Avengers Infinity War: Let's Talk About Star-Lord's Big Moment

You saw the title, right? Cool, that means you know this article obviously contains Avengers: Infinity War spoilers. It also has a big Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 spoiler. Can’t say I didn’t warn you!

Written by Gregg Katzman

There’s a lot to love about Avengers: Infinity War. I could go on and on about the things I enjoyed, like the heart to heart conversation between Rocket Raccoon and Thor, or how Thanos totally lived up to the hype. There’s plenty of good stuff to discuss, but one common criticism caught me by surprise. I’ve seen Avengers: Infinity War twice, and neither time was I bothered by Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, ruining the plan to take off Thanos’ gauntlet on Titan.  

It’s easy to judge a character’s actions when we’re emotionally disconnected from them and viewing the experience as an outsider. It’s easy to say “that was so dumb, he should’ve done this or that instead.” But let’s look at the context and try to really feel what Peter was going through.

First, the woman he’s in love with, Gamora, made an impossible request: Kill her if it looks like Thanos is going to take her. Gamora stressed the importance of the bleak request, and upon seeing how significant it was to her, Peter sadly promised he would take her life to save her from Thanos. (Stealthy Drax then lightens the mood a bit.)

Not too long after that conversation, Thanos does grab Gamora. Despite being the deadliest woman in the galaxy, she stands no chance against the most powerful being in the universe. After a heartbreaking exchange, Peter realized that he needed to kill Gamora because that’s what she truly wanted. He somehow found the will to pull the trigger, but it didn’t matter since Thanos used the Reality Stone to disable his gun. (Side note: I really dislike that moment. His gun should’ve turned to ash instead of firing bubbles. Bubbles made the audience laugh both times I saw the movie, and that moment really doesn’t need a joke. Anyway, moving on.) Peter just made an upsetting promise to the person he loves, and he was unable to follow through and save her. He tried but failed. He’s then left completely in the dark as Thanos leaves with Gamora. Gamora meant everything to him and then she’s gone and at the mercy of the universe’s most dangerous being.

Later, Peter finds out that the person he loves is dead. That news alone is devastating and easily one of the worst feelings that a person can experience – but that’s not all. Gamora was murdered, and the killer is standing right in front of Peter, totally helpless. Peter knows the stakes (stopping Thanos means saving half the universe), but if you truly imagine being in such a dramatic moment, I firmly believe that most people would lash out even quicker than he did, regardless of the situation they are in. If the person who means everything to you is abruptly taken from you, how can anything else matter in that moment? How can you possibly find the strength to overcome and act rationally?

I’m not saying that what Peter did wasn’t a mistake. Gamora was willing to die to save half the universe, so she'd likely call Peter a "moron" if she found out how he reacted. But Peter’s outburst was very human of him, and he is half human, after all. Plus, his response had to play out like that. Out of the millions of outcomes that Doctor Strange experienced, this is the only path that will eventually lead the heroes to victory. Star-Lord’s reaction is also in character for the guy. Remember when he found out that his father killed his mother in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2? His immediate reaction was to shoot his dad.

Fictional characters sometimes do dumb stuff when they’re emotional. I sometimes do dumb stuff when I’m emotional. I’m willing to bet that you also do some stupid stuff while you're emotional. No one is perfect and capable of acting logically all the time, especially when we’re going through some really heavy stuff. Cut Peter a break because if you were in his space boots, you would probably do the same thing. 

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