The love shared between Gamora, Star-Lord and Nova makes for the Marvel Universe's best love triangle. While fans give a lot of attention to the never-ending dramatics of Wolverine, Jean Grey and Cyclops, many are missing an even better dynamic when it comes to this trio of galactic heroes. Unlike the intense sense of competition between Wolverine and Cyclops, there's a genuine love between Nova, Star-Lord, and Gamora that makes their triangle much more engaging.
The beginnings of this hodgepodge of feelings started when Gamora met Richard Rider during the Annihilation War and they started a brief affair. However, amid the intergalactic battles faced by the Guardians of the Galaxy, the two were never able to properly hash out their feelings. Tragedy struck the team when Nova, Star-Lord and Drax seemingly perished in a bid to keep Thanos contained in the Cancerverse during Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Miguel Sepulveda's The Thanos Imperative. Nova died professing his love for Gamora and sacrificing himself to free Star-Lord from a dimension where they could both suffer but never die.
Things got more complicated when Peter Quill returned to Earth and was forced to tell Gamora that Richard used the Cosmic Cube to free his friends from the Cancerverse, as seen in Brian Michael Bendis and Ed McGuinness' Guardians of the Galaxy #20. Star-Lord initially kept this a secret at Nova's behest due to his love for his friend and comrade in arm, but Gamora ultimately demanded to know the truth once Thanos also resurfaced. Star-Lord and Gamora gradually fell in love, in part connecting through their mutual grieving for Nova, only for their ally to eventually return. In Al Ewing and Juan Cabal's Guardians of the Galaxy #2, Star-Lord is presumed dead after a bid to stop the Gods of Olympus - something Nova had come seeking his allies' help with. An infuriated Gamora blames her former lover for Peter's death, with Nova fully prepared to eat his share of guilt. Star-Lord would eventually return, but so changed by his experiences, his relationship with Gamora quickly fell apart.
Ordinary relationships can be complicated enough without death and resurrection being brought into the mix. But beyond Nova and Star-Lord's disappearing acts, one thing that becomes quite clear is that there is love and respect in every direction between the three. By comparison, the X-Men's love triangle traditionally has a more basic rivalry between Wolverine and Cyclops at the center of it. The friendship between Peter Quill, Gamora and Richard Rider, on the other hand, is incredibly strong, with Rider even referring to the group as "the Three Musketeers."
At the core of this love triangle are three friends who want one another to find happiness but are their own biggest obstacles in achieving it. Star-Lord and Nova have both fractured their relationships with Gamora based on personal decisions they've made regarding the other. Seeing characters who want to support their friends while combating their own personal feelings is a far more engaging and relatable dynamic than two characters simply fighting for the love of another.
Marvel fans may have their own personal preferences for which characters they ship, but the love triangle of Nova, Gamora and Star-Lord remains a heart-breaking saga that shows the cost Marvel's heroes incur by living their lives for others rather than simply pursuing their own happiness.