Back in the day, Marvel Comics used to publish several different volumes of a comic book series called What If? It explored different scenarios and possibilities for its characters, their origins and life/world-changing events. One example of this would be "What if Betty Ross was caught in the gamma ray explosion that created the Hulk instead of Bruce Banner?" Or, "What if Reed Richards became the herald of Galactus to save Earth from destruction instead of Norrin Radd?"
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| from Guardians of the Galaxy #1 (2013 - ) by Brian Michael Bendis and Steve McNiven |
After having seen Guardians of the Galaxy this weekend, I got to thinking. What if James Gunn and Kevin Feige wanted to go in a different direction regarding Star-Lord's father who was hinted in the movie? First introduced by Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin in Marvel Preview: Starlord #11, Jason of Sparta is a space-emperor. He is also the father of Peter Quill. No spoilers here. If one does her research, the information is out there. However, the character has a complicated, publication history muddled in revised back-story between 37 years, several other creators and three different Jason's (Campbell, 2014)*. I will not explore this here. But what if Peter Quill's father wasn't Jason in order to avoid all of the discontinuity and to add more intrigue? Who could Marvel Studios cast as the Legendary Star-Lord's dad in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)? There are plenty of possibilities and lots of logical choices. Equally, some choices would be ridiculously fun. In the immortal words of Maury Povich, here are my Top Ten "You Are the Father," What If? Scenarios.
10. The Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Jack Kirby creation and first appeared in Fantastic Four #48 (1966). Just a note here: this would never happen. 20th Century Fox currently holds the rights to many of the characters associated with the FF universe. They will also be releasing another Fantastic Four movie helmed by Josh Trank. Accordingly, Norrin Radd is a part of the FF universe. He has his own storied history. Even if Marvel Studios and Disney had the rights to the character, he still would not be cast as Peter Quill's father. I just thought it would be fun to add him because I believe it's important for Marvel to obtain the rights back to characters that rightfully belong in the MCU.
9. Howard the Duck
The unlikeliest of fathers isn't even a humanoid; but a funny thing happened on the way to the gene pool. Howard the Duck made his first appears in Adventure into Fear #19 (1973) and was created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik before getting his own title in 1976. Given that Howard the Duck has had a girlfriend in the comic books, the plucky duck could be similarly cast as Rocket was in the movie. He could be a Genetically-altered, AnthropoMorphic-Evolved being, or G.A.M.E. Get it? This would be such a horribly, fowl gag that it would be end-game for Marvel Studios' stellar track-record. So... moving on.
8. Korvac (Michael Korvac)
Appearing in Giant-Size Defenders #3 (1975), Korvac was created by Steve Gerber and Jim Starlin. Of the humans on this list, Korvac is the most altered being who hails from Earth. He's also a tragic character who himself was abducted by aliens (the Badoon), but turned into something...more. He has battled Thor, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy both in comic books and in animation.
7. The Uranian
An odd choice in this list, Robert Grayson or Marvel Boy is also known as the Uranian. He first appeared in Marvel Boy #1 in 1950 written by Stan Lee and drawn by Russ Heath. He too is human, but has since been retconned to share a Uranian physiology; though he is not an Eternal.
6. Thanos
Conceived by Jim Starlin in Iron Man #55 (1973), Thanos is the Mad Titan who seeks the destruction of the universe. He desires to do this by first acquiring all six Infinity Gems: Space, Time, Mind, Soul, Power and Reality. Born to one of the first settlers of Saturn's moon Titan, he is an Eternal. He is also the bother of Eros aka Starfox (a former Avenger) as well as the surrogate father of both Gamora and Nebula. Thanos worships death and its avatar: Mistress Death. The Titan seeks to please her, hence the descriptor "mad" fits him. In the comics, he has been imbued with power by both the Cosmic Cube and the Infinity Gems, only to be stopped by the likes of Adam Warlock, the Avengers and Mar-Vell time and again. Casting the Mad Titan would pit Star-Lords' Luke Skywalker against Thanos' Darth Vader in Star Wars kind of way.
5. Richard Rider (Nova I)
The last human on this list is Richard Rider aka Nova. He was the first Nova from Earth and notably debuted with this character design in Nova #1 (1976) by Marv Wolfman and John Buscema. Since audiences were introduced to Nova Prime and its protectors the Nova Corps., the utilitarian space-hero would make a great cameo in future Guardians of the Galaxy movies or some other Marvel franchise such as the New Warriors. Since death is never permanent in comic books, the Richard Rider character who heroically perished in the Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning run of Guardians of the Galaxy (2008-2012) is set to return to comics. Sam Alexander is also the younger Nova, which notes there can be more than one of them; just like the Green Lantern Corps.
4. Mar-Vell
Mar-Vell, the Kree soldier and science officer better known as Marvel Comics' first Captain Marvel (not to be confused with Shazam), first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #12 in 1967. He was a concept envisioned by Stan Lee and drawn by Gene Colan. However, the character was not very popular until Jim Starlin re-vamped him in Captain Marvel #25. Starlin is also famous for killing off the hero in Marvel's first graphic novel The Death of Captain Marvel. Mar-vell was an Avenger and also battled Thanos. The Kree is a familiar race of beings in the Marvel Universe. They are conquerors and have even eyed Earth as a new conquest. Their ages old conflict with the Skrulls, another galactic civilization in the comic books, is also well-documented. During his time on Earth, Mar-Vell could have met Meredith Quill in a possible scenario that conceived Peter. An aside: Carol Danvers, the former Ms. Marvel, now currently holds the mantle as the rightful Captain Marvel after more than 30 years since Mar-Vell's death in the comics.
3. Ikaris (The Eternals)
Created by Jack Kirby in The Eternals #1 (1976), the Eternals were Marvel's version of the New Gods (1971) at DC. Kirby created both. The Eternals were similar to the Greek/Roman gods. Ikaris is the most recognizable characters of the titular race of beings who trace their origins to the Celestials. In addition to the Inhumans and the Asgardians, the Eternals are seen as god-like beings. One of their kind, Sersi, was also an Avenger at one point. Given the "space angel" comments in the movie by young Peter's mother, Ikaris (like Icarus), could be a strong candidate as Star-Lord's dad. Additionally, much like Icarus, he could have fallen to Earth. A fallen angel if you will. This would explain how he'd have come into contact with Meredith Quill. Guess you could say she was touched by an angel.
2. Adam Warlock
Adam Warlock is one of the coolest space characters Marvel has in its arsenal. He possesses the soul gem, one of the infinity stones described in the movie. Created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in the pages of Fantastic Four #66, he appeared in humanoid form in the following issue. Adam Warlock is also one of the few beings in the universe that can go toe-to-toe with Thanos. He played a prominent role in Jim Starlin's Infinity Gauntlet story. He, Gamora, Drax and others became protectors of the infinity gems to keep them away from the Mad Titan. Adam Warlock was also a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy during the Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning run on the comic (2008).
Honorable Mentions
Beta Ray Bill
He was worthy to lift the hammer of Thor and to replace the Silver Surfer in the Planet Hulk animated movie. Is he worthy of fathering a legend? Walter Simonson introduced him in Thor #337 (1983).
Loki
Of the Nine Realms, Loki would be the likeliest of villains to have fathered a child on Midgard. This despite his hate for brother Thor's beloved protectorate. Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Larry Lieber introduced Loki as Thor's brother and enemy in Journey into Mystery #85. He has a more tragic and complicated relationship with Thor in the MCU as portrayed by Tom Hiddleston in Thor, The Avengers and Thor: the Dark World.
Quasar
Introduced as Quasar in Incredible Hulk #234, Wendell Vaughn donned a pair of quantum bands whose origin, he learned later, was from outer space. He was able to use them better than any other humanoid attempting to do so. He thus became the Protector of the Universe. He, too, has since died (Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning run) killed by Annihilus during Annihilation. The quantum bands and mantle of Quasar was passed on to Phyla-Vell. Since death is never permanent, you never know.
1. Eros of Titan (Starfox)
Debuting in Iron Man #55 in 1973 and another Jim Starlin and Mike Friedrich creation, Eros aka Starfox would be the likeliest Marvel character to replace Jason of Spartax as Peter Quill's dad. First of all, he's not human. He is a Titan. He's also the brother of Thanos, but his polar-opposite: romantic, adventurous and fun. This would likely set up family tension for Star-Lord and Gamora, which is the stuff of soap operas. Secondly, Starfox is also a former member of the Avengers in its more historic, Marvel Comics continuity. This fact makes him perhaps one of the first alien characters to join the Avengers in their fight against Thanos by the third movie. Accordingly, Starfox is still considered "royalty." What better way to hide one's son from family turmoil than to secret him away with bandits? Um...I know...that sounds ridiculous.
Though Starfox is less than like-able as a womanizer, it is, lastly, a possible fit in the plot direction of GotG. Peter's mother described his father as being an "angel" in the movie. So, it would make sense if this angelic being was Starfox. He would need to be re-cast as a starry-eyed, fun-loving romantic (in an Ashton Kutcher kind of way) in order to (1) be suitable as a Disney movie, (2) be like-able to female audiences and (3) avoid any association with misogyny whatsoever. Starfox would need a total makeover to win over audiences.
The Punch-Line
"When it comes to 38 year old Peter Quill, Eros... What if YOU were the father?" I'm calling it. Nuff' said.
Spoiler Alert: In the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, Yondu mentioned how he was tasked with the job of fetching Peter Quill and bringing him to his father. Apparently, this didn't happen. It suggests that Star-Lord's dad is a man of power and authority. The fact that Quill was raised by Yondu and is band of bandits also suggests the machinations of a mad tyrant, the delusions of grandeur of a pompous prince or the purpose of a protective but distant patriarch.
I'd like to thank Google, Wikipedia, the Marvel Wikia, GoCollect.com and Comixology for much needed links to information and image searches.
*Campbell, Donald and Snood. "Emperor Jason of Sparta." Marvel Universe App. www.marvuapp.com. Last updated 3/27/2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014 (http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/jasonspa.htm).
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