Actor Chris Pratt has come a long way since his time on Parks & Recreation (streaming with a Peacock subscription), becoming one of Hollywood’s most bankable movie stars. That includes his ongoing role in the MCU as Star-Lord, as well as more recent releases like Netflix’s The Electric State. And he compared those two characters in a way that totally makes sense.
The end of Guardians 3 announced Star-Lord would be back in upcoming Marvel movies, but exactly when remains a mystery. He recently brought a new character John D. Keats to life in Electric State, which is available to stream with a Netflix subscription). When speaking with EW about the project, he shared some connective tissue that links Peter Quill and John Keats. In his words:
They’re both products of the same era, and so there’s a similarity in the sense of nostalgia for an era that’s bygone. Although it’s an alternate version [in Electric State], it’s the ’90s, and obviously, Quill has all of these pop culture references to the ’80s, things that helped inform him and who he was before he left Earth at 13. Keats is also a product of that time. So in that regard, they’re similar.
Honestly, I see it now. While obviously both character have Pratt’s signature swagger, their love for vintage culture is definitely something in common for the leading men of The Electric State and Guardians of the Galaxy.
While Electric State’s critic score was low, audiences seem to be much kinder on the project. Another connection MCU connection that Pratt didn’t mention is the fact that the new blockbuster was helmed by The Russo Brothers, who he worked with on Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Later in the same interview, Pratt spoke more about his two characters, sharing:
I guess as a character arc goes, they have a journey; they find something bigger than themselves to want to fight for and are willing to sacrifice themselves for. There’s him talking to an animated character through the course of it. So I guess, even now, just in this interview, I’m realizing that there are similarities…He kind of feels like what Peter Quill could have been if he didn’t get picked up and go to space, but instead lived through a robot war and went on the run with his robot friend.
Just like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the ending of The Electric State also teased the way the story might continue in a possible sequel. The final moments of the Netflix movie saw Cosmo rise up, seemingly hinting that Christopher’s consciousness might still be alive. So just like fans are waiting for news about Star-Lord, they’ll seemingly have to do the same for John D. Keats.
The Electric State is streaming now on Netflix, while Pratt’s time in the MCU (so far) is on Disney+. But we shouldn’t expect either of his characters to show up in anything else in the 2025 movie release list.
