Summary

• Star-Lord's self-perception as a hero, despite needing to repeatedly justify his credentials, reflects a complex character beneath his sarcastic quotes and quips.
• Both the comic version of Peter Quill and the MCU version played by Chris Pratt have become iconic for their one-liners, and hilarious mic drops.
• Guardians may not always be seen as good guys, but their resilience and defiance in the face of danger is perfectly captured when Star-Lord opens his mouth.

He's a man of many names, but Peter Quill wants to be globally recognized as only one: Star-Lord. It's not a name that's going to strike fear in anyone's heart anytime soon, but it is still the one used to make Quill a hit with all audiences. That, and his incredible ability to wield sarcasm and wit to turn out amazing quotes.

Both Star-Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy have proven to be some of the funniest characters that Marvel has to offer. Many of Quill's quotes can be funny, but sometimes, that heart of gold he's hiding tends to rise to the surface, manifesting in a surprisingly uplifting line or two. For everything that he brings to the table as a character, the following lines of dialogue perfectly personify everything that Star-Lord is all about.

10 "Then it's us."

Guardians of the Galaxy (2020) #11

It's only appropriate to kick off a list like this with a line that not only some would call Star-Lord's best, but the best line to summarize the Guardians of the Galaxy as a team. It's a recurring line first uttered by Peter Quill in this series' 11th issue, then again in the 18th and final issue. When first uttered by Peter, it's at the conclusion of a short monologue moments before the Guardians take on Zeus and the Gods of Olympus.

It's essentially a spin on "it's us or them." The Guardians are going to pick themselves in the heat of a fight every time, and by series' end, after they successfully thwart an invasion against Dormammu, it proves to be them again. The Guardians must bet on themselves against all odds, and when the odds are out of their favor, that's when they work best - under pressure. Not only do they work best under pressure, but that's when their frontlines are the most united as a unit.

9 ""I'm one of the good guys! Like, a "saved the universe a bunch of times" good guy!"

Star-Lord (2017) #1 by Chip Zdarsky, Kris Anka, Matthew Wilson, and VC's Cory Petit

There are layers to what works about this quote. For starters, it's Star-Lord revealing how he views himself in the grand scheme of the galaxy. Call it bragging, call it stating the facts, but he's definitely highlighting how he perceives himself more than anything. It also highlights that despite how many times he's saved the world, he still has to justify his credentials to other people. Considering that he's arrested immediately after the fact suggests that the justification is necessary, but also isn't foolproof.

Maybe it's his reputation as an outlaw that prevents him from being revered in the same vein as other Marvel heroes, like a Spider-Man for example, someone who has saved the world multiple times and doesn't need to announce who he is. If one thing is for sure, it's that the Guardians of the Galaxy still aren't as universally beloved in-universe as the Avengers or X-Men. That may be a hard pill to swallow for fans, but even more so for Peter Quill, who gets a harsh dose of his reality in this issue.

The modern team may be famous as a band of outlaws and criminals fighting even worse villains, but the original Guardians of the Galaxy (1969) were noble soldiers led by Major Vance Astro, a time-displaced Earth astronaut.

8 "You live a life like mine, you end up with a pocketful of regrets. A good regret gives a man character, if you ask me. I didn't get to be this handsome and laconic through clean living."

Guardians of the Galaxy (2008) #8 by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Clint Langley, Brad Walker, Victor Olazaba, Will Quintana, and VC's Joe Caramagna

Star-Lord isn't someone that everyone in the Marvel Universe would call a good man. He's definitely not a bad man, because his intentions are often good, but like any outlaw, he's not afraid to commit bad offenses to ensure good things happen. Take, for example, the fact that going into this series, the Guardians have broken up because it was revealed that the whole reason they're together is that Peter convinced Mantis to manipulate everyone's minds into wanting to form together.

Not exactly a good deed, but perhaps one that Quill may be filing under being a "good regret" for him. Star-Lord has always found a way to talk himself out of anything, and now he finds a way to talk himself out of being guilty by focusing on the good benefits of his regrets.

7 "We went to work today and beat Thanos. Who knows what we'll do tomorrow. Tomorrow. The future. What's the worst that could happen?"

Guardians of the Galaxy (2008) #25

Speaking of Star-Lord's regrets, the idea of regrets continues to be the theme of that 2008 run of Guardians of the Galaxy, right up until the final issue. After the Guardians defiantly defeat and capture a returning Thanos, Rocket Raccoon asks Quill if he regrets forming the team. This is his response, and it's a response that speaks to the excitement that comes with being a superhero.

Being a superhero comes with the willingness to plunge headfirst into tomorrow, no matter what chaos or plunder today offers. Today may force heroes into a conflict with a Mad Titan, yet tomorrow could still offer something even scarier than Thanos. For some heroes, that's a frightening reality, but it's also exciting and necessary. Being a hero is all about going into tomorrow in spite of today's dangers. Even Star-Lord knows that.

As he's fighting for his life during this violent death sentence, he doesn't mind that he could die at any moment. Star-Lord only minds that he doesn't have an audience giving him their full, undivided attention.

6 "You took some stuff! That's not a crime!"

Star-Lord 2017 Annual #1 by Chip Zdarsky, Djibril Morissette, Mat Lopes, and VC's Cory Petit

Three days into being appointed deputy of a western town, Deputy Quill finds himself chasing a young thief named Squeeks. When he finally catches him, he tells him that he has nothing to run about because all he did was steal, which in Star-Lord's mind isn't a crime. Of course, he's quickly corrected, but the moment points out Star-Lord's skewered perception of crime as a space outlaw, one that might be shared with the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Earlier, it was established that not everyone in the Marvel Universe would consider Star-Lord to be a good guy, but the same can be said for the rest of the galaxy. They might be thieves in their own right on occasion and are a compilation of ragtag former (and current) criminals. Good-hearted criminals, but criminals nonetheless with morals that not every hero in the Marvel Universe would agree with.

5 "I don't mind dying like the valiant intergalactic hero that I am...but the least you could do is pay attention!"

Guardians of the Galaxy (2015) #10 by Brian Michael Bendis, Valerio Schti, Richard Isanove, and VC's Cory Petit

Star-Lord has always been as much of an attention seeker as he is a thrill seeker. That's not even necessarily a knock against him, just a caveat to his character. When he announces himself as Star-Lord when he walks into a room, he does so expecting a reaction. He's a superstar who works best under a spotlight, and when that spotlight doesn't shine a light on him, it practically creates a gap in his armor.

Take this moment for example, where Peter is a prisoner sentenced to death on the planet Moord, home to the Brotherhood of Badoon. As he's fighting for his life during this violent death sentence, he doesn't mind that he could die at any moment. Star-Lord only minds that he doesn't have an audience giving him their full, undivided attention.

4 "I've seen more war than you can imagine, dirtbag. And we ain't been good for a minute. So ... bye."

Guardians of the Galaxy (2023) #1 by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and Kev Walker

As previously stated, to call Star-Lord or any of the Guardians of the Galaxy good guys can be a bit of a challenging stretch for some, but that was especially the case during their that they weren't heroes anymore. That fact is immediately established in their first issue when confronted by an unruly outlaw who says that the Old West town isn't a place for good guys. Star-Lord confirms they hadn't been good in a long time ... and weren't in a mood to change that anytime soon.

The Guardians had always been outlaws, but they still tried to do the right thing. This iteration of the Guardians - as good-natured as they remained - weren't afraid to go a little bad and get a little dirty.

3 "No one calls the Guardians of the Galaxy krutackers!"

Legendary Star-Lord #2 by Sam Humphries, Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco, David Curiel, and VC's Joe Caramagna

Moments after discovering he has a sister named Victoria (who'd soon become one of Marvel's deadliest villains), their formal introductions aren't exactly pleasant. It doesn't help that she's the Commander of the Spartax Royal Guard, and has him detained on Fortress Viderdoom. Even worse, Victoria insinuates that her brother isn't anything more than "a crooked smile and a stale quip," to which Peter responds with a quip of his book's title: "I'm the legendary Star-Lord! I'm, like, an inspiration, man." That alone is pretty quotable, but he takes it up a notch when his sister argues him and his friends are nothing but krutackers, an intergalactic slur.

The latter quote symbolizes the love he has for his teammates and how far he's willing to defend them even when they're not present. His love for the Guardians is enough to compel him to break his shackles and disarm his sister at a moment's notice.

2 "If death ever comes your way and won't let you ... make sure you scream right back in his face."

Thanos Imperative #6 by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Miguel Sepulveda, Jay David Ramos, and VC's Joe Caramagna

Okay, technically, this is cheating because it's Nova who utters the line on-. However, since it's a line that was originally said by Peter Quill that Nova is reminding him of, it's deserving of a mention on this list. Regardless of who says it, what makes the line so great is that it showcases where the resilience of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and by proxy, Star-Lord, comes from: defiance.

When they're outnumbered or outmatched, they fight from underneath practically out of spite and defiance. Death could be standing right in front of them, but instead of retreating, they keep kicking and screaming until the very end. At this point, readers shouldn't expect anything less from the Guardians of the Galaxy and it's that kind of resilience that has endeared them to the masses.

1 "I'm still Peter Quill, dammit! I guard the galaxy and that includes bars and penthouses and people!"

Star-Lord (2017) #5 by Chip Zdarsky, Kris Anka, Matthew Wilson, and VC's Cory Petit

Five issues deep into his series, Star-Lord has had the worst of luck. The Guardians of the Galaxy are dismantled, his ship broken, he crash-lands on Earth where he's relegated to being a bartender, he's been arrested, and just been betrayed by the Black Cat. Black Cat - now a bonafide mob boss - uses Quill to break into Javelynn's apartment to steal a book listing local places and how to break into all of them.

However, no matter his misfortunes, he knows his duty as a hero is to protect the galaxy and the people in it. Readers and even those in-universe can say what they want about Star-Lord, but one thing that can't be denied is that he understands what it takes to be a real hero.