from Rocket Raccoon’s tragic origin and the first sights of Gamora since Avengers: Endgame, it also potentially foreshadowed the death of Star-Lord. There’s an overwhelming sense of finality throughout the trailer, carried most by the voiceovers from various cast members. Star-Lord himself even says at one point in the first GotG 3 trailer “We have been running our whole lives.”, to which Rocket responds “Pete… I’m done running.” Out of context, this could be literally any-other line from a pre-fight MCU movie ending showdown, but given Guardians of the Galaxy 3′s status as (supposedly) the last in the franchise, it feels incredibly significant.

However, the biggest hint that Star-Lord will die in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 comes from a comedic interaction between Dave Bautista’s Drax and Quill. Drax expresses that their plan should involve killing as many people as possible, which Star-Lord quickly shuts down. Drax then adjusts his request to a few people, and then down to being allowed to “kill one guy, one stupid guy who noone loves”. Drax clearly isn’t talking about Quill in the movie, but this could be meta-foreshadowing the death of Star-Lord, a subtle wink to the audience to be picked up on in retrospect once Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrives. Adding weight to this theory is a shot of Star-Lord and Groot stood back-to-back blasting at unseen enemies. Groot’s only line in this shot, “we are Groot”, is a callback to one very specific Guardians of the Galaxy moment — the death of the first Groot. This could mean that the MCU’s own talking tree is meeting another grim end, but the fact it’s Star-Lord he’s with at the time is incredibly ominous.Related: Marvel Wants You To Forget Infinity War’s Ending Was Star-Lord’s Fault

Star-Lord’s Death Can Kickstart Mantis’ Story

Star-Lord dying in the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie doesn’t just make sense for this character. It also seems like an incredibly smart move for driving the narrative of the other team members — especially Pom Klementieff’s mantis. With the Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special revealing that Mantis is the daughter of Ego — making her Quill’s brother — the death of Star-Lord could also pave the way for Mantis to live up to her potential as a child of a celestial. In the MCU, as seen in characters like Peter Quill, Thor, Scarlet Witch, and many more, new abilities and higher power levels are the results of sheer willpower and circumstance, and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special established that Mantis is swimming in both.

Although the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise will be almost a decade old when GotG 3 arrives, audiences aren’t done with all the team members. Peter Quill dying in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would be a great catalyst for Mantis’ growth as an independent character. In turn, this could give the Guardians a greater role in the Multiverse Saga down the line. Currently, it’s unclear what the future of the Guardians of the Galaxy will be in the MCU. But Star-Lord’s death could not only kickstart Mantis’ story arc, but also that of her fellow Guardians.

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