Chris Pratt has finally opened up about one of the most divisive moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Peter Quill’s infamous move in Avengers: Infinity War. The actor has opened up about the backlash Peter Quill received after he interrupted the Avengers’ plan to stop Thanos—an impulsive move that changed the course of the MCU and became one of the most discussed moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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“What’s wild about this scene is people eviscerate Quill because of his responsibility for essentially getting Iron Man killed for that moment,” Pratt said in a recent interview with Out of Order about the scene where Peter Quill interrupted the Avengers’ plan to stop Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. For many fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Peter’s emotional outburst, which happened after he learned of Gamora’s death, became an unforgivable move. However, Pratt himself saw it differently. “That human moment where people hate this character for a while,” Pratt said of the scene, is what makes this work.
When Pratt acted in Avengers: Infinity War, he had no idea just how big an effect this scene would have on the MCU and on fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “I didn’t understand that it would be iconic.” He worked 20 days on this movie and 20 days on Avengers: Endgame. So, he just didn’t understand. It wasn’t until Avengers: Infinity War came out that people were coming up to him on the street, he admitted. “I really felt that people on the street would be like, ‘Why’d you do it, man?’ And I’m like, ‘I did—I like—what? I didn’t do anything.’”
Pratt is quick to defend his character’s blunder. He claims that without it, the entire movie would have fallen apart. “If I hadn’t, the movie—which is two movies—would be 30 minutes long. We got him. That’s not a movie,” Pratt said rather candidly about Quill’s blunder.
When asked about this scene now, Pratt talked about the effects that Quill’s blunder had on his character and on how fans perceive his character. “So looking at it now, I kind of feel the weight of what happened to Quill because of that,” he said. Still, there’s no regret. “I’m still happy that it happened.” However, when speaking about this scene, Pratt didn’t show even a hint of remorse. “I’m still happy that it happened.”
The controversy surrounding this scene is a reflection of Pratt’s view on what Marvel does best when they get it right: giving their superheroes a chance to fail in painfully human ways. Quill’s humanity came at a great cost, but one that helped define the emotional core of the Infinity Saga.
