While Star Lord
is best known for his role in the MCU, the character has a significantly longer history in the comics. As much as MCU Star-Lord’s dirty red duster and rarely worn mask look fun on screen, the comics have introduced significantly more interesting costumes over the years. For a man who loves his vintage music, Peter Quill knows how to keep his fashion up to date.
Over the course of his long tenure as pirate turned galactic protector, Star-Lord has adopted many looks, each adapting to reflect his place in the galaxy. Although he was originally an arrogant, self-entitled jerk, and still is to some extent, he has long since come forward and embraced with open arms the variety of life and culture the galaxy has to offer. While his tenure in the MCU may soon end, his reign and his many comic book costumes are far from over.
1
The Original Star-Lord
First appeared in Marvel #4 Preview (1976)
Before his modern introduction in 2004, Star-Lord originally debuted in Marvel #4 Preview (1976) by Steve Englehart. This version of Star-Lord is a similar version to
the modern Peter Quill
with some important differences in its origin story. Similar to a character like Shazam, Peter’s powers and costume were originally bestowed by a space wizard as a legacy of the galactic guardians known as Star-Lords.
Very much a product of its time, this costume has an elegant, vintage look, indicative of the 60s and 70s interest in retro-futurism. While it may seem outdated by today’s standards, the simple yet unified aesthetic feels strange in nature, better representing the origin of Peter’s powers. In fact, Peter’s Green Goblin-style glider It’s definitely a concept that needs to be brought back into the comics.
2
Space Criminal Peter Quill
First appeared in Thanos #8 (2004)
Nearly thirty years later, Keith Griffen and Ron Lim resurrected the galactic hero with a new aesthetic and backstory. In his return debut, Quill was a hardened man, burdened by the hundreds of thousands of deaths he inadvertently caused while protecting a planet with millions of people. In an effort to rescind his humanity, Peter began implanting himself with multiple cybernetics.
Unlike his MCU counterpart, this Star-Lord was disgusted with himself and deeply regretful for what he had done, despite how many he had saved. Although it is a somewhat bold way of demonstrating dissatisfaction with oneself, the figurative display of Star-Lord’s struggle to feel human It’s powerful. Originally teaming up with Thanos at the time, Peter would soon find himself in the company of
the fledgling Guardians of the Galaxy.
3
The dirty dozen
First appeared in Annihilation: Conquest – Starlord (2007)
After Annihilation’s defeat, Peter was recruited to lead a new strike force made up of criminals and bandits. Although the team didn’t have an official name at the time, Peter referred to himself as the Dirty Dozen. Hoping to inspire his team, Peter created a new uniform that leaned heavily on his “Star-Lord” name.
This new costume is heavily inspired by old British military and police uniforms, although it relies on the blue and gold color scheme to represent him as a “star” in the vast void of space. The most shocking part and honestly the best part of the costume is the mask. Peter wanted to delve deeper the legendary status his name has achieved in the war against Annihilation, wishing to hide his face so that
“Star-Lord” could become an image
. Although he no longer possesses his cybernetic enhancements, the mask continues to serve as a way for Peter to distance himself from his sense of humanity. To date, this is probably one of the most drastic, while also being one of the most stylish, outfit choices he’s ever had.
4
The Guardians of the Galaxy
First appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy #2 (2008)
Upon completion of his previous mission, Peter and parts of the “Dirty Dozen” were reformed into the newest iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy. With the new team also came a new look. While it doesn’t seem like much has changed at first glance, what’s more important is that it was the reference for the Guardians’ unified costumes.
Although the MCU gave fans a version of this look, the comic book original continued to carry the authoritative police look that his previous costume had. Despite being a bunch of criminals,
the Guardians were peacekeepers
the galaxy’s independent police force. In addition to an updated mask and color scheme, the insignia that Peter originally adorned on his uniform have increased in size, making the Star-Lord brand clearly recognizable from a distance.
5
The Cosmic Avengers
First appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy #1 (2013)
After leaving Earth-616 to deal with a threat in the Cancerverse, Peter returned to his home dimension and reformed the Guardians once again. The series took a major hiatus due to low sales, but after the release of
the MCU movie
Marvel Comics decided to give the team another chance. Now back with blonde hair and a semi-familiar return to their original 1976 attire, the Guardians had generally abandoned the unified aesthetic, allowing each member a little more personal styling.
Once again, the insignia that Star-Lord often uses for his personal brand has expanded, now consuming much of his clothing. Furthermore, Peter abandoned his authoritarian mask and helmet to better expose your face. Not only did he look significantly more superheroic, but by showing his face once again, Peter was accepting himself and his humanity. Peter’s frequent use of gold accents in his costumes continues to be a prevalent factor and something the MCU has severely missed.
6
Tony Stark’s Iron Armor
First appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1 (2013)
An alternate costume that Star-Lord debuted during the same intro of the same series, this costume made its proper debut on Ed McGuinness’ variant cover of issue #.01. During this period of the Guardians,
Iron Man joined the team
to help defend Earth from Thanos’ imminent invasion. Until now, Star-Lord has never worn proper “armor.”
For the most part, Peter’s clothes were, and continue to be, primarily fabric. While the color scheme is a bit drab, the deviation towards a proper-looking spacesuit that only Gamora wore gave Peter a commanding appearance. Almost highlights the comical nature of Peter flying through space in nothing but thick jackets, leather and spandex. While this look never had staying power in the comics, it leaves one wishing Peter could get his own Iron Man armor in the future.
7
King of Sparta
First appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy #1 (2015)
Years later, just before 2015 Secret Wars event, Peter’s father, the villain King J’son of Spartax, was deposed, leaving Pedro as heir to the player. As expected, Peter hated the role, often noting that he had no place in politics outside of his duties. That being said, her royal costume is not only classy and elegant, but it still carries themed aspects from her other costumes.
Bringing back his familiar black and blue motif, the gold details of Peter’s previous costumes became a central point of the entire uniform. It’s also worth noting that the Star-Lord insignia that Peter included on all of his costumes is now deleted, moving further away from “Star-Lord” to enforce his new identity as King of Spartax.
8
Return to Guardians
First appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy #2 (2013)
Pedro was eventually deposed from his position as king, labeled a fugitive and returned to the stars alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy. Peter’s new outfit embraces the overall structure of his first militaristic Guardians outfit, while also combining it with some of the adaptive looks he first received.
in the MCU
. Although he completely abandoned the dramatic nature of his king costume, the return of elements often used in his previous costumes signified his return to himself.
However, this time the gold details have been removed almost entirely. Aside from Star-Lord’s insignia and his golden blonde hair, the biggest color change was the new white accents. In the chaos of battle, especially in outer space, the new details help establish a firm and noticeable silhouette.
9
Master of the Sun
First appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy #9 (2020)
After a series of events that led to the
Gods of Olympus
killed and reborn as the “Black Olympians,” Star-Lord summoned a black hole that devoured him and the Olympians, transporting them to an alternate universe. The process also had fused Star-Lord with the energy of the gods, transforming him into the Master of the Sun. In fact, the reality he traveled to was the same one the original Star-Lord came from.
Peter spent over a hundred years in this reality, accepting his infinitely useless new life of supreme power and fighting dark gods. By far his most unique costume yet, this look signifies a version of Peter who has abandoned his previous attachments to embrace the carefree, open-loving lifestyle of a god. As fun as this outfit, especially including the beard, looked in the MCU, Star-Lord quickly cleaned himself up after returning to Earth-616 during the middle of Knull’s invasion.
10
Outside the Galactic Law
First appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy #1 (2023)
Star-Lord’s most recent look, this outfit came after the Guardians were broken from within and disgraced throughout the galaxy. Now acting as crooks and outlaws on the outskirts of the galaxy, the Guardians have taken on an entirely new appearance. While Peter has always visibly presented himself as an officer or pirate, he’s always had this gunslinger mentality throughout it all.
Frankly, this costume is fantastic. Although he still wears a variation of his traditional Guardian look, he has covered himself completely. Throughout his comic appearances, Peter’s clothing it reflected his sense of identity at the time. Whenever he tries to hide his face, it means he is trying to hide from himself, to distance himself from his own image. This Western look is more than just that of a tough gunslinger, but another insight into the Guardian’s psyche. The trench, the gloves, the hat and the return to covering his face with the mask show where Peter is mentally. More than any other, this look is the perfect mix between aesthetically impressive and symbolically powerful.