It looks like we haven’t seen the last of Peter Quill. Chris Pratt has confirmed that Star-Lord will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although he’s keeping quiet about when that’ll happen. It’s been more than three years since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 wrapped up the character’s story, at least for the time being, and Marvel fans have been waiting to find out what comes next. Now, Pratt’s latest comments suggest that the studio is actually working toward bringing him back, rather than simply leaving the door open for some vague possibility down the line.
The actor spoke about his future as Star-Lord during an appearance on The Playlist’s The Bingeworthy podcast, published on October 21, 2026. According to Pratt, he remains on good terms with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and executive Louis D’Esposito, and their conversations about the character have already led to concrete steps toward his return. He didn’t reveal any details about the plan, though, so we’re still in the dark about which film will bring Peter back or how big a part he’ll play. With Avengers: Doomsday arriving in December 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars following in 2027, there are certainly a couple of obvious possibilities. But neither film has been confirmed as Star-Lord’s next appearance, and Pratt isn’t officially announced as part of either cast.
There’s a reason fans have been asking about Quill in the first place. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 gave the character a fairly meaningful ending, sending him back to Earth to spend time with his grandfather after years of living among the stars. The rest of the Guardians continued their adventures, with Rocket taking over leadership of the team, while Peter finally got the chance to reconnect with the life he’d left behind as a child. Still, Marvel wasn’t exactly subtle about leaving things open. The film ended with a title card promising that “The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return.” Three years later, Pratt has now offered a little more reassurance that the promise wasn’t just there for show.
Could Star-Lord Show Up in Avengers: Secret Wars?
Peter Quill has been part of the MCU since the first Guardians of the Galaxy hit theaters in 2014. At the time, he was a wisecracking space outlaw with a love for old Earth music and a habit of making terrible situations even worse with his mouth. But underneath the jokes, Quill was a lonely guy who’d been taken from Earth as a child and spent most of his life trying to find a place where he belonged. He eventually found that place with Gamora, Rocket, Groot and Drax, a group of misfits who somehow became one of the universe’s most important teams.
Quill’s story also stretched well beyond the Guardians movies. He was caught up in the fight against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, although his impulsive decisions didn’t always help matters. By the end of the third Guardians film, he’d reached a point where he didn’t need to keep running around the galaxy to prove himself. Handing leadership to Rocket and returning to Earth felt like a natural next step for him, even if it left plenty of room for another chapter.
That change could actually make his return more interesting. With Peter now back on Earth, Marvel doesn’t necessarily have to reunite the entire Guardians team to bring him into another story. He could cross paths with some of the MCU’s Earth-based heroes, which would be a different dynamic for a character who’s spent most of his time dealing with aliens, space pirates and cosmic disasters. Of course, if a threat big enough to put the entire universe at risk turns up, Quill’s experience beyond Earth would come in handy, too.
The obvious question is whether he’ll appear in Avengers: Doomsday. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the upcoming film is expected to bring together a large group of Marvel heroes to face a new threat involving Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr. A conflict on that scale would certainly give Star-Lord a reason to get involved. The problem is that Pratt hasn’t been officially announced as part of the cast, and there’s no confirmed connection between Quill and the film at this point. So, while it’s an easy possibility to imagine, there’s nothing solid to go on yet.
Avengers: Secret Wars might be an even more interesting option. Currently scheduled for December 2027, the film is expected to bring the Multiverse Saga to a close, potentially pulling together characters and storylines from across the MCU. That kind of massive crossover could give Marvel plenty of reasons to bring Peter back into the picture. Still, Pratt hasn’t said that either upcoming Avengers film is where we’ll see him again, so fans will have to wait for something more concrete.
There’s also the possibility that Star-Lord’s next appearance won’t be tied to an Avengers movie at all. Pratt has previously mentioned pitching ideas to Feige about where he thinks the character’s story could go next. That suggests he wants to do more than pop up for a quick cameo, and it makes sense given how much of Peter’s life has changed since the last film. He’s spent years trying to figure out where he belongs, and returning to Earth doesn’t necessarily mean he’s figured everything out.
For now, Marvel is keeping the actual plan under wraps. Pratt’s comments are encouraging, especially for anyone who thought the studio might leave Star-Lord on Earth and move on to other characters. But knowing that he’s coming back and knowing what that return will look like are two very different things. Until Marvel announces a project or confirms his casting, Doomsday and Secret Wars remain possibilities rather than sure bets. At least we know Peter Quill’s story isn’t finished just yet.