Though DC’s Shazam! is still more than 8 months away, Marvel has already given us at least one superhero who looks like an adult but is really a kid at heart.
Climaxing his first movie with an impromptu dance-off, Guardians of the Galaxy leader Peter Quill is every bit the man-child that Chris Pratt’s character in Parks and Recreation was, albeit a man-child that shows undeniable skill with a ship and a blaster. But as silly as this figure can sometimes get, the creative team behind Avengers: Infinity War are quick to point out that there are darker components to the character of Star-Lord which hark back to another Peter who never grew up.
On the audio commentary track for the Infinity War home video release, co-director Joe Russo and co-writer Christopher Markus observe how the mix of tragedy and adventure in Peter’s life earns comparisons to a certain Lost Boy of classic literature and Disney movies past.
“Quill is a very interesting character to us.” co-director Joe Russo explained. “He’s sort of like a Peter Pan character. His mother as dying of cancer, he was kidnapped at the age of 10, & raised by pirates. He’s unique, and what’s fun about him is he’s very flawed and he’s emotionally damaged. His mother’s been murdered…”
“Murdered his own father,” co-writer Christopher Markus added.
“That’s right.” Joe echoed. “His girlfriend’s about to die in the movie. So this is a guy who has incredible catharsis in his life.”
Sure enough, Peter has led a pretty sad life in some respects, and Joe Russo has even argued that fans should cut him a little slack for his impulsive and universe-dooming actions in the fight against Thanos.
In any case, Avengers: Infinity War is now available to revisit on Digital HD and is coming to 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray and DVD on August 14th, complete with a generous helping of bonus features.