Avengers: Infinity War Directors Defend Star-Lord's Actions

Avengers: Infinity War directors Anthony and Joe Russo explain why fans should stop blaming Star-Lord for Thanos' victory. Almost a month and two new blockbusters (Deadpool 2 and Solo: A Star Wars Story) later, Avengers 3 remains to be a popular topic of conversation among fans. Between trying to predict how Earth's Mightiest Heroes can, ultimately, defeat the Mad Titan in Avengers 4 and dissecting the film's best moments, there's still so much to talk about regarding the latest Marvel offering. This includes whether or not Peter Quill should be held accountable for his consequential outburst on Titan.

While Star-Lord's loss of control looked like it was the moment that ruined the Avengers' chances of defeating Thanos, the Russo Brothers argue that it's simply not the case. If anything, he wasn't the only one that let his emotions get the best of him, thus making him only one factor in the long list of reasons why they lost.

Sitting down with the Huffington Post to talk about all things Avengers: Infinity War, the directing duo discussed the controversy surrounding Star-Lord's meltdown. Both Anthony and Joe Russo are in agreement that people don't need to solely blame Peter Quill for what happened - and it's not because everything was part of Doctor Strange's plan. Here's what they got to say:

Joe: “His mother was dying of cancer when he was kidnapped by pirates at the age of 10. He was raised by pirates. He had to murder his father to avenge the death of his mother. His girlfriend, who he was in love with, was murdered by another corrupt paternal figure ... He made a very emotional choice,”

Anthony: “Thor also let his emotions get the better of him. Thor could’ve killed Thanos more quickly than he tried to with the ax. He showed up, and he took a moment — because of his anger, because of his motivation — to tell Thanos that he told him he would die ... and finish him off in a very deliberate way. Thor sort of got lost in his emotions in a similar way as Star-Lord and could also have been responsible for Thanos.”

Gamora and Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy

Joe Russo furthered by pointing out that, all throughout the film, almost everyone had somehow contributed to their defeat. He said: “They make very human choices. I think if we learn anything from narrative is to put yourself inside the POV of someone — or the character itself — you should be able to empathize with that character, understand the choices that they make."

The Russos' explanation for Star-Lord's outburst illustrates Marvel Studios' attention to detail regarding their heroes' characterization. While it was frustrating to see the outlaw mess things up at the worst possible moment, it wasn't uncharacteristic for him to do so (which still isn't a good thing for a hero). Meanwhile, in Thor's case, considering everything that he has gone through because of Thanos (the death of Loki and Heimdall, as well as the murder many Asgardians), the God of Thunder also understandably let his emotions get the best of him. The only difference between the two is, Thor can still make-up for his momentary lapse in Avengers 4, while Star-Lord may have to wait until Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 before he's given a chance to win back frustrated fans.