Star-Lord’s controversial choice in Avengers: Infinity War is still being debated, but these 10 things may change what the scene means to the MCU now.

Star-Lord’s controversial Avengers: Infinity War scene is still being debated to this day, but several things in the MCU may change how it’s viewed. The MCU is well past the Infinity Saga, with the main threat now being the multiverse and most of the consequences of the Blip being resolved. However, Star-Lord’s decision to punch Thanos in Infinity War still draws up debate about his role in the fate of the universe.

When the Avengers on Titan were fighting Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, there was a crucial Star-Lord moment that many debated cost the Avengers the battle. Peter Quill punches Thanos in a fit of rage after learning that the Mad Titan sacrificed Gamora for the Soul Stone, loosening Mantis’ grip and freeing Thanos. On first watch, Star-Lord’s moment of anger is what costs the team the Infinity Gauntlet and subsequently leads to the Snap. However, the scene has since been given new context that may change what the scene means to the MCU.

James Gunn Doesn’t Agree With Star-Lord Punching Thanos

The director of the Guardians Of The Galaxy trilogy, James Gunn, is responsible for taking the lesser-known Marvel team and making them a beloved group in the MCU. The cast has shown their close relationship with Gunn when they supported him after his 2018 firing, and there’s no one who knows their characters more than him. In a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn stated how he didn’t agree with the Infinity War decision to have Star-Lord punch Thanos. Considering that Gunn has written so much of Peter’s MCU story, his take on the matter puts the scene in a new light.

2Star-Lord’s Infinity War Mistake Actually Happened Before

The emotional outburst in Infinity War was not Star-Lord’s first in the MCU, making it less surprising that it happened. Among all of Ego’s evil actions revealed in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, the moment he shares that he killed Meredith Quill is Peter’s breaking point. Peter fires at Ego without a second thought, though it doesn’t hurt the Celestial much. Just like in Infinity War, Star-Lord lashed out after finding out bad news about a loved one. Peter’s reaction was justified the first time, and remembering that makes his reaction against Thanos just that much more understandable and humanizing.

3The Sacred Timeline & TVA Suggests Star-Lord Punching Thanos Had To Happen

The Sacred Timeline was introduced in Loki as the base timeline for multiple realities, all leading to the birth of He Who Remains. To prevent the birth of any evil variants, the timeline was incredibly strict, and any divergence was dealt with by the TVA. Considering that no TVA agents came to prune the timeline where Star-Lord punched Thanos, it can be assumed that the incident was part of the flow of time. Not only can it be argued that Peter’s outburst had to happen for the sake of the Avengers’ victory over Thanos, but it must’ve needed to happen for the fate of the Sacred Timeline.

4How Avengers: Endgame & Gamora’s “Return” Changes Star-Lord’s Infinity War Scene

Gamora’s Infinity War death at the hands of Thanos was unexpected, but it would not be her last appearance in the MCU. Endgame found a way to bring Gamora back by having Nebula convince 2014 Gamora to betray their father. Her betrayal helped push the Avengers to victory over Thanos, and the consequence of Star-Lord punching Thanos in Infinity War is made right by the end of Endgame. Though it was not the return of the Gamora that the Guardians knew and loved, it was a way for Gamora to stay alive in the MCU and reunite with her former friends one last time in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3.

5The MCU’s Peter Quill Should Be Immature

When Peter is introduced in Guardians Of The Galaxy, the Ravagers are considered his family. Yondu was a very influential father figure for Peter all his life, but it actually makes sense that the MCU’s Peter would be immature. Although Yondu saved Peter from a certain fate by not returning him to Ego, he still kidnapped a very young Peter from Earth. Peter was raised in an environment of thievery and deception and likely didn’t get much training on emotional maturity. Things like Peter’s love for dance or his initial jealousy of Thor are examples of Star-Lord’s immaturity, and his Infinity War decision just shows the negative consequence of that immaturity.

6Peter Has Experienced Tremendous Loss

Almost every character in the MCU has experienced loss in some way, but Peter’s losses have been some of the greatest. Shortly after losing his mother to cancer, he lost his whole family when he was kidnapped from Earth. The loss only stung more when Ego revealed in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 that he was responsible for his mother’s cancer. Although Ego was a bad person, it still likely hurt Peter to have to kill his father. In the same breath, he then witnessed Yondu sacrifice himself for him, losing his real father figure. It’s unsurprising that yet another loss was Peter’s breaking point.

7Gamora Was Star-Lord’s True Love

After the loss Peter experienced early on in life, the Guardians became his found family. While he and Gamora had a rocky start, they progressively fell in love after getting to know each other. Gamora was Peter’s true love, and Infinity War showed just a snippet of their romance before putting an end to it. It already pained Peter to watch Thanos take Gamora, failing the one promise he made to kill her instead. To find out that the love of his life was sacrificed by her father was a life-changing revelation, and while the timing was unfortunate, Peter’s reaction was understandable.

8Dr. Strange Let It Happen In Infinity War

While on Titan in Infinity War, Dr. Strange told the group that he saw millions of possibilities regarding how the fight against Thanos could end. There was only one outcome where the Avengers were successful, meaning everything that happened in Infinity War was meant to happen. Dr. Strange proved that he knew what had to happen, such as him encouraging Tony to sacrifice himself in the final Endgame battle. If Peter’s outburst against Thanos wasn’t part of the outcome that Dr. Strange saw, he likely would’ve stepped in. Just like in the Sacred Timeline, Peter punching Thanos was meant to happen for the winning outcome.

9Other Characters In Infinity War Had Similar Moments Of Regret

Many blame Thanos’ success on Star-Lord’s Infinity War outburst, but other characters had moments of regret too. During the battle in Wakanda, several split-second decisions also enabled the Snap. Thor regretted not aiming at Thanos’ head and letting him get away with the Snap. Wanda also likely deeply regrets her decision to leave Vision’s side and fight on the battlefield. It resulted in the Mind Stone being taken and the love of her life dying. Since neither Thor nor Wanda are blamed for their choices, Star-Lord’s choice should be treated with more empathy.

10Getting The Gauntlet Off Wouldn’t Have Stopped Thanos

In the event that the Avengers did manage to get the Infinity Gauntlet off of Thanos in Infinity War, it actually would’ve only been a temporary stop. Assuming that Thanos wouldn’t have fought back and left Titan, he definitely would not have given up. He would’ve known that the Avengers were still in possession of the Infinity Gauntlet and rounded up his team for a stronger attack. While it would’ve bought the Avengers some time, the bloody Battle of Earth would have ensued either way, whether it was in Avengers: Infinity War or not.