Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2: New Theory On Star-Lord's Father Ties Him To Infinity War

Just who is Kurt Russell playing?

Guardians Of The Galaxy Quill Star-Lord Kurt Russell
Marvel Studios/Goldcrest Films

We're a year away from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and there are a couple of big mysteries just waiting to be revealed.

One is the identity of Peter Quill's father, which was established in the first film, and the other is just who Kurt Russell is playing. Russell recently completed filming on the film, with director James Gunn tweeting that he had a "small tear" when it was over.

One of the suggestions, given his age, high-profile casting, and the relative lack of other additions to the movie, is that Russell could well be playing Star-Lord's dad. But given how obvious that sounds, could it really be the case?A new theory over on Newsarama has examined why he can't be the father, and also why he just might be. Firstly, they start off with the case against:

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"Russell being the actual fatherandshowing up in the story early almost certainly undermines the entire point of the film solving said mystery. Russell being introduced late violates the rule, undermining what the last minutes of Guardiansand Vol. 2will have built up to over three years."

The rule in question is the fact that mysteries are typically solved in the third act, and Russell being introduced at this stage would almost certainly give the game away, which seems like pretty fair reasoning. But what about the argument that can be made for Russell being Quill's father?This goes with the idea of there being an added payoff to the reveal, something the audience don't know about, and how Russell could fit into that.

First, they note that of the other additions to the cast, Pom Klementieff is playing Mantis, while Elizabeth Debicki is another mystery character. They suggest - and it makes sense - that she could be Moondragon, one of the other significant female characters in the Guardians universe, daughter of Drax, and someone rumoured for a while now to be appearing. And then they mention just who she could be working for, which is where Russell comes in:

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"How about the Eternal named Mentor, who neatly fits into the Marvel cosmic corner of things? Mentor was Moondragons saviour, adopted father figure (starting to see a theme here?) and well mentor and does satisfy the ancient race qualification for Peters father, and his shock white hair...connects with the "angelic" description given by Peter's dying mother."

It does fit, not just in the way the character matches what we already know about Quill's father, but also as a way of it being Russell and still being a surprising reveal for audiences, while it would also be a way of really connecting Guardians - and Star-Lord in particular - to the upcoming Infinity War (which he's rumoured to be appearing in). How?

" that would make Peter and Thanos half-brothers."

Thanos has been very much a background player so far, and while they can introduce him fully and raise the stakes without this, it would add another, more personal layer to the upcoming war.

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Are you buying the theory, or do you have another suggestion for Star-Lord's father? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.