James Gunn, the director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, has revealed that the upcoming movie will finally explore Rocket’s emotional origins. Despite the fact that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was released in 2017, the titular superhero team has appeared in a number of other MCU films, most recently in Thor: Love & Thunder. In addition to the forthcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldaa), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and Groot (Vin Diesel) will return in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the final installment in Gunn’s trilogy.
While many questions remain about how the titular team’s story will be concluded in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, director James Gunn recently stated in an interview with ComicBook.com that the movie will delve into Rocket’s backstory. The director is careful not to reveal too many details about the upcoming film, but he does hint that Rocket’s past will be the central focus of the the whole emotional story he has planned. See Gunn’s full comment 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!”
The Marvel Origin Story Of Rocket Raccoon
While Rocket is briefly revealed in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film to be the result of genetic experiments, the character has a long history in Marvel comics. According to the comics, the experiments on Rocket have been carried out by a group of sentient robots tasked with caring for a planet of mentally ill humans. Rocket Raccoon (and other similar creatures) were created by the robots to essentially take their place as caretakers so that they could relocate to the other half of the planet. The first Guardians of the Galaxy film does not go into detail about this, but it does make a passing reference to Rocket’s homeworld of “Halfworld.”
While the reference to Halfworld in Guardians of the Galaxy does not confirm that the MCU version of Rocket has the same backstory as the comics’ version, it is reasonable to assume that there will be similarities. Rocket and other animals continue to care for the planet’s ailing humans after being abandoned by the robot caretakers in the comics. Rocket even joins forces with the Hulk at one point to save Halfworld and his kidnapped girlfriend, Lylla. It’s unclear how much of this backstory will be explored in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but the events of Rocket’s past in the MCU could explain why he is the way he is.
How Rocket’s Marvel Origin Prepares For A Touching GOTG 3 Ending
Cooper’s version of Rocket has a short temper and often avoids emotional vulnerability. It’s also clear that he’s carrying an emotional burden, which audiences have seen glimpses throughout the his time in the MCU. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has the potential to investigate why Rocket has a tendency to push people away, as well as provide the character with closure regarding the events on Halfworld. Whether it’s bringing back a character from his past or by using flashbacks to flesh out Rocket’s backstory, Gunn clearly has a big ending in mind for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Source: ComicBook.com