Legendary Star-Lord"s Return Tease Sets Up His MCU Replacement

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Star-Lord"s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe was set up in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and it might be a tease for his MCU replacement. Although the Phase 5 movie is the end of James Gunn"s trilogy and the last time the original Guardians of the Galaxy team will be seen together, not all the characters are exiting the franchise. Chris Pratt"s days of playing Peter Quill will continue, as Guardians of the Galaxy 3"s post-credits scene confirmed that the Legendary Star-Lord will return. Where that will happen is less clear.
In addition to questions about exactly when and where Star-Lord will be seen next, how long he will continue to be part of the MCU timeline is also up for debate. Marvel has made multiple moves in the years following Avengers: Endgame to introduce new MCU characters who can replace some of the longer-lasting heroes. This effort has primarily focused on the original Avengers, but it could only be a matter of time before Marvel needs to find someone to fill in for Chris Pratt"s character. Marvel may have secretly teased Star-Lord"s MCU replacement with the setup for his return.
Legendary Star-Lord's MCU Return Tease Sets Up Two Future Series Close James Gunn has spoken about a prospective Legendary Star-Lord movie occurring in the MCU"s future, stating in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 digital commentary that "Chris and I, forever, have talked about how great it would be to be able to do a "Legendary Star-Lord" movie - a story with Star-Lord on Earth trying to adapt to the environment of Earth in the same way that somebody else might try to adapt to the alien environment of outer space. He"s a fish out of water in just kind of regular water. So I can"t wait to see it."
This seemingly confirms that the tease regarding Star-Lord"s future will lead into this movie, but with James Gunn moving to focus on the DCU, it"s also possible plans may be altered to better suit some already in-progress MCU projects.

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2 With this in mind, Guardians of the Galaxy 3"s tease that the Legendary Star-Lord will return could be part of Marvel Studios" plans for the Nova solo project in development, which most recently was reportedly going to be a Disney+ show. The tease has bigger implications than just revealing Star-Lord"s new MCU name, and there are not many immediate upcoming MCU projects that would make sense for Peter Quill to appear in.
Nova is the biggest exception to that. The solo project focusing on Richard Rider"s ascension as Nova would actually be the perfect place for Star-Lord to return after Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and could well see him feature even if a Star-Lord solo series is officially announced after Gunn"s seeming confirmation of it.
Now that Star-Lord is back on Earth, he is perfectly positioned to encounter Richard Rider on his path to become Nova.
Now that Star-Lord is back on Earth, he is perfectly positioned to encounter Richard Rider on his path to become Nova. It is not yet known exactly how the MCU will tackle Nova"s origin story, but the comics began Rider"s superhero story after he was recruited by Rhomann Dey, played by John C. Reilly in the first Guardians of the Galaxy.
For the purposes of the MCU, Dey could give Rider his powers following Thanos" attack on Xandar and failing to rebuild the Corps. Since Dey and Star-Lord are friendly, he could help bring Quill and Rider together, especially if he feels the latter could assist Peter in his "fish out of water" struggle.
How Nova Can Replace Star-Lord In The MCU

While Nova will not replace Star-Lord by taking over the mantle exactly, he is still the character who is best positioned to fill the same role Peter played in the cosmic side of the franchise. For starters, Nova and Star-Lord share similar functions as humans who become massively important heroes on a galactic level.

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1 Nova is one of the galaxy"s greatest protectors in the comics and should take on a similarly prominent role following his MCU debut. That would help make Nova be Star-Lord"s MCU replacement in terms of the larger construct of the shared universe, allowing Quill to either relocate to Earth entirely, or focus on some lower stakes space explorations while he tries to find himself.
With the Nova Corps introduced into the MCU all the way back in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1, it was only a matter of time until Richard Rider showed up.
Nova has also been a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy at times, and can replace Star-Lord in that capacity in the MCU"s future too. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ended Quill"s time with the team and saw him hand control to Rocket, who formed a new Guardians of the Galaxy team. Nova might not be part of the roster at the moment, but the MCU has already shown a willingness to let the team grow. It would not be surprising then if Nova ultimately becomes Star-Lord"s MCU replacement as the human lead of the group.
A Nova MCU Project Is In Development

It is official, a Nova project in the MCU is in development. In an interview with Comicbook.com, Kevin Feige was asked about what was happening with Nova. Feige replied, "It’s happening, it’s coming together. Richard Rider, yep." Kevin also confirmed the project will be a television series, and it seems that Richard Rider will be the main focus rather than the younger Sam Alexander. Fans have been waiting for years to get information about when Nova would appear.

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In that same interview, Kevin Feige also said that the show wouldn"t be out for another few years. "It’s three or four years out." Given that, it puts the possible release date in the year as Avengers: Secret Wars, or the year after, which means that Nova could possibly show up in that film too. Deciding to introduce him post Multiverse Saga could be an interesting move for Marvel. Given that Thanos destroyed the Nova Corps in the MCU timeline, it raises the question of how much of the Corps will be built back when Richard Rider makes his debut.
Where Chris Pratt's Star-Lord Could Return In The MCU

Star-Lord is one of the most beloved characters in all the MCU, so the promise of him returning is exciting for the future of the universe. When asked by TMZ about Star-Lord"s return, Pratt simply said, "There’s always a chance. But of course, I wouldn’t be able to spoil it here on the sidewalk with you. I could, but I better not." This is obviously a non-answer, but looking at the "I could" part might indicate that not only have they had talks about when he returns, but that Pratt knows exactly when it will happen.
In a May 2024 interview with Comicbook.com, Chris Pratt briefly opened up about whether he would actually return as Star-Lord even though the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 post credits confirmed it. "Well, it probably makes more sense that I would be Star Lord again...anything is possible, and especially with James over at DC. How about both? Let’s do both. I think it’s 100% both." Of course this question was also asked about a role in Gunn"s new DCU, but everything is pointing to Chris Pratt knowing he will return as Star-Lord.
The obvious answer to where Star-Lord will show up is in either Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars. He already had a significant part in Avengers: Infinity War, and bringing him back for another Avengers film makes sense. Given what happened in that film though, Star-Lord might not be so eager to fight alongside Earth"s Mightiest Heroes again. The Nova series could be another one. That would mean fans would have to wait even longer for his return. One thing is certain, though. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was not the last time Star-Lord will be in the MCU.

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount's Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
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