History Characters / GuardiansOfTheGalaxyModern

->See Characters/NovaTitleCharacter.

* HyperspaceArsenal: When empowered by the Black Vortex, her BadassCape [[InTheHood becomes a hooded cloak]] of star-filled darkness called an "infinicloak" she can pull any number of blades weapons out if.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/guardians_of_the_galaxy_vol_2_1_textless_9.jpg]] [[caption-width-right:350: ''"I'm suggesting an ass-kicking force. Tough, elite, ready to deploy the instant anything flies towards the fan."''[[note]]Clockwise from the top: ComicBook/StarLord, ComicBook/{{Gamora}}, ComicBook/DraxTheDestroyer, ComicBook/RocketRaccoon, ComicBook/AdamWarlock, ComicBook/{{Quasar}}[[/note]]]]

* AmbiguouslyBi: Although she definitely had been involved with men like [[ComicBook/{{Nova}} Richard Rider]], ComicBook/AdamWarlock, and [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony]] [[ReallyGetsAround Stark]]; she also has quite a few of moments with ComicBook/{{Angela|AsgardsAssassin}}:

* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: She went after Maxam with a BladeOnAStick when he traveled to the past to kill the "[[Comicbook/AdamWarlock larval form]]" of The Magus.

** ''Film/Thor/LoveAndThunder'' (2022)

** ''Film/Thor/LoveAndThunder'' (2022)

** ''Thor: Love and Thunder'' (2022)

** ''Thor: Love and Thunder'' (2022)

** ''Guardians of the galaxy Vol. 3'' (2023)

As part of the ComicBook/AllNewAllDifferentMarvel universe that emerged from ''Secret Wars'', Gamora headlined her first ongoing title, [[note]]though it didn't show up until 2016[[/note]] had a brief role in the new volume of ''ComicBook/ContestOfChampions'' and making guest appearances with the ''Guardians'' in the meantime.

Part of the squad that Star-Lord leads against the Phalanx, Bug was not asked to join the Guardians at first, something he holds against Peter Quill. Eventually, he would be asked to join. Originated in Marvel's ''ComicBook/{{Micronauts}}'' comic.

--> -- '''Rocket Raccoon''', ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy''

Because of his popularity with audiences, Rocket appears in most interpretations of ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' in other media. He made his first appearance outside of the comics in ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' on Creator/DisneyXD, where he was voiced by Creator/GregEllis. He also appeared on the ''WesternAnimation/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' cartoon on Creator/DisneyXD, voiced there by Creator/TrevorDevall, while Creator/NolanNorth portrays him in ''VideoGame/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyTheTelltaleSeries''. Rocket is also voiced by Creator/BradleyCooper (with motion capture performed by Sean Gunn) in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, making his debut in their [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy 2014 film of the same name]]. Cooper and Gunn reprise the role in its 2017 sequel, as well as ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' and ''Film/AvengersEndgame''.

In the 2018 CrisisCrossover '' Infinity Wars'' [[spoiler: she takes the codename Requiem and starts the series off by killing Thanos]].

* ActionGirl: Action woman by now, but she was trained to fight since she was a girl, and if Gamora is in close quarters combat with anything, be it a robot, a pirate in a suit of {{powered armor}}, [[Comicbook/TheMightyThor a frost giant]] or a herald of Comicbook/{{Galactus}}, she can be expected to win.

* BoxingLessonsForSuperman: Several would-be boxers challenged The Champion Of The Universe to save a planet he conquered, but Comicbook/SheHulk was the only one who did badly enough to get the people she was trying to save to boo her. Gamora took pity on her, and decided to teach She-Hulk how to fight.

* PressurePoint: [[https://imgur.com/a/QHjbI Gamora is capable of this]]. She can find them even on people who have irregular anatomy, such as [[Comicbook/TheFantasticFour The Thing]]. According to Thanos, he's the only one who could survive such a move.

A cocoon similar in design to his one in the comics featured in the background of the Collector's collection in ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', and again in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy''. By the end of ''Guardians'', [[MeaningfulBackgroundEvent it's been cracked open and is empty]] -- though WordOfGod is that in spite of the similar design, it wasn't his cocoon. Adam Warlock was originally considered for an appearance in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'', but his role was cut as the script was revised -- while his sister, Ayesha, serves as the film's secondary antagonist. A cocoon different from the one in the first movie is later seen in one of the stingers, which Ayesha refers to as 'Adam'.

Drax has appeared often in other media, most notably within the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. Portrayed there by former Wrestling/{{WWE}} superstar Creator/DaveBautista, this version of the character is [[AdaptationDistillation vastly simplified]] from his comic book counterpart. He made his debut in 2014's ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', reprising the role in its 2017 sequel, and then again in 2018's ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar''.

** ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' (2014)

* ''WesternAnimation/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' (2015 -- present), voiced by Creator/DavidSobolov

Now in possession of the Quantum Bands, Phyla-Vell uses her new powers to help the people who survived the 'Annihilation Wave'. Later, Phyla hones her skill with the Quantum Bands during ''Annihilation: Conquest - Quasar'' series, eventually defeating the evil android [[AllYourPowersCombined Super-Adaptoid]] and taking up Quasar's mantle for the first time. After ''Conquest'', Quasar joins the new Comicbook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy.

She would remain a background player in the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe for quite a while until the ''Comicbook/{{Annihilation}}'' event series, which then segued into a regular role in the reboot of ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' in 2008. Because of her new empathic abilities, she mostly served as a support player for the team, helping mediate all the different personalities onboard their roster, but she did spend time on the field with the rest of them throughout the run.

Part of the squad that Star-Lord leads against the Phalanx, Bug was not asked to join the Guardians at first, something he holds against Peter Quill. Eventually, he would be asked to join. Originated in Marvel's ''[[Comicbook/{{Micronauts}} Micronauts]]'' comic.

** He was briefly in the Comicbook/MarvelNOW version of the team until he was no longer being considered for the 2014 movie. After this he promptly disappeared without any explanation and rejoined the Micronauts by the Minimum Carnage BatFamilyCrossover for ComicBook/ScarletSpider and ComicBook/{{Venom}}. As of Volume 4, it's revealed that he and some of the other former Guardians are part of a new team called the Knowhere Corps.

** ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' (2014)

* ''WesternAnimation/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' (2015 -- present), voiced by Creator/CreeSummer

* ''Videogame/MarvelSuperHeroesWarOfTheGems'' (1996)

* ArchEnemy: She has claimed several different ones at various points, and several others have claimed her. Some cases are more onesided than others. The Comicbook/{{Nova}} Corps give Nebula their highest threat rating, even though a single Nova, Richard Rider, was able to defeat her entire crew when she sneak attacked him, because they're a bit salty about Nebula [[EarthShatteringKaboom blowing up their homeworld]] with Sanctuary II.

* GalacticConqueror: In her first appearance, sends her pirate crew to hijack Sanctuary II, which she warps to the Skrull Empire, which is in disarray after Comicbook/{{Galactus}} eats the planet its capitol is located on. She proceeds to use the stations power to beat the Skrulls into submission, but The Avengers decide to save the devil they know from the much more destructive one they just discovered.

** She was able to keep Comicbook/SilverSurfer at bay when he first attempted to send her back to prison by having her crew take hostages and threatening their lives. Surfer wasn't her only opposition though, and hostages were not enough to make Jack Of Hearts negotiate.
** She had Comicbook/TheMightyThor kidnapped because after stealing so many artifacts of from Asgardian or related world tree origin realms, she fully expected Asgard to come after her and [[DoUntoOthersBeforeTheyDoUntoUs decided to get a bargaining chip ahead of time]].

** After her second prison break, Nebula sucessfully managed to disguise herself and go into hiding. That ItsAllAboutMe attitude of hers ruined this though, as she encounted The Silver Surfer at a Nightclub with [[Comicbook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}} Genis-Vell]], assumed Surfer was tracking her, and turned all her weapons on him in an attmept to "escape". All this did was get Surfer's attention and put her behind bars once more.

* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Nebula was created to serve as the arch nemesis of the second [[Comicbook/MonicaRambeau Captain Marvel]], but as that Captain Marvel faded into obscurity Nebula defaulted to Firelord, since she destroyed his home world with Sanctuary II. Thanos's brother Starfox convinced Firelord to let go of his grudge after Nebula went to prison. She was broken out of prison, sent back three times by The Silver Surfer, then she faded into obscurity herself before resurfacing to clash with [[Comicbook/TheMightyThor Loki]], who was attempting to reform where she rejected the chance. The ''Guardians Of The Galaxy'' got their own movie, making her their villain in general, and the nemesis of 'Aunt' Gamora specifically.

* SuperStrength: How strong she was originally was not so clear, but after getting cybernetic enhancements she became roughly as strong as Comicbook/LukeCage. She then underwent a trial in the God Quarry after being left behind by Thanos, which made her even stronger than that
* {{Supervillain}}: How she's usually portrayed in the comics. Her main drives are territory to rule and money to be made, which makes it pretty easy to tell stories where Nebula works alongside superheroes even when she doesn't have motives they approve of. In ''Captain Marvel Volume 7'', Comicbook/CarolDanvers sees an alternate reality where Nebula leads a galactic peace keeping force sanctioned by Thanos The Just, and she wants to kill Gamora not out of spite, but because Gamora is a space pirate who rejects father Thanos's desires for peace and harmony.

** [[Comicbook/MonicaRambeau Captain Marvel]] was on what was supposed to be a low risk mission to Sanctuary II when Nebula's Crew got in and warped it out of the galaxy. Captain Marvel opted to join Nebula's crew until she could find out how to get back home, but ended up sabotaging them when she saw havoc Nebula was wreaking on the Skrull Empire. Nebula was planning on killing Captain Marvel anyway, and in fact shot in the chest when they met to see if Captain Marvel could really prove useful. Nebula made no effort to have a loyal, if temporary crew mate.
** Nebula had Dr. Druid act as a mole within The Avengers for the purpose of discrediting [[Comicbook/MonicaRambeau Captain Marvel]]. When Comicbook/CaptainAmerica and The Wasp ceded leadership of The Avengers to Captain Marvel, it resulted in Druid destroying the team's confidence in her to the point [[BreakingTheFellowship it dissolved]], but they caught on and reassembled later.

** After her crew broke her out from a prison on Titan, Nebula killed them to help her keep Comicbook/SilverSurfer and Jack Of Hearts from sending her back. [[PetTheDog Except Geatar, whom she still had use for]].

& TheSymbiote: As a child, Zak-Del was bonded to an Exolon, a parasitic creature made of living darkness. [[spoiler:''Web of Venom: Wraith reveals that the Exolon were essentially prototype symbiotes that were discarded by Knull, who deemed them failures.]]

Former high school bully of Peter Parker, later war hero. After losing his legs in Iraq, Flash Thompson would become a super soldier for the U.S. Government, using the Venom symbiote for covert operations. Eventually going rogue, Flash would join the Avengers, and would later be appointed Earth's representative on the Guardians of the Galaxy. See Characters/VenomMainHosts for more info.

* MultiMeleeMaster: He tends to favor knives, but has also used swords, axes … even [[MultiRangedMaster rifles and landmines]]. That said, he averts [[HyperspaceArsenal]], as all of his current weapons will always be visible on his body, and he has had to actively access hidden caches of weaponry to update his load out.

* BaldOfAwesome: Arthur Douglas' hair was one of the things left out when he was brought back as Drax.

Drax has appeared often in other media, most notably within the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. Portrayed there by former Wrestling/{{WWE}} superstar [[Wrestling/{{Batista}} Dave Bautista]], this version of the character is [[AdaptationDistillation vastly simplified]] from his comic book counterpart. He made his debut in 2014's ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', reprising the role in its 2017 sequel, and then again in 2018's ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar''.

* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, portrayed by [[Wrestling/{{Batista}} Dave Bautista]]:

* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, portrayed by [[Wrestling/{{Batista}} Dave Bautista]] ([[Characters/MCUDraxTheDestroyer page]]):

Phyla-Vell first appeared in ''Captain Marvel'' vol. 6 #16 (December, 2003), created by Peter David and Paul Azaceta. Formerly Captain Marvel, she is a daughter of ComicBook/CaptainMarVell and Elysius and the sister of the late Genis-Vell. She acquired the Quantum Bands at the end of ComicBook/{{Annihilation}}, and became the new Quasar in ''Annihilation: Conquest Prologue'' #1 (August, 2007).

* LegacyCharacter: To ComicBook/CaptainMarvell, her father, and to Quasar. She suffers a lot of self-doubt over it.

** After her second prison break, Nebula sucessfully managed to disguise herself and go into hiding. That ItsAllAboutMe attitude of hers ruined this though, as she encounted The Silver Surfer at a Nightclub with [[Comicbook/CaptainMarvell Genis-Vell]], assumed Surfer was tracking her, and turned all her weapons on him in an attmept to "escape". All this did was get Surfer's attention and put her behind bars once more.

Gamora is a Creator/MarvelComics character created by Jim Starlin, first showing up in ''Strange Tales'' #180 (dated June 1975).

* BaldMystic: A [[ChromeDomePsi powerful psychic]] who underwent monastic training.

* BaldWomen: Heather is not naturally bald. She shaves her head preferring to be bald, though has worn short hair in the past. Whether it's a BaldOfAwesome or BaldOfEvil can depend, though it's ''usually'' the former.

* BaldWoman: In the comics, it is a side affect of surgery her crew performed on her when she was found catatonic following the events of ''Infinity Gauntlet''. Her mind is restored, but she has a permanent reminder of the events that nearly left her brain dead. In the movies, it's a trait of her entire species, including the males.

The last of the Zen-Whoberis race, Gamora is the adoptive child of ComicBook/{{Thanos}}, raised to defeat [[ComicBook/AdamWarlock The Magus]]. It was during this time in her life that Gamora became known as "[[TheDreaded the deadliest woman in the whole galaxy]]", and exacted revenge on The Church of Universal Truth, who'd been responsible for the genocide of her people.

After working with Adam Warlock to stop his older version, Gamora realized the true evil of her adoptive father's ways, and teamed up with [[ComicBook/CaptainMarVell Captain Marvel]], Warlock, and future Guardian Drax the Destroyer to take him down. When Thanos mortally wounds Gamora and her allies in battle, Warlock absorbed their souls into his Soul Gem, where they existed in a realm called Soulworld.

Gamora and her friends lived there in peace together for some time --until the events of ''ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet''-- in which Thanos finally completed his quest to form the titular object, using it to remove Gamora from existence. After Comicbook/{{Nebula|MarvelComics}} restored her into being with the Gauntlet, Warlock soon gained its possession, starting to go mad with power because of it. For this reason, the Living Tribunal decided that each of the Infinity Gems must be spread among Gamora and some others, ultimately calling them the Infinity Watch. Gamora was given keep of the Time Gem -- she couldn't consciously use the thing, but it did give her sporadic precognitive dreams and visions.

Gamora emerged as a major player of the ''[[ComicBook/TheBlackVortex Black Vortex]]'' story --yet another crossover with the X-Men-- where she let herself submit to the titular artifact, gaining cosmically-enhanced powers in the process; she was one of the few who ''didn't'' relinquish their new powers at the story's end.

With the ComicBook/MarvelNOW initiative, Gamora (and her fellow Guardians) were further implemented into the greater MarvelUniverse, receiving a new volume of their book while also featuring in titles like ''[[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]] Assemble'', and a {{crossover}} called ''The Trial of ComicBook/JeanGrey'' had them meet the ComicBook/XMen. She also became acquainted with ComicBook/{{Angela|MarvelComics}} during this time, and enjoyed a brief sexual relationship with [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]] when he joined the Guardians for a spell. An issue of ''Guardians Team-Up'' saw Gamora team-up Marvel's ''other'' preeminent green woman, ComicBook/SheHulk.

* AmbiguouslyBi: Although she definitely had been involved with men like [[ComicBook/{{Nova}} Richard Rider]], ComicBook/AdamWarlock, and [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony]] [[ReallyGetsAround Stark]]; she also has quite a few of moments with ComicBook/{{Angela|MarvelComics}}:

Daughter of Odin and sister of Thor, Angela hails from the tenth realm of Heven. Found adrift in space by the Guardians of the Galaxy, she joins the team for an extended period before returning to her homeworld. See ComicBook/{{Angela|MarvelComics}} for more info.

* AmbiguouslyBi: Although she definitely had been involved with men like [[ComicBook/{{Nova}} Richard Rider]], ComicBook/AdamWarlock, and [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony]] [[ReallyGetsAround Stark]]; she also has quite a few of moments with [[ComicBook/AngelaMarvelComics Angela]]:

Daughter of Odin and sister of Thor, Angela hails from the tenth realm of Heven. Found adrift in space by the Guardians of the Galaxy, she joins the team for an extended period before returning to her homeworld. See [[Characters/MarvelComicsAngela Angela]] for more info.

See Characters/MarvelComicsCarolDanvers for more info.

Bill is a steadfast ally of Thor and wielder of Stormbreaker. Bill is present when Thanos' will is read and after a string of events that put him at odds with the Dark Guardians, a team looking to kill anyone who Thanos may be possessing, Bill joins the Guardians of the Galaxy. See [[Characters/MarvelComicsBetaRayBill Beta Ray Bill]] for more info.

After the death of the 616-version of [[Characters/MarvelComicsPhylaVell Phyla-Vell]], another version from Earth-18897 appeared during ''ComicBook/InfinityCountdown''. She and her wife, [[Characters/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyModern Moondragon]], came to Earth-616 in search of the Reality Stone, which they needed in order to defeat their version of Requiem. Once they get the stone, they depart back to their own reality.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ac31a1ed2b5652a9d18da23929b55dc6.jpg]]

[[quoteright:328:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/27d33007d22fca085e7f47dd8514e387.jpg]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/star_lord_vol_2_2_textless.jpg]] [[caption-width-right:350:''[[Music/CheapTrick Surrender, surrender....]]'']]

!!Star-Lord provides examples of the following tropes:
* AbusiveParent:
** Meredith Quill's husband tried to kill Peter when he was an infant. Retconned out in volume 3, however.
** J-Son of Spartoi is a racist jerkass who made no attempt to reconnect with his son for decades.
* TheAdjectivalSuperhero: ''Legendary'' Star-Lord.
* TheAgeless: Possibly. He spent over a hundred years in the realm of Morinus, and didn't seem to age, but it's unclear if that's because of something up with Peter or the weird nature of Morinus.
* AmicableExes: With Katherine Pryde, by 2020. They would've hung out after the Hellfire Gala, but certain other events required their attention.
* AscendedFanboy: He's a big fan of Astrology and science fiction since childhood.
* TheAtoner: He was the only one willing to fight The Fallen One, Galactus's first herald, despite being vastly underpowered in comparison. He won- at the cost of nearly everything he had, and the sacrifice of thousands of innocent lives. The death toll, even in the name of saving millions, transformed him into this. Later, he is tasked with setting up a deal between the Kree and the Space Knights which leads to the Phalanx infesting Hala and starting the second galactic war right after the Annihilation Wave months earlier, which forced him to become Star-Lord again. Now he fights to keep the universe from falling apart because he feels the responsibility for a good part of its current troubles are his fault in-part to begin with.
* BadassNormal: He used to have powers, but lost them when he gave up being the Star-Lord. Now that he's back, he still doesn't have them, and is essentially just a really skilled human who is able to keep up with incredibly powerful beings like Ronan and Blastaar.
* BlackBox: The Element Gun, as bestowed by the Master of the Sun. Quill isn't sure how it works, even though he's had it since he was teenager, and has rebuilt it at least once. He just knows it does (and sometimes it does stuff that even he doesn't know about). Eventually, by the time of ''King in Black'', he figures it out: [[spoiler:the gun is a focus for his powers.]]
* BrokenHero: After his encounter with the Fallen One.
* CasanovaWannabe: In Volume 3 as written by Bendis.
* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: After that business with the Fallen One, he wanted nothing more than to be forgotten. Then the Annihilation Wave came along, followed by the Phalanx invasion.
* CallingTheOldManOut: In his classic appearances, he doesn't take too kindly to his father abandoning his mother and partially blames him for his uncle sending assassins to kill her, but doesn't outright consider him a villain and allows his allies to stay in his father's care. In more modern books, J'Son has become much more of a jerk, and Quill has far less patience for it.
* ChivalrousPervert: After he starts dating Kitty Pryde of the ComicBook/XMen, some of his banter with her can get pretty pervy (including asking about if she has any lingerie and commenting on how her butt looks in her uniform), but it's mostly just teasing, and as shown, he does care a lot about her and ''wants'' to make things work with her.
* ColdEquation: Intentionally blew up a moon with 35,000 civilians on it in order to defeat the Fallen One, saving entire planets from being destroyed.
* CoolHelmet: From ''Annihilation Conquest'' until the end of ''The Thanos Imperative''. It's widely considered one of the coolest costumes in comics.
** CollapsibleHelmet: The faceplate folds up and down as needed.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Star-Lord can come off as not really knowing what he's doing and seems like a kind of ineffective leader, but when it comes down to it, he's able to keep the team together and save the day every time.
-->'''Thanos''': Interesting. You pretend to be superficial and glib, but you understand.
-->'''Star–Lord''': Aw, I bet you say that to all the boys.
* {{Cyborg}}: He got a significant number of implants during his stay at the Kylnn, including a universal translator, and tech to enhance his strength. Ronan had them removed (barring the translator which was necessary for basic communication) when the Kree recovered him and forced him to lead their suicide squad into the Babel Tower.
* CynicismCatalyst: His fight with The Fallen One.
* DeadpanSnarker
* DeathIsCheap:
** The opening of ''Infinity Wars'' has [[spoiler:Gamora]] run him through with a very large sword. Doctor Strange uses the Time Gem to fix that one.
** He appears to die in issue 2 of ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2020'', though even then he seems pretty confident he's going to live. [[spoiler:He just gets zapped to somewhere else.]]
* DidntThinkThisThrough: Quill's a leap without looking sort of guy, which can lead to him biting off way more than he can chew. Like charging onto Hala by himself to try and thwart a Skrull invasion, only to find the Kree had already found and dealt with the species they've spent centuries fighting. And since he's alone, this leaves him stuck with a ''very'' angry Ronan, who's holding a little grievance over that Phalanx business...
* ElementalWeapon: His classic Element Gun, which he lost when he quit the mantle of the Star-Lord. He eventually got replacements.
** BlowYouAway: It can shoot gusts of air that knock enemies back.
** MakingASplash: He can use it to manipulate water around him or just shoot it out like a hose.
** PlayingWithFire: It can shoot flame like a flamethrower.
** GemstoneAssault: The earth setting can encase whoever it shoots in diamonds. Quill doesn't generally use this option much.
* {{Expy}}: In his original origin, he was somewhat critical of the very concept of a "Star-Lord", drawing comparisons to the similarly cosmically empowered enforcers in the {{Literature/Lensman}} saga.
* EyeScream: He lost an eye taking out the Fallen One. During ''Annihilation: Conquest'', Kree medical tech fixed that.
* FamedInStory: Even though he really wishes he wasn't. He's also famed enough that even some of the incredibly speciesist Kree are impressed by him. It also why some of the proto-Guardians joined up for their mission with him, because he was the one leading it.
* FireForgedFriendship:
** With Richard Rider, fighting on the front lines of the Annihilation War.
** With Jack Flag, who he meets in the 42 Prison in the Negative Zone. Fighting off a bunch of z-list villains and giving a guy somewhere to go will do that.
* FishOutOfWater: Played With. He feels out of place on earth after being stranded on Earth thanks to [[ComicBook/CivilWarII the Guardians ship blowing up.]] However it's more due to the fact he dosen't really know anyone, and his former friends and fiance want nothing to do with him.
* GlamorousWartimeSinger: On Battleworld. ''[[RefugeInAudacity Singing Disney Songs]]''
* GotVolunteered: Not originally - he went rogue and attacked his fellow astronauts to steal the title of the Star-Lord from the chosen candidate, but after his retirement, he wasn't given a choice in taking the mantle up again for a Suicide Mission on Hala.
* GuileHero: He falls into this to compensate for being a normal human in a galaxy of superpowered aliens and monsters.
* GuiltComplex: Quill considers the protection of the galaxy his personal mission, and anything that threatens it is his responsibility... which means whenever anything goes inevitably wrong, he considers it his fault. It's what drives him to keep fighting and part of what earns him the respect of the team.
* GunsAkimbo: His preferred method of fighting- whether it be outdated human weaponry to fight the Phalanx, his signature Kree [=SMGs=] or just any random dual wielded alien laser gun.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: He naturally has gold hair. He has it permanently dyed brown after enrolling himself in the Kyln. He's SuddenlyBlonde again when he returns from the Cancerverse.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Half-human and half-Spatoi/Spartax.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Rocket Raccoon and Richard Rider.
* HeroicBastard: He was conceived from a one night stand.
* HeroicSacrifice:
** He and Nova Prime, Richard Rider, stay behind in the collapsing Cancerverse with Thanos, to ensure that nothing there can return to the main universe, seemingly sacrificing themselves in the process.
** And again in the opening arc of ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2020'', though he seems pretty confident he'll get better (which given how often he's died or nearly died by this point is pretty understandable). He's right.
* HopeBringer: Despite his best efforts, this is how he's seen by the galaxy at large, ''especially'' the Kree.
* HumanMomNonHumanDad: Peter's mom is human but his dad is not. Of course, the Spartoi are HumanAliens so...
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: He had Mantis give the founding Guardians a mental nudge to make sure they'd join up, justifying it that the universe didn't have time for them to hem and haw, as it was falling apart at the seems. Most of them disagree.
* ImmortalityBisexuality: Peter is outright stated to have entered into a bisexual polyamourous relationship [[spoiler:with Aradia and Mors during his time in Morinus in ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2020]].
* IndyPloy: His plans usually only consist of shouting "scatter!" or letting the team make it up as they go, although it's implied that he knows more about what they're doing than he lets on.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Was more a JerkAss in his early stories, and after he initially quits the title of Star-Lord he's mostly faking being a jerk. By the time he's founded the Guardians, it's pretty transparent.
* JumpedAtTheCall: Ironic, considering where he ended up. He watched aliens kill his mom and no one on Earth believed him, so he spent his whole life transforming himself into someone who could go to space and find his mother's killers. When he discovers the Master of the Sun is going to make one of his fellow astronauts a superhero, he goes as far as holding up the station and stealing a vehicle to get the title himself.
* KnightInSourArmor: After he initially quits as Star-Lord and turns himself over to the authorities, he transforms into a much more bitter and cynical man, but when the Annihilation Wave threatens the galaxy again he's still one of the key members of the resistance (just don't call him the Star-Lord).
* LegacyCharacter: ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2020'' has Quill become a new, if not ''the'' new, [[spoiler:Master of the Sun.]]
* LetsSplitUpGang: Most of his plans boil down to splitting up the team into much smaller sections and having them do their own thing.
* LonersAreFreaks: When he was still on Earth, he developed this reputation- his only company was his pet owl, and he dedicated himself fully to becoming an astronaut, leading to a complete lack of social graces and having very little patience or empathy for his fellow man.
* MagneticHero: It's his reputation and personality that bring and keeps the Guardians together. Notably, any time he's not there they tend to fall apart.
* MediationBackfire: His attempts at stopping conflicts tends to lead to this - from inter-galactic wars like the Inhumans and Vulcan's forces in War of Kings, to squabbles among his teammates.
* MrFanservice: The second volume of ''Star-Lord'' may as well be called "ShirtlessScene: The Comic." Writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Kris Anka takes no time in showcasing Star-Lord's abs as well as him in short, tight-fitting clothing and many a butt shot.
* MyGreatestFailure: The incident that caused him to be incarcerated in the Kyln.
** To explain [[spoiler: Peter was responsible for restraining and capturing Galactus' first herald, the Fallen One, allowing his incarceration within the core of the Kyln. In order to achieve this, Peter needed to generate something equivalent to the Power Cosmic to stop him and in order to achieve that, he needed to blow up an inhabited planet and use its life force. Even though the decision was a final resort and his primary reasoning was that one dead planet is preferable to what the Fallen One would cause if left free, the decision and the 350,000 lives worth of collateral damage obviously still struck a massive blow to his conscience. And in the aftermath, he voluntarily turned himself over to the Nova Corp.]]
** Later replaced by [[{{ComicBook/Annihilation}} the Phalanx invasion]], which happened on his watch.
* NoManShouldHaveThisPower: He held on to a Cosmic Cube for a while, but never used it, figuring the lure of its power was way too dangerous. Also, it was broken.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: He knows significantly more about what's going on than he appears to at all times- he just chooses to hide beneath glib and superficial humor.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted; Peter Quill is the third Peter (after Peter Rasputin and Pete Wisdom) who has been romantically linked to ComicBook/KittyPryde.
* PermaStubble: Between his appearance in ''Thanos'' and ''Annihilation: Conquest''. He scrubs up for the suicide mission that forms the proto-Guardians, and stayed that way until 2012.
* PragmaticHero: He can border on this at times, going as far as to have Mantis mentally coerce the members into joining the team to assemble them faster.
* RebelPrince: Technically he's the prince to the Spartax throne. He wants nothing to do with the Spartax Empire however.
* ResignedToTheCall: Partly because what with one thing and another thing, there's no-one else. Peter will try and save the galaxy, much as he would rather just settle down and live a quiet life.
* RetCanon: His portrayal in the cinematic universe was so popular that his characterization was added to mainstream continuity and his back story revamped to include the new Yondu and the Ravagers. Any discrepancy with his background prior has been shifted to another continuity. Among other things this significantly deages him.
* {{Retcon}}:
** Originally, Quill got the title of Star-Lord from a cosmic being called The Master of the Sun. This was later changed to a hallucination, but as of 2020 this has been re-retconned to not ''just'' being a hallucination.
** Peter's first origin story had his mother murdered by a minor alien race called the Ariguans. Vol 3 of ''Guardians'' (written by Brian Bendis, known for a lax approach to continuity) changes this to Badoon assassins instead.
* SapientShip: Used to have one, [[SarcasmMode imaginatively]] called Ship. She was apparently killed in the battle with The Fallen One, but actually survived- Quill just refuses to contact her again out of shame.
* SeenItAll: Star-Lord's been doing this for a long, long time, and at this point next to nothing surprises him- from time-traveling alternate universe shenanigans, to a universe of eldritch abominations. It tends to happen when two of your closest friends are a talking raccoon and a giant tree-man.
* ShipTease: With Mantis, in ''Guardians'' vol. 2, but nothing came of it (dying tends to do that).
* SourSupporter: During the war with the Annihilation Wave, he served as this and as the general of the resistance armed forces under Richard Rider.
* SupportingLeader: He's the least powerful member of the Guardians by a longshot (except for Rocket), so even when he's giving commands and leading from the front, he still tends to fall out of focus in the scale of the battle. Especially during cosmic wars and events.
* {{Swashbuckler}}: The classic era Star-Lord was this- he even engaged in sword-fights with his enemies at times.
* ThatManIsDead: He refused to be called Star-Lord during his imprisonment in the Kyln, but was forced back into the mantle by the Kree to inspire a suicide mission into the Babel Tower on Hala to cripple the Phalanx. He tried his best to keep it from sticking, but gave up by the end of the war, embracing his title.
* TheChosenOne: Played with. Was given the title of Star-Lord by a being called the [[EnigmaticEmpoweringEntity Master of the Sun]], but he wasn't the person actually chosen - he was so desperate to become the Star-Lord, he wounded his fellow astronauts to steal the position - the Master of the Sun didn't seem to care much and decided he had enough merit to become the Star-Lord anyway.
* TheLeader: Type II.
* TheyDo: Gets engaged to ComicBook/KittyPryde after the Black Vortex. Subverted as the two break up before the actual marriage happens.
* UnexplainedRecovery: He and Nova sacrificed their lives at the end of ''The Thanos Imperative'' in 2010. He returned in 2012. An explanation for how he got out of a dying universe stuck with an insanely angry Thanos wasn't forthcoming until 2014 (Rich sacrificed his life to get Quill out of the Cancerverse).
* UnPerson: Due to using Reed Richard's life raft, he is this on [[ComicBook/SecretWars Battleworld]]. He ends up pretending to be Steve Rogers and working as a lounge singer for a pompadoured incarnation of Drax.
* VagueAge: While all Marvel characters are subject to ComicBookTime, Peter Quill is an interesting case of this. When he was first introduced outside of the Marvel continuity, his birthdate was given as 1962, and he was roughly in his late 20s for most of the early stories. When Quill was re-introduced in {{ComicBook/Annihilation}}, he was established as a grizzled, burnt-out veteran, with the comic's art making him appear to at least be in his late 30s (he also had dark hair). Following the release of Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy, Star-Lord's redesign not only changed his costume, but made him younger and his hair lighter to better fit the film's portrayal.
* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway: The Master of the Sun bequeathed the Element Gun to Quill, claiming that it symbolised the utilisation of the primordial and esoteric forces of the universe (Fire: The Universal Radiant Energy, Water: The Mind and the Cosmos, Air: The Breath of Life, Earth: The Physical World). Quill finds these epithets to be overly grandiose, and is just rather happy to have a rather versatile firearm at his disposal.
* WhatTheHellHero: His reaction to Martyr taking [[ComicBook/TheInhumans Crystal]] hostage.
* WhoWouldWantToWatchUs: An issue of ''Guardians 3000'' confirms the MCU films (or at least the first one) exist in the Marvel Universe. Quill's just faintly amused by the liberties it takes.
* WillTheyOrWontThey: Following the MCU's lead, comic Peter and Gamora try a romance after ''All-New Guardians''. It apparently ends when Gamora goes nuts and runs him through with a sword, then has to go on the run. Through ''Guardians'' vol. 4 they reconcile, but then in vol. 5 Peter leaves Gamora to go galaxy-saving and apparently gets killed. When he returns, it's with a bad case of clinical amnesia.
* WorkingWithTheEx:
** An edge case. In ComicBook/SecretWars, he ends up working with an alternate universe version of his fiancee who has no idea who he is, which ends up giving a similar dynamic to this trope.
** And again after ''Secret Wars'', where he and Kitty have broken off their engagement before being pulled together for OneLastJob. Naturally, it's a Skrull trap which gives both much needed catharsis because the Skrulls decided to ambush them using all of their prior costumes.

!!The Prince of Power, [[spoiler:Prince Otherone of Noblor]]

* CharacterisationMarchesOn: As described [[https://richridernova.wordpress.com/2015/11/27/the-sad-saga-of-star-lordhow-marvel-has-turned-a-solid-concept-into-a-mess-of-diluted-characterization/comment-page-1/ in this blog post]], he went through quite a few changes throughout his publication history.

* FishOutOfWater: Played With. He feels out of place on earth after being stranded on Earth thanks to [[ComicBook/CivilWarII the Guardians ship blowing up.]] However it's more due to the face he dosen't really know anyone, and his former friends and fiance want nothing to do with him.