Marvel Wants You To Forget Infinity War's Ending Was Star-Lord's Fault

With The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Marvel is trying to portray Star-Lord in a more positive, heroic light and make audiences forget he was at fault for Thanos winning in Avengers: Infinity War. While introduced as a lovable a-hole in Guardians of the Galaxy, Star-Lord's reputation took a serious hit in Infinity War. During the Battle on Titan, when Mantis was trying to put Thanos to sleep, it was the reaction of Peter Quill to the Mad Titan killing Gamora that cost them a possible chance of defeating him.

Since then, Star-Lord's Infinity War mistake has meant he's often attributed with a large portion of the blame for Thanos' victory, but The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special looks to give Quill some more credit. The entire plot revolves around the rest of the team wanting to give their leader a great Christmas, showing just how highly he is still thought of, but Kraglin goes even further. In a conversation with Kevin Bacon about how the actor inspired Quill's own actions, he says that Star-Lord "might just be the greatest hero alive." It's a huge claim, and shows how Marvel is trying to fix Star-Lord's reputation.

Is Peter Quill Really The Greatest Hero Alive?

Star-Lord looks at Christmas lights in The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special

With some of the original Avengers still active - or at least alive, including Steve Rogers - then it's hard to make the claim Star-Lord is the greatest hero alive in the MCU, given they have accomplished many more incredible feats of heroism, at least on-screen. Thor: Love and Thunder showed Quill does continue to lead the Guardians of the Galaxy on heroic adventures, but they undoubtedly remain a bunch of a-holes. And yet there's also no denying that Quill is a great hero. Despite Star-Lord's actions against Thanos in Infinity War, he remains someone who fought hard to protect those he loved.

He consistently looks out for his friends, and, as Kraglin notes, "saved the whole galaxy with dancing." He isn't the greatest hero to audiences, but it makes sense Kraglin would view him as such. He hasn't witnessed the same amount of heroism, and had his world view changed thanks to Quill, finding a place with the Guardians of the Galaxy even after Yondu's death. Few would have given Kraglin the same opportunities, and that makes Quill his greatest hero if nothing else.

Was Infinity War Really Star-Lord's Fault?

Star-Lord learns that Thanos killed Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War

Though he did help open a window of opportunity for Thanos to win on Titan, it would be unfair to entirely blame Star-Lord for Avengers: Infinity War. There's no denying his actions were costly, but they were also understandable: it was an emotional, human response to shocking, devastating news. It's the capability of love, and of being flawed, that serves to make great heroes; it didn't help on Titan, but it did make Star-Lord a more rounded character.

There are other heroes who can take some of the blame - Thor didn't go for Thanos' head; the Avengers' division made it easier for Thanos to attack - but that largely misses the point. Thanos was inevitable, what mattered was that the heroes came together - in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame - to protect the universe, and did ultimately defeat him. Star-Lord may not have been the greatest hero among all of that, but Thanos' victory isn't really his fault, either.

Next: Guardians Of The Galaxy Accidentally Spoiled Eternals' Cliffhanger Ending