Chris Pratt's 5 Best Marvel Movies, Ranked

Guardians of the Galaxy is the definitive Star-Lord movie because it introduces Quill as a joke, then slowly reveals he’s the heart of the whole operation. Peter Quill is hilarious in this first installment from the jump. He dances like a dork, calls himself Star-Lord like the universe is supposed to applaud, flirting as a defense mechanism, but the film makes you understand why he acts like that. He’s been alone since he was a kid. He built a persona because the alternative is feeling the loss he never processed.

Gunn nails the emotional pivot that makes the movie unforgettable: Quill is brave because he’s terrified and does it anyway. The “we are Groot” moment then hits so well because the team actually earned becoming a team, and Quill becomes the center of that chosen-family energy. At the end, the movie is all about a lonely guy finally realizing he doesn’t have to do everything alone, and his team almost feels the same in their own way.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 gives you Quill as the guy who’s still standing even though he’s emotionally wrecked. He’s drinking, spiraling, stuck on the version of Gamora he lost and the story doesn’t play it for cute. When Rocket’s life is on the line, Quill snaps into leadership mode, and you get the satisfying version of him once again — still funny, still impulsive, but locked in with real urgency because someone he loves is dying in front of him.

James Gunn makes Quill’s arc land in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 by forcing him to face reality instead of fantasy. The new Gamora doesn’t owe him comfort. She doesn’t become “his” again. And watching Quill accept that, really accept it, feels like watching someone finally stop bargaining with grief. He still cracks jokes, still throws out Quill-isms, but the movie makes those jokes feel like breathers. Gamora’s return, albeit not the same, is so crucial here for Quill’s character arc balance. By the end, you feel proud of him in a weird way, because he finally chooses a life that isn’t built around what he lost.

Avengers: Infinity War is the movie where Quill’s funniest instincts and worst instincts collide at the worst possible time. Peter meets Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and instantly goes into competitive peacock mode, trying to look cooler, trying to lead, trying to win the room, while Rocket (Bradley Cooper) is watching like, “this idiot.” And it’s hilarious because the movie lets the jokes land without turning Quill into a clown. He doesn’t hold it back with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), he doesn’t hold it back for Tom Holland’s Spider-man. And that feels amazing. He’s competent, he’s strategic, and he’s still insecure enough to turn a crisis into a measuring contest.

Then the emotional trap snaps shut: Gamora is dead, and Quill’s grief becomes the plot. The Titan (Thanos) fight is a masterpiece of teamwork and timing until it isn’t. And what makes that moment hurt isn’t just the outcome, it’s how believable Quill is when he breaks. He’s thinking like a boyfriend who just found out the love of his life was murdered and in doing so, makes a mistake that breaks the world.

Thor: Love and Thunder is pure Star-Lord as chaos energy, and Quill shows up like the friend who thinks he’s helping by turning everything into a bit. Peter is at his most openly annoying here, posturing, giving motivational speeches that go on too long, acting like he’s the captain of the vibe. And honestly? That’s accurate. Quill is the guy who tries to be inspirational and accidentally becomes cringe, and still remains a leader — the movie leans into that.

The reason it hits even more in Love and Thunder is contrast with Thor. You’re watching Thor spiral through grief and identity, and Quill is the guy trying to patch it with jokes and pep-talks because that’s the only tool he trusts. It’s a colorful detour for Guardians but Quill’s scenes are still valuable because they show his default setting: keep everyone laughing, keep everyone moving, never sit still long enough to feel the sadness.

Avengers: Endgame is low on the list only because Quill doesn’t get enough runway, not because he’s bad in it. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) returns with that instantly recognizable vibe — half swagger, half insecurity, like he’s trying to act cool while the universe is literally being rebuilt around him. The funniest part is how fast the old Quill energy snaps back: he’s throwing out attitudes, comparing himself to other heroes, and trying to reclaim the “I’m the guy” status he thinks he deserves.

But what makes his presence hit is how it stings. This is Quill after losing Gamora, and you can feel the grief sitting under the jokes like a weight he refuses to pick up in public. Even when he’s only in a handful of key beats, the emotional logic is clear: he’s back, but he’s not okay, and the movie treats that like a real scar. Anthony Russo and Joe Russo use him more as seasoning than a main course here, but even as seasoning, he adds that specific Guardians flavor, funny, desperate, and weirdly tender when it counts.