According to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director James Gunn, the upcoming movie will finally delve into Rocket’s emotional roots. The titular superhero team has appeared in several other MCU films, most recently in Thor: Love and Thunder, even though Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was released in 2017. In addition to the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana’s Gamora, Dave Bautista’s Drax, Bradley Cooper’s Rocket, and Vin Diesel’s Groot will return in the third and concluding installment of James Gunn’s trilogy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.
Despite the fact that there are still many unanswered questions regarding how Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will wrap up the story of the titular team, director James Gunn recently disclosed in an interview with ComicBook.com that the movie would focus on Rocket’s backstory. The director is cautious about giving away too many spoilers for the future film, but he does hint that Rocket’s background will be the main center of the overall emotional drama he has in mind. See Gunn’s entire statement down below:
“[The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special] is also very, very different than Volume 3 because Volume 3 is a really a very emotional movie. And it tells this story about Rocket and where he came from and where he’s going, and how that ties into everybody else, and the end of this iteration of The Guardians. So, doing this goofy thing like once every four days, and then going and shooting four days of Guardians Vol. 3, and then going back, it almost created a lot of whiplash. But it was also almost like The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special days were like snow days, you know? Those were the… that was recess. That was fun!”
Explaining the Marvel Origin of Rocket Raccoon
While Rocket’s genetic experimentation is briefly exposed in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, the character has a long history in Marvel comics. The comics indicate that a team of intelligent robots tasked with looking after a planet of mentally ill humans conducted the tests on Rocket. In order to be able to relocate to the other half of the globe, the robots produced Rocket Raccoon (and other species) to effectively take their position as guardians. The first Guardians of the Galaxy doesn’t go into detail on this, but it does mention Rocket’s home planet of “Halfworld” in passing.
It is safe to assume that there will be similarities between Rocket’s backstory in the MCU and the comics, even though the Guardians of the Galaxy mention to Halfworld doesn’t confirm this. In the comics, Rocket and the other animals take care of the planet’s sick humans after being left behind by the robot keepers. Even the Hulk joins forces with Rocket at one point to defend Halfworld and save his kidnapped girlfriend Lylla. Although it’s uncertain how much of Rocket’s past will be covered in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it may help explain why he is the way he is.
How Rocket’s Marvel Origin Prepares for GOTG 3’s Touching Resolution
Rocket in Cooper’s portrayal is prone to yelling and avoids showing any form of emotional openness. Additionally, it’s obvious that he is bearing a heavy emotional burden, something the MCU has only hinted at sporadically. Rocket’s inclination to push people away can be examined in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which also offers the chance to give the character some closure regarding what happened on Halfworld. Gunn obviously has a huge finish planned for Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, whether it entails bringing back a character from his past or using flashbacks to explain his backstory.