Why Star-Lord Didn’t Stay On Earth Longer In Avengers: Endgame, According To James Gunn

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Despite hitting theaters a year ago, Avengers: Endgame continues to dominate pop culture. The Russo Brothers meticulously crafted the massive blockbuster, which traveled through the MCU's timeline and featured every single hero from the franchise. This includes Chris Pratt's Star-Lord, who was revived and teleported to the battlefield courtesy of those magical portals. But some fans were left wondering why he didn't spend more time on Earth, given that it's technically his home planet. Luckily, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has answered that very question.

James Gunn was involved in the Guardians' scenes in Infinity War and Endgame, ensuring that the motley crew's signature dynamic, humor, and stories were properly serviced throughout that set of blockbusters. Gunn was recently asked by a fan about Peter Quill's quick departure from Earth, and he gave a solid answer as to why he wouldn't visit his former home in Missouri. Check it out below.

Touche. It looks like Peter Quill doesn't have a ton of positive memories associated with his home planet. It's the place where his mother died, which is exactly why he didn't take his time on Earth before leaving with the Guardians aboard The Benatar in Avengers: Endgame.

James Gunn's answer to this fan questions comes to us from his personal Twitter. Gunn recently participated in Comic Book's #QuarantineWatchParty of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Eventually he was asked about Star-Lord's appearance in Avengers: Endgame, and shed some light on the character's motivation in the blockbuster's final moments.

Endgame's final battle in ruins of the Avengers compound is seemingly the first time Peter Quill has returned to Earth since his mother died and he was promptly abducted by The Ravagers. While his adulthood was in the cosmos, he did have a normal childhood on the planet up until that point. As such, some fans were hoping he might visit the graves of his loved ones or spend more time on Earth before taking off into the skies.

Marvel fans can re-watch Star-Lord's time in the MCU on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.

But his home planet is ultimately a source of pain and trauma for Star-Lord. James Gunn goes so far as to say that he "despised" being back on Earth for that final conflict. So he got out of dodge quickly in search of the 2014 version of Gamora. Although the team might have temporarily gained a member in Chris Hemsworth's Thor, who hitched a ride on The Benatar.

It should be interesting to see where Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 takes the scrappy group of characters, including Star-Lord. He's obviously focused on finding Gamora, who mysteriously disappeared following Endgame's battle. James Gunn wrote the threequel script before he was (temporarily) fired by Marvel, so the path forward is clear. Unfortunately, the wait for the movie's arrival is far from over.

The next installment in the MCU is Black Widow in November 7th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.