Why Did 'Endgame' Sabotage Star-Lord?

Enough time has passed... Endgame has come and gone. With its ending came the answers to the millions of questions that have been asked by fans. Many storylines were concluded in the three-hour runtime that formed the greatest blockbuster film of all time. Hawkeye saved his family, the Hulk found balance, Cap had his dance with Peggy, Black Widow made the ultimate sacrifice and Tony... it's still too soon to speak about that, but let's just say we love him 3000.

Yet among all of the epic final moments, there are still characters who have a story to tell. Spider-Man: Far From Home will give fans the first glimpse at what life after Thanos and his fatal snap will bring.

Another character who fits this description is Peter Quill, otherwise known as Star-Lord. The final entry in the Infinity Saga has left our favorite abducted half-man/half-celestial at somewhat of a low point. Respect for the character has dwindled among the community, and today I want to discuss why that is.

The force behind the fall

All of the controversy surrounding the character came in one brief moment. Thanos was put to sleep, the glove was on the verge of being removed, and Peter demanded to know the whereabouts of Gamora. Then he gets his answer and... well we all know how that turned out.

Fans around the world placed all the blame of the decimation on the lead guardian's shoulders. Chaos ensued and countless of endless rants made their way onto the internet.

I have already stated my position on this issue in great detail in a previous article ("Final Thoughts Before Endgame"). So for sake of simplicity, let's just say that I disagree. However, even if I didn't, do his actions really deserve all of the blame for what was to follow? Some of it, maybe, but all of it, absolutely not. So then why is it that he was treated like an A-1 dunce in every one of his scenes in Endgame?

The roasting of Star-Lord

Avengers: Endgame is by far one of the greatest movies of all time. Marvel Studios finished their first epic project in all of the right ways (mostly). Fans around the world roared with applause when the long-awaited line dropped and the Avengers finally assembled. I personally saw the movie on two occasions in theaters. The first time I left as an appreciative fan recovering from the several dozen nerdgasms I had just experienced. Yet, after the second time, I couldn't help but notice that Star-Lord's role in the movie had left a bad taste in my mouth. Every single scene that he was in either mocked or insulted him in some way.

First, the Russo brothers completely disrespect one of the most iconic scenes from the first Guardians movie. The opening where Chris Pratt shows the entire world that he was the perfect choice for this character by dancing his way into our hearts. War Machine and Nebula watch from an outside perspective and label the soon to be galactic hero an idiot.

Then, during the final battle against Thanos, he almost has his life taken by some random extra before Gamora saves his life. You would think that at least now he'd get to enjoy seeing her face again... nope, instead, she knees him in the crotch a couple of times before declaring she could not believe he was her future love interest.

And finally, there was the ultimate blow when Thor hijacked his entire team by adjusting their name and declaring that we all knew who was in charge.

Any one of these scenes on their own would have been hilarious, but all of them put together... it's as if that was all that was needed to completely discredit two entire films of badass heroics. In fact, there was not a single positive moment for the character in the entire movie.

Fans have forgotten how BADASS he really is

It's as if a poison gas that causes amnesia has been released by the Russo brothers onto the fans of the MCU. Have we really forgotten what it is that makes Star-Lord so great? I for one enjoy his goofy antics and how, in spite of them (or even because of them), he has gone on to save the entire galaxy... Not once, but twice. He is the one who brought the Guardians of the Galaxy that we all know and love together. He saved Gamora's life on multiple occasions, he learned to speak Groot's language, he made a friend out of Drax and managed to get Rocket to be a tiny bit less of an asshole.

Also, MCU fans are significantly quicker to forget that he almost single-handedly kicked the asses of Dr.Strange, Spider-Man and Iron Man at the same flipping time. And while he may have been the one to ruin the plan to stop Thanos on Titan, he is also the one who created that plan. Therefore, the two should cancel each other out. He just might be a Flash Gordon knockoff, but Flash Gordon wishes that he had the fanbase that young Peter Quill has today.

The moral of the story is that the character that Chris Pratt and James Gunn have spent the better part of a decade building was destroyed in the swift three hours that made up the runtime of Avengers: Endgame. In just three scenes, they riffed off of his opening debut, then they made it appear as if his love interest perceived him as a bad joke on first sight. Finally, they pretty much relinquished his leadership role within the Guardians to Thor. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but it is almost as if the Russo brothers had a secondary objective to sabotage the coolest member on the MCU's other team.