Summary
Marvel just officially debuted its new version ofStar-Lord, as Peter Quill’s codename passes to a powerful new holder with mysterious ties to some major Marvel heroes. This hero seemingly has no links to theGuardians of the Galaxy, and is a solo operator who entire civilizations call when they face Galactus-level threats they can’t defeat alone.
In a preview ofAnnihilation 2099 #2, fans meet the new Starlord (Marvel is seemingly dropping the hyphen used by Peter Quill’s version.) The young hero is described in the summary as a"Wakandan tech goddess"who"guards the solar systems of 2099.“While little else is known about the character, she appears to be wieldingsome version of Thor’s hammer Mjolnir(or potentially the Universal Weapon most famously wielded by Kree antihero Ronan.)
The issue will see the new Starlord take on Quasar 2099. One of Marvel’s most powerful and yet also most obscure heroes,Quasar is a cosmic powerhousewho protects the galaxy from the highest levels of threat. However, in the year 2099, it appears that either the hero has been corrupted or else the codename has been taken by something far, far darker.
Starlord 2099’s ship is prominent in the preview and cover art of the character. This is good news for longtime Star-Lord fans, as it may mean she has some version of Ship - the sentient, talking spaceship introduced in 1977. Ship was a major character in the first Star-Lord comics but has been largely forgotten in modern stories.
Annihilation 2099 #2(2024)
Starlord 2099 appears to be a Star-Lord/Thor mashup with major ties to Black Panther’s Wakanda - a combo that will be irresistible to MCU fans, given each character’s prominence in the movies.
Hailing from Black Panther’s Nation, the Hero Also Wields a Thor-esque Hammer
Marvel 2099 is an imprint depicting the heroes of the futuristic timeline of 2099, with the recentAnnihilation 2099and its upcoming follow-upConquest 2099introducing new cosmic heroes to this universe. Founded in 1992, Marvel 2099 is defined by what’s become a retro-futurist, cyberpunk aesthetic, leading to some of Marvel’s most unique character designs.
Fans already met the new Nova, and Starlord 2099 will be followed byversions of Red Hulk and Silver Surfer. Interestingly, these heroes seem to have strange connections to the original versions they take their names from. Fans might have expected Starlord 2099 to be from one of the planets in the Spartax Empire (to which Peter Quill is the heir in the comics), and yetit’s Black Panther’s Wakanda that this new hero calls home… at least, the version of Wakanda that exists in the far future.
The issue summary describes Starlord 2099 as"born to a fallen star, raised on Planet Wakanda,“confirming that in this timeline, Wakanda has grown from a nation to an entire world. This isn’t unusual to comic fans, asthe Intergalactic Empire of Wakandais actually already an entity in Marvel’s main timeline.
With Ghost Rider/Silver Surfer and Wolverine/Nova mashups,Annihilation 2099has returned to Marvel’s favorite trick - combining iconic characters to create new heroes.
More mysterious is the nature of Starlord 2099’s hammer - while not identical to Thor’s Mjölnir (which has a short handle due to Loki tampering with its creation), itdoeslook similar to the version from the Ultimate Universe, which ended up in thepossession of the main timeline’s Valkyrie, aka Jane Foster. It’s clearly connected to Starlord’s power, with Nick Bradshaw and Rachelle Rosenberg’s cover showing the hero’s costume glowing along with the weapon.The description of Starlord as a"goddess"also suggests this could be some version of Mjolnir.This would make sense with how Marvel has designed its new 2099 heroes, with several seeming to combine multiple iconic Marvel characters.
Starlord 2099 Isn’t the Only Mash-Up Hero in Marvel’s Future
The New Silver Surfer and Nova Are Also Stealth Combo Heroes
Fans already met the Last Nova inAnnihilation 2099 #1, who was revealed to be an aging Wolverine, his cells now infused with the Nova Force. Silver Surfer 2099 - who’ll be introduced in the fourth issue - alsohas clear ties to Ghost Rider, with a fiery head and confirmation that he’s been brought back to life by Mephisto. Issue 3’s Red Hulk has no clear secondary inspiration, however Marvel has confirmed he will be empowered while mining Ego the Living Planet and use the Power Primordial rather than gamma radiation - the power source used by Elders of the Universe including the Grandmaster and Collector.
Wolverine Gets Permanent New Powers & Costume as Marvel’s New Nova
Wolverine is officially THE LAST NOVA, as the X-Men’s brawler gets major cosmic powers in a shocking redesign no-one saw coming.
Marver and DC have long made a habit of finding ways to combine their most beloved characters to create new heroes. Recent examples for Marvel include theGhost Rider/Wolverine mashup known as the Hellverine, as well as the entire ‘Warp World’ reality created in 2018’sInfinity Warsevent (from Gerry Duggan and Mike Deodato), where everyone in the universe is a combination of two Marvel characters, from the Soldier Supreme (Captain America/Doctor Strange) to Weapon Hex (Scarlet Witch/X-23).
This isn’t the first time Peter Quill has passed on the Star-Lord name, but it has the potential to be the most successful…
Annihilation 2099is a new opportunity to debut combo heroes and to combine different franchises that Marvel doesn’t want to mix in its mainstream comics.In Marvel’s main reality, Wolverine gaining Nova powers could only ever be temporary, but in the timeline of Marvel 2099, it’s possible to make that power-up Logan’s longterm status quo. How the new Starlord ties into the lore of Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor and Black Panther remains to be seen, but this unusual combo is more than welcome as a creative take on much-loved heroes.
This Isn’t the First Time Marvel Has Passed on the Star-Lord Title
Kitty Pryde and Howard the Duck Have Both Used the Codename
While Star-Lord has been around for a while, he’s only truly been popular since 2006’sAnnihilationmade him a player in the Marvel Universe again. Because of that, he hasn’t had the same number of iterations and inheritors as other iconic heroes, however Starlord 2099 is still far from the first person to inherit Peter Quill’s codename. When Peter quit the Guardians of the Galaxy to become leader of Spartax, X-Men’s Kitty Pryde (who was romantically linked to Peter) took over the title and leadership of the group, resulting in a rift with Peter. Recent comics in which Rocket Raccoon broke from the group saw him take a similar name as the Star-Sheriff.
Guardians of the Galaxy’s Best Arc Is a Perfect Coming Out Metaphor
Al Ewing’s beloved 2020 run of Guardians of the Galaxy reinvented the team as queer icons, while also giving Star-Lord an allegorical coming out.
In the MCU, T’Challa became Star-Lord in season 1, episode 2’s"What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?"- a fact which may have some relation to the new Starlord 2099, given her ties to Wakanda. A similar “Waugh If…” story sawHoward the Duck become Star-Lordin the 2023 anniversary comicHoward the Duck, with the Guardians considering him a definite downgrade compared to Peter Quill. The aforementioned Warp World reality also has its own Peter Quill/Groot hybrid - a spacefaring tree hero who goes by ‘Peet.’
Interestingly, Guardians lore includesthe mysterious Master of the Sun- a godlike being tied to Peter’s origin who may be an alternate or future version of Quill, or else part of his subconscious (notably, their codenames mean the same thing.) This may be the"fallen star"the issue’s summary refers to in relation to Starlord’s origin. Starlord 2099 introducing herself as"independent stellar security"suggest she has a similar loner streak toGuardians of the GalaxyleaderPeter Quill, but fans will only learn the origin of her hammer and why she chose the codename whenAnnihilation 2099 #2hits stands in a few days' time.
