Rumor: Guardian of the Galaxy Will Play a Much More Important Role in 'Infinity War' Than We Thought

Since that Avengers post-credits teaser in 2012, we’ve all know that the MCU has been building up to seeing the Mad Titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) trying to subjugate Earth — and the Universe at large — with the combined Infinity Stones. Avengers: Infinity War is still several years away, but that hasn’t stopped the Marvel Cinematic Universe from rocketing on, with almost weekly casting announcements and new installments due out (seemingly) every few months. And whilst finite character and plot details for Infinity War are still thin on the ground, there might be an unexpected twist to the proceedings... if the SchmoesKnow are to be believed!

Guarding the Galaxy

In the comics, pretty much every superhero in the Marvel Universe turned up to battle Thanos — so far, the makers of Infinity War are replicating that very well indeed. Doctor Strange himself has recently confirmed that he's involved in the upcoming conflict, and it now seems that Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) will be as well. Whilst there isn’t any official confirmation about this yet, Schmoes seem quite confident in their article:

“We are reporting that Star-Lord will have a sizable role in Infinity War as the Avengers join up with him as they take on a new cosmic threat.”

You may read this and think something along the lines of: “well, obviously!” And you’d be forgiven for it. After all, Guardians of the Galaxy was the first Marvel movie to really showcase Thanos in a more substantial way.

Given that some members of Peter Quill’s merry band of antiheroes openly expressed an interest in hunting down Thanos (looking at you, Drax), it seems like their part in Infinity War is a done deal.

But hold your horses, guys! Even the director of the Guardians movies isn’t sure whether the team is part of the movie yet. He could be bluffing, but James Gunn is known for his witty yet frank honesty in his interactions with fans. Star Lord's involvement has certainly been alluded to by the Russo Brothers, but his presence in the movie currently remains unconfirmed. So for now, this is all definitely conjecture. And yet...

How could it work?

The fact that Schmoes repeatedly refer to Peter Quill’s greater importance is interesting in itself. I’m not quibbling over more or less Chris Pratt — heck, his character is great, he’s hilarious and he’s an all round babe! But I can’t help but wonder; why would his role be bigger?

Infinity War is, without a doubt, going to be a massive movie event. With so many story threads and characters coming together, the Russo Brothers may need an anchor for the events to revolve around. Could Peter Quill/Star Lord be that lynch-pin? Well, Pratt certainly has the charisma and star power to pull it off, and since he is a human hero living in space, he could be a solid, thematic bridge between the Avengers and the rest of the wider Marvel Universe.

Plus Marvel have already done something similar in another sprawling conflict. A main protagonist focuses and drives a story, as demonstrated by Marvel's heavy use of Captain America (Chris Evans) in their adaptation of Civil War.

Also Schmoes speculate that by the start of Infinity War, Quill will have important information that could aid the Avengers. Either he will fly to Earth and warn everyone of Thanos’s impending attack, or the Avengers will head out to preemptively strike at the Mad Titan and come across him. Both seem plausible, as Star-Lord already witnessed the kind of power that Thanos was coveting in Guardians. But what’s also intriguing is that Star-Lord is mentioned specifically, without the rest of his team.

Why wouldn’t Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel) and the others be there? Well, we must bear in mind that we don’t know exactly how Volume 2 is going to end. Like the Avengers, the Guardians have changed their roster, broken up and reformed on many occasions in the comics; could something massive in Volume 2 trigger their breakup, leaving Quill alone, heading home? Or is he returning to Earth just to make another mix tape?

Again, all of the above is plausible, but remember, this is just me speculating here!

Though Star Lord’s role is shrouded in mystery and conjecture for the time being, it can’t hurt to speculate on what Infinity War might entail. Surely there hasn’t been a movie with such a starry cast? As comic book movie fans, we are in for a treat, and whether Star-Lord’s role is as pivotal or not, we can’t really complain. Indeed, it’s going to be hilarious merely seeing how he will adjust to all of the changes that have happened in his absence from Terra!

Just wait until he finds out about Spotify...