May 9, 2018

How ‘Infinity War’ Takes A Deep Dive Into The Psychology of Star-Lord: An Essay

WARNING! THE FOLLOWING PIECE CONTAINS MAJOR, MAJOR SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR!

Showtime, A-holes! 

Now that Avengers: Infinity War has been out in theaters for a few weeks and the shock over all those deaths has had a chance to sink in a bit, it’s time to talk about Star-Lord (Chris Pratt). No, I don’t want to discuss how he’s the “bad guy” because he messed everything up by punching Thanos (Josh Brolin) over and over again on Titan after learning about the death of Gamora, allowing the intergalactic warlord a chance to retain control of the Infinity Gauntlet. Many are making that claim and it’s an interesting one that we can debate it until Avengers 4 comes home to roost, but it’s not the only one that warrants discussion. 

Another gripe I’ve been seeing out there is the complain that the Star-Lord we see in the movie feels out of character from the one we’ve see in the two Guardians of the Galaxy films thus far. The rationale is that Infinity War was not written or directed by Guardians auteur James Gunn. Rather it was penned by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely; and directed by Russo Brothers, who previously helmed both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War. 

Obviously, these duos have different writing and filmmaking styles, but that’s why there are overseeing bodies in place to make sure things remain consistent within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For instance, you’ve got Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and even Gunn himself, who served the dual role of executive producer and consultant/advisor on Infinity War, particularly when it came to the Guardians of the Galaxy. As such, I assert that not only is the character of Star-Lord consistent with his previous representations, but his actions and behavior in Avengers: Infinity War help make him a more developed, more well-rounded character.

Cue “Rubberband Man”…

The audience first catches up with the Guardians in this movie right after Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Wong (Benedict Wong), and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) fight Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) begins dialing Captain America (Chris Evans) as the Spinners arrive on the soundtrack and we cut to outer space. Although they don’t know it yet, the Guardians are responding to a distress signal sent out by the Asgardian vessel destroyed by Thanos at the start of the film.

The entire introductory sequence is 100% faithful to these characters as Peter and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) sing along with the ’70s hit; Drax (Dave Bautista) is fast asleep; Rocket (Bradley Cooper) nearly nods off; Teenage Groot (Vin Diesel) is playing a video game; and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) is being Mantis. It’s the light, fun, and colorful attitude we’ve come to expect from a band of motley heroes that have never taken themselves too seriously. But then something happens that turns the Guardians’ entire dynamic on its head: Thor (Chris Hemsworth) hits the windshield. 

The Asgardian deity is brought onboard and almost immediately, Star-Lord begins acting strangely. Why? Because, as the captain, he feels like he’s losing the respect of his teammates. This begins when Drax says that Quill is “a dude,” but Thor is “a man,” which turns into aspersions cast on Quill’s weight. To make things worse, once he wakes up, Thor mistakes Rocket for the ship’s captain. This swift loss of power in the face of a literal god prompts him to act more immaturely, by mocking Thor’s Shakespearean cadence and bringing up how he killed his father (Ego) when Thor gets a little too chummy with Gamora over wayward family members. Peter feels the need to protect his territory and “compare lengths” so-to-speak. 

This blatant display of immaturity is totally in line with Quill’s character because he was taken from Earth as a boy and never really had a chance to “grow up.” Star-Lord is a man-child and the first two Guardians movies dealt with the elements of childhood that he never really properly dealt with, the death of his mother and the absence of his father. Both stunted his mental growth and caused him to act out as a rebel and put up a wall of machismo. As soon as his efficacy as a man and leader is threatened or perceived as such, he reverts to that boyish demeanor because it’s the only way he knows how to react when things turn tough. 

So why did this immature behavior feel out of place for some fans? The answer is actually really simple. We’ve only ever seen Peter in the context of the Guardians of the Galaxy and other aliens out in the cosmos. To date, he’s never met anyone else from Earth since leaving the place, so his various spiels about Kevin Bacon, David Hasselhoff (aka “Zardu Hasselfrau”), and other ’80s icons have become accepted facts, almost wise adages, to his fellow teammates, who can, at times, be petulant and stubborn as well. 

It’s a combination of no one calling Peter out on his BS and the immature, fun-loving attitude we’ve come to associate with the Guardians of the Galaxy. When Thor shows up and brings such dire news about the possible end of the universe as they know it, there’s a culture clash of sorts, the serious with the silly. Thor is eloquent and to-the-point where Star-Lord is more chill and makes pop culture references that no one understands. Peter’s reconciliation of these two worlds is to resort to cracking jokes and engaging in displays of manhood. 

Need further proof?

Let’s fast forward a little bit to when Tony Stark, Doctor Strange, and Peter Park arrive on Titan. They soon engage in a stand-off with Star-Lord, Drax, and Mantis, but everyone soon realizes they’re on the same side. Why is Gamora, am I right? Together, they begin to formulate a plan to subdue Thanos and remove the Infinity Gauntlet from his hand. For the first time in nearly 30 years, Peter Quill is among his own kind, people who grew up on Earth. But they’re almost like a different species because they received normal upbringings on one planet and aren’t stuck in one decade like Quill is. By Earth standards, he’s just a naive child.

Stark and Strange are the no-nonsense adults in the room while Peter, his place as a proper leader challenged once more, tells Tony that his plan sucks. When Parker, always the one to bring up classic cinema history, brings up Footloose, Quill asks if it’s still the greatest movie ever made to which Peter replies in the negative. This is the first time that someone’s poked a hole through the worldview in which Peter and, to a certain extent, the Guardians view the world. By re-introducing Star-Lord with his origins, he reverts back to a child-like demeanor in order to mask his insecurities and ignorance.

Again, Quill has always felt more at home in a galactic setting from a very young age. He was raised on a diet of ’80s culture and law-breaking, the latter being courtesy of the Ravager Yondu. Both ensured that he never really became an adult and by taking him out of his comfort zone, the Russos didn’t botch the character, they made him more three-dimensional; they explore a side of the character that the character himself hasn’t really thought about in years. Faced with the prospect of becoming more mature and facing the fact that his worldview is outdated, Quill experiences cognitive dissonance and decides to act as if none of it is happening, hence his single-mindedness and recalcitrance. 

BOOM!

*drops mic and jumps into magic portal*