Fans of the MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy may think of Star-Lord and Gamora as the franchise's romantic endgame, but Peter Quill's long comic history says otherwise. A former soldier and now galactic rogue, Star-Lord is the ultimate believer in found family, leading to some incredibly compelling romances in his near-50 years of adventures.
Peter Jason Quill, the frontman of the Guardians of the Galaxy, has existed in the Marvel Universe since his first appearance in 1976’s Marvel Preview #4 by Steve Englehart, Steve Gan, and Bob McLeod. Originally a trained astronaut gifted advanced weaponry by a mysterious space god named the Master of the Sun, Peter has gone through many iterations, with the current comics doing a surprisingly capable job of squaring the guilt-ridden soldier who helped stop the Annihilation Wave with the goofy scoundrel Star-Lord became after his MCU debut in 2014. However, throughout every version of his character, Peter has been someone who placed immense value on his relationships. Here are the five loves of his life in current comic canon.
5 L'ssa Quill
L'ssa is the wife of Peter Quill in a future where Earth's supervillains united to kill off the heroes - a world introduced in the iconic Old Man Logan, but now known as the Wastelanders timeline. In this potential timeline, Peter takes over as leader of the Spartax Empire, and so is away from Earth when Red Skull's villain alliance strike. As Emperor of Spartax, Peter is married to L'ssa and they have two children, Meredith and Jason (as in seen in 2019’s Old Man Quill #1 by Ethan Sacks and Robert Gill.)
L’ssa’s introduction in the series is sadly a plot device to drive Peter Quill on a revenge quest. In a flashback, L’ssa and their children are killed by the invading Universal Church of Truth while Peter is distracted and unable to save his family and his planet Spartax in time. To cope with his traumatizing loss, Peter keeps L'ssa and his kids alive through the use of AI holograms so he’ll always them. This is a romance rooted in loss and tragedy, but also a window into a world where Peter embraces his responsibilities and quits his life as a cosmic adventurer. Notably, Peter and L'ssa name their children after Peter's parents, implying that starting a family gave him some closure on the tragic death of his mother.
4 Caryth Halyan (AKA Ship)
Caryth Haylan is the physical form of the advanced, sentient spacecraft known as 'Ship.' Before Peter got his hands on his most recognizable vessel, the Milano, Ship was Star-Lord's constant companion through his early journeys in the '70s. Star-Lord and Ship possessed a psychic bond that allowed them to communicate and become friends, leading to Ship becoming completely smitten with its captain. In 1978’s Marvel Preview #14 by Chris Claremont and Carmine Infantino, Quill is gravely injured in battle and Ship uses its shapeshifting powers to transform into a beautiful alien named Caryth Haylan to nurse him back to health. Caryth lies to Peter by not revealing her true identity as Ship and attempts to seduce the space outlaw due to her growing feelings for him.
Ultimately, Caryth becomes overwhelmed by her feelings for Star-Lord and calls off the romance, though the two remain close and continue traveling together. Ship tends not to appear in Star-Lord's modern stories, though the canon explanation for this is that after Star-Lord sacrificed hundreds of thousands of lives to stop the former herald of Galactus known as the Fallen One, he was so ashamed that he's actively avoided his old partner ever since.
3 Gamora
The adopted daughter of Thanos, Gamora is the most recognizable love interest in Star-Lord’s life, thanks mostly to their MCU romance. Gamora was introduced in 1975’s Strange Tales #180 by Jim Starlin as a deadly assassin working for Thanos and later a faithful Guardian of the Galaxy. Following the supposed death of her partner Richard Rider AKA Nova, Gamora grew closer to Star-Lord from a best friend to an eventual lover. The two polar opposites attracted, even after Peter lied about Nova’s death and Gamora stabbed Peter after she became obsessed with collecting the Infinity Gems to rewrite reality.
Sadly, just as the two were considering settling down, Peter was hurled into another reality, where he spent one hundred years on the planet Mornus. Star-Lord spent that time growing and coming to understand larger truths about his place in the cosmos - even as only a short amount of time ed for the Guardians. When Peter returned, he was a different person, and he and Gamora officially broke off their relationship. Gamora has since rekindled her connection with Nova - a happy outcome given that many comic fans consider them the better match.
2 Kate 'Kitty' Pryde
A major X-Men hero and the woman who took on the 'Star-Lord' title when Peter briefly left the Guardians, Kitty Pryde is a beloved Marvel hero who permanently changed pop culture when she was introduced in X-Men #129, by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. During 'The Trial of Jean Grey' storyline, Kitty - as the new leader of the X-Men - met Star-Lord and the Guardians for the first time and sparks flew between the two leaders. Peter and Kitty hit it off as friends and flirted with each other long distance, while also protecting their fellow X-Men and Guardians.
After the two teams saved the galaxy together, things got serious, with Star-Lord proposing and Kitty ing the Guardians. Although the couple eventually broke up due to Peter’s decision to take over from his father as the ruler of Spartax, Kitty and Peter remain friends while still holding strong feelings for each other.
1 Aradia & Mors
Easily the most significant romance in Star-Lord's life, Peter met Aradia and Mors during the century he spent on the planet Morinus. After seemingly sacrificing himself by detonating a bomb to defeat the Dark Olympians - devastating Gamora and her fellow Guardians - it was revealed in 2020’s Guardians of the Galaxy #9 (by Al Ewing and Juann Cabal) that Peter was actually transported to Morinus, where he began traveling with the heroic nomads Aradia and Mors. After a decade holding out hope of returning to Gamora, Peter finally accepted Morinus as his new home, entering into a relationship with Aradia and Mors and taking part in a symbolic rebirth.
The three spent a century together and had a son - who Peter named 'Rocket' after his old friend on the Guardians. Tragically, the Dark Olympians eventually tracked Peter to Morinus, and he was forced to leave that dimension to safeguard his family. Fans haven't seen Aradia, Mors, or Rocket since, but the relationship profoundly changed Peter, acting as a stunning coming-out epic that confirmed Star-Lord's bisexuality after previous plans for a canon boyfriend had fallen to the cutting room floor.
While fans may think of him as a rogueish playboy, Star-Lord has a history of life-changing romances with fellow heroes, giving his whole heart in the process. Hopefully, Guardians of the Galaxy will continue to allow Star-Lord to grow, and one day he'll meet his otherworldy family once again.
