Warning: spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy #9!
Marvel comics just confirmed Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, is bisexual in Guardians of the Galaxy #9, with writer Al Ewing, artist Juann Cabal, colorist Federico Blee, and letterer Cory Petit's ambitious single-issue story "I Shall Make You a Star-Lord" redefining the character's origins and abilities just in time for mega-event King in Black.
Created by Steve Englehart and Steve Gan for 1976's Marvel Preview #4, Peter Quill is the Legendary Star-Lord, a human/Spartoi hybrid abandoned on Earth by his father and compelled to seek his destiny among the stars. Star-Lord has been at the forefront of most of Marvel's major cosmic events, with the comics of recent years subtly stripping him of some of his trademark gadgets and much of his soldier's sense of duty to more closely resemble his depiction by Chris Pratt in the MCU adaptations beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy. Al Ewing's tenure on the series has seen the gradual reinvention of Star-Lord, re-establishing some of the more mysterious elements of his origin and bringing focus back to his unique Element Guns and overriding sense of responsibility.
This reinvention of the character took its biggest step forward in this week's Guardians of the Galaxy #9, which revealed that Star-Lord's Element Guns allowed him to survive the explosion that seemingly killed him in Guardians of the Galaxy #2, instead shunting him into a parallel reality where he spends one-hundred and forty-four years adventuring through the Twelve Houses of Morinus, first working with and then entering into a relationship with Aradia and Mors - two blue-skinned humanoids who share his nomadic lifestyle.
Quill turns down the pair's advances at first. Having been traveling with them for only a year, he's still hopeful of returning home, explaining that his relationship with teammate Gamora (played by Zoe Saldana in the MCU, where the two have a romantic bond) means that he isn't able to join them, with Aradia expressing bewilderment at Quill's conception of monogamy. Twelve years later, in the House of Death and Rebirth, Quill bathes in a ceremonial temple with Aradia and Mors, admitting that at this point, he no longer believes he'll return to his home reality, saying, "You're my home," as the three embrace.
The relationship lasts for over a hundred years, but sadly Star-Lord isn't left to live a swashbuckling life of happiness. The Gods of New Olympus - whose power Peter accidentally stole to survive in issue 2 - return, chasing the three across Morinus and destroying a world which Peter has come to love. Desperate to save Morinus, Peter returns to the temple where he truly joined Aradia and Mors, using it to travel back to his home reality, with a heartbroken Aradia saying, "Just don't forget us stranger. Just don't forget."
While the comic is clear that Peter considers what he has with Mors and Aradia to be of the same nature as his romantic and sexual relationship with Gamora, the story does forefront the bond between Quill and Aradia, depicting more immediate intimacy between her and Quill, and having Mors absent for the final goodbye due to the chaos of the attacking Gods. Aradia, Mors, and Quill aren't the first LGBTQ relationship Ewing's tenure has added to the comic, with Hercules and Marvel Boy kissing in the heat of battle some issues earlier. It's unclear whether Quill's sexuality will make it into future MCU projects centered around Star-Lord, but Guardians of the Galaxy #9's tender exploration of Peter Quill losing and then finding happiness is indicative of the high quality of the series so far, and comics' ability to make bolder moves than other media based on the same characters.