10 Heroes Who Can Replace Star-Lord In The MCU

The Guardians of the Galaxy movies are some of the most popular in the MCU, and this popularity is in large part thanks to Chris Pratt’s portrayal of Star-Lord. Peter Quill has the confidence and charisma of Tony Stark, while being goofy and awkward at the same time, mostly due to the fact that he was abducted from his home as a child and spent most of his life feeling disconnected from everyone else. He listens to 1970s classics, has a deep, endearing love for his mother, and never hesitates to put his life on the line to protect his team.

Recently, Peter has been struggling internally, namely with the loss of the love of his life Gamora. At Guardians of the Galaxy 3‘s ending, Peter leaves the Guardians and reconnects with his grandfather. Though the post-credits scene with Star-Lord confirms that he will return to the MCU, it’s clear that his time with the franchise is limited, meaning someone will have to take his place. Though no single person could ever truly replace Star-Lord, there are current and upcoming MCU characters who can take on all the important roles he’s played throughout his tenure.

10 Kingo Is A Lighthearted Jokester Who Will Defend The Greater Good

One of Star-Lord’s most loved traits is his ability to not take life too seriously. At the climax of the first Guardians movie, for example, he famously challenges Ronan the Accuser to a dance-off to distract him long enough for Drax and Rocket to destroy his weapon. Kingo, a member of the Eternals, is similarly fun-motivated, choosing to live among humans and become a famous Bollywood star. However, both have strong moral codes that add complexity to their characters. Star-Lord helps stop Ronan even though he initially stole for selfish reasons, while Kingo works to halt the Emergence after he learns of its true nature. Future Kingo appearances in the MCU could explore his Star-Lord-like duality.

9 America Chavez Will Be The New Space Wanderer With A Found Family

Loneliness is a significant aspect of Peter’s character when he is first introduced. He never really felt connected to his Ravager family due to his identity as a human. He spends his time traveling alone in space committing petty crimes. America Chavez similarly spends most of her time alone after the tragic death of her mothers and uses her powerful abilities to jump across universes. Peter eventually finds a family in the Guardians, just like America does with the Sorcerers at Kamar-Taj in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. America’s MCU future could involve learning to connect with and eventually loving other people, just like Peter did.

8 Rocket Will Carry On Star-Lord’s Role As The Leader Of The Guardians

Perhaps the most salient connection to Star-Lord is Rocket Raccoon, one of his teammates when Star-Lord was Captain. Star-Lord ultimately decides to leave the Guardians and connect with his human side, letting Rocket take his place. Guardians 3 felt like a true passing of the torch to Rocket, as the previous Guardians movies focused on Peter’s background, while this movie was all about Rocket. After going on a journey to face his past traumas and losses like Peter, Rocket emerges as a wiser and more empathetic leader, which is excellent character development for the MCU to explore.

7 Reed Richards Will Be The Next Charismatic Leader With A Cosmic Connection

Though Peter has been known to be immature, there is no doubt that he is an incredible leader, best exemplified by his willingness to sacrifice and go above and beyond for his team. He catches the Power Stone, kills his own maniacal Celestial father, and is determined to get Rocket help when he’s on the brink of death. Reed Richards, or Mister Fantastic, is another cosmic-powered fan favorite who leads a powerful team gracefully and heroically. So far he has made only one brief appearance in the MCU during Multiverse of Madness, but he is slated to return as part of the 2025 movie Fantastic Four‘s cast.

6 Spider-Man Will Also Deal With The Consequences Of His Impulsive Actions

Impulsivity is arguably Star-Lord’s most significant character flaw. In Avengers: Infinity War, the Avengers are close to defeating Thanos, but Peter, enraged that Thanos has killed Gamora, attacks him, causing the heroes’ plan to fail. Though he could not have prevented Gamora’s death, Star-Lord’s actions inadvertently lead to the introduction of a new Gamora variant, who doesn’t know or love him, which he struggles to accept in Guardians 3. Similarly, to clean up the mess from his impulsive wish-making, Spider-Man ultimately wishes for everyone to forget Peter Parker, effectively severing his relationship with his love MJ. When Spider-Man returns, he will be dealing with the aftermath of his decisions, just like Star-Lord had to.

5 Jennifer Walters Will Discover The Beauty Of Genuine Connection

When Peter is first introduced, he, like Tony, is characterized as a ladies’ man, having had multiple flirtations and interactions with women across the galaxy. Importantly, he never found someone to share a true connection with until he met Gamora. Though Peter and Gamora’s love story ended in tragedy, audiences will be able to watch Jennifer Walters, or She-Hulk, go on a similar journey that may end on a more positive note. In She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Jennifer dates frequently but struggles to find a genuine connection with someone, until she meets Matt Murdock. The She-Hulk ending finds Jennifer and Matt cementing their blossoming relationship, a great connection to explore in their future MCU appearances.

4 Kamala Khan Mirrors Star-Lord’s Arc Of Self-Discovery And Acceptance

Like Peter, high school student Kamala Khan has always felt like she didn’t belong. In Ms. Marvel, after discovering her light-based powers, Kamala learns that she is part of a powerful group known as the Clandestines and is convinced that they need her help. Kamala soon learns that she’s been tricked and has to fight the Clandestines almost immediately after feeling accepted by them. Similarly, Peter is ecstatic to finally meet and learn how to harness his powers from his father Ego, only to discover that Ego killed his mom and countless siblings. Following Ms. Marvel‘s ending, Kamala can continue Peter’s arc and learn not to turn to others for acceptance, as they can easily manipulate.

3 Carol Danvers Is Another Space Loner Who Forms An Unlikely Team

Star-Lord and Captain Marvel, or Carol Danvers, have very similar backstories. Both were born to human families and were taken from those families and not told the truth about where they came from. In the current state of the MCU, Carol is a lone traveler in the universe like Peter was, until a mishap causes her powers to be mixed up with two Earth-based heroes, causing them to form an unlikely alliance, which will be explored in The Marvels‘ story. The new movie can explore Carol’s similar character arc of transitioning from an isolated existence to leading an unlikely team of space heroes.

2 Loki Is A Fellow Mischievous Criminal Who Turns His Life Around

Star-Lord notably does not begin his journey as a hero. Having been raised by a band of thieves, as an adult he turns to a life of crime himself, and his first MCU appearance finds him stealing an orb containing the Power Stone. Loki also has a checkered past, including attacking the Avengers. Both Peter and the God of Mischief come to see the error of their ways, however, with Peter compelled to defeat Ronan the Accuser and Loki coming face to face with the harm he’s caused in his Disney+ series. Both of them have now formed ad-hoc teams to save the universe, and the future of the MCU may make Loki’s redemption arc even more compelling than Star-Lord’s.

1 Nova Can Replace Star-Lord As The MCU’s High-Tech Interstellar Adventurer

Reportedly slated to star in his own Disney+ show in the future, Nova is a new character to the MCU with a very similar background and heroic role as Star-Lord. Like Star-Lord, Nova is a human living in space who becomes one of the galaxy’s greatest defenders. In the comics, after the destruction of the Nova Corps, Richard Rider gains incredible powers and becomes Nova, traveling the universe and going on high-tech adventures. Since Thanos also destroyed the Nova Corps in the MCU, Marvel Studios has the perfect conduit to introduce him. He also occasionally joins the Guardians in the comics, so he has the opportunity to become Star-Lord‘s most direct replacement.