Chris Pratt Wants Fans To Stop Blaming Star-Lord For His 'Avengers: Infinity War' Actions

Remember when Star-Lord lost his composure just as the Avengers team was about to defeat Thanos, mucking up their master plan entirely and catalyzing the destruction of half the universe? Yeah, Chris Pratt does, too. Not surprising, since he's been fielding major backlash over his character's actions for months now. But during a recent interview with Radio Times about his upcoming role in Jurassic World, Chris Pratt defended his Avengers: Infinity War character, arguing that Star-Lord's impetuous reaction to the news of Gamora's untimely death was one any human being might have, if faced with a similar situation. Delving into the nitty-gritty's of his defense rationale, Pratt said,

"Look—the guy watched his mother die, he watched as his father-figure died in his arms, he was forced to kill his own biological father. And now has suffered the loss of the love of his life. So I think he reacted in a way that's very human, and I think the humanity of the Guardians of the Galaxy is what sets them apart from other superheroes."

In some ways, he does seem to have a point. After all, simply because Star-Lord is a super-human doesn't mean he doesn't experience the normal range of human emotions, just like everyone else. "I think if we did it a hundred times I wouldn't change a thing," Pratt said.

And while Pratt probably does have a uniquely nuanced band of insights as to his character's underlying motives, that still seems like a pretty weighty statement to make, given the fierce bouts of upset from fans who've been blaming Star-Lord for Infinity War's dismal ending, basically ever since the film first hit theaters back in April.

Suffice to say, Pratt is duly aware of the social media-fueled bitterness toward his character. "People seem to be upset with Star-Lord," he told Radio Times. But, for the record, he personally blames Thanos (i.e. the Dark Lord) for the whole thing. For those who need a memory jog: Thanos is the harrowing intergalactic villain who drummed up the intergalactic wipe-out in the first place, before proceeding to kill Star-Lord's love interest, Zoe Saldana's Gamora. So, following that logic, if Thanos hadn't initiated all that pain and havoc in the first place, Star-Lord probably wouldn't have screwed things up the way he did.

"Jeez, how come he's not getting any of the blame?" Pratt asked during the Radio Times interview, referencing the comparative lack of hate thrown Thanos' way post-Infinity War. That being said, the actor acknowledged his own bias in this particular sphere. "Clearly, I'm very sensitive about this," he added. But after parsing through some of the responses to Pratt's comments on Twitter, it sounds like he's not alone in that perspective.

And judging by the slew of reactions from Marvel fans on Twitter, it sounds like Pratt's "humanity" rationale is actually one that a sizable chunk of fans can get behind. That doesn't come as too much of a surprise, considering Marvel's handling of many of its superhero characters, who are often as refreshingly flawed as they are valiant.

As one fan pointed out on Twitter, part of what has made Pratt's character so lovable throughout his various stints within the MCU is his very tangible real-ness, which seems to set him apart from many of his superhero counterparts across pop culture. (As Marvel enthusiasts already know, Pratt's Star-Lord made his jump from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise to Avengers with this year's Infinity War.)

"This is part of why I loved Guardians as opposed to other superhero flicks," the Twitter user wrote, responding to Pratt's comments to Radio Times, "They're all very organic characters that act believably like a bunch of screw-ups who found a family in each other, as opposed to a bunch of larger-than-life gods that are just always perfect."

A handful of fellow Marvel aficionados on Twitter seemed to agree with that user's point, arguing that, while Star-Lord's actions might not have been the most logical, it certainly was the most human and falls closely in line with the character's previously established personality traits.

Of course, there are still scorned Marvel fans out there reeling in the aftermath of Infinity War's totally mind-boggling conclusion. And while those fans can acknowledge that perhaps those "very human" elements of Star-Lord might very well have led him to make that cosmic mistake on Titan, they still don't like him very much.

So, has everyone made up their minds about Star-Lord's moral standing? Whether you agree with Pratt's defense of his character or not, the points he made about Star-Lord's humanity seem pretty tough to argue with. And if the massive response on social media is any indication (as well as the general buzz over Star-Lord's Infinity War blunder), it sounds like that might be the most important takeaway here.

Regardless of fault, Star-Lord is quite evidently a pretty complex character — one with enough multi-dimensional strengths and weaknesses to become almost controversial within the Marvel fanbase. As far as Pratt's acting chops are concerned, that, in and of itself, sounds like a triumph of pretty cosmic proportions.