James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy films for Marvel Studios have always been telling Rocket's MCU story. Before 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, the eponymous Marvel Comics team was relatively unknown, and there was perhaps no better filmmaker than the visionary James Gunn to bring the unusual cosmic team to live-action. Guardians of the Galaxy introduced Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper as the MCU's Guardians team, and while Pratt's Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord was put front-and-center, it was Cooper's Rocket who fell into favor with Gunn, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will develop this even further.

Over the course of two (soon to be three) Guardians of the Galaxy films, a holiday special, and two Avengers projects, Rocket has seen some major character developments. This took him from arrogant bounty hunter, to father figure for Diesel's Groot, to one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Endgame, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to explore Rocket's MCU backstory like never before. During a recent exchange on Twitter, Gunn revealed that Rocket had always been the "secret protagonist" of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, even though he had never really seen the spotlight, but this makes complete sense.

Rocket Didn’t Have A Family Before Guardians Of The Galaxy

rocket with groot in guardians of the galaxy

Not much is yet known about Rocket's story before his introduction in Guardians of the Galaxy, but James Gunn did reveal that, aside from his traveling partner and bodyguard Groot, Rocket was completely alone. The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise has always put emphasis on family, notably the found-family dynamic of the Guardians, and Rocket was a major part of this. He was the only member of the original Guardians team who was truly alone before they found each other, so it took him longer to come to terms with the idea of suddenly having a family unit, but it was great to see him settle into this role.

The Guardians Escape Prison Solely Because Of Rocket

guardians of the galaxy escaping prison in the kyln

After being captured by the Nova Corps on Xandar in Guardians of the Galaxy, Quill, Gamora, Groot, and Rocket find themselves incarcerated in the Kyln, a high-security prison complex. It's there that they meet and tentatively recruit Bautista's Drax the Destroyer, but also where Rocket devises a plan single-handedly to escape the prison, following on from his 22 previous prison escapes. Using the Kyln's antigravity technology, the new team manages to escape the Kyln in the Milano, Quill's ship, thanks to Rocket's genius plan. Should Rocket not have been involved here, the team would have never left the prison, and Saldaña's Gamora probably would have been killed.

Rocket Loses Groot At The End Of Guardians Of The Galaxy

groot sacrificing himself in guardians of the galaxy

Throughout Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket is shown to share the strongest bond with Groot, acting as Rocket's personal muscle and best friend prior to them meeting the other members of the team. This dynamic reaches its emotional heights at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, which sees Groot sacrifice himself to save the team while trapped on Ronan's crashing ship. Rocket is deeply impacted by Groot's death but is able to grow another from a sapling found in the rubble, allowing Baby Groot to take the looming hero's place in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and develop into "Swole Groot" in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Rocket Wants To Be The Captain Of The Benatar

quill and rocket fighting over better pilot in guardians of the galaxy vol 2

The strained family dynamics between the Guardians team are explored in much greater detail during Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which sees the team operating as a fully-fledged team after defeating Ronan the Accuser. During the opening moments, Quill and Rocket squabble like brothers over who is the better pilot to assume the role of Captain of the Benatar, the team's new ship. Despite Quill previously being seen as the Captain, the fact that Rocket wants to assume this position, later joking about it in Avengers: Infinity War, suggests he's willing to step up to be the protector of the team, looking after his found family.

Yondu & Rocket Bond In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

yondu and rocket bonding in guardians of the galaxy vol 2

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 also sees the Guardians team split up, further testing the bonds between the team. While Quill, Gamora, and Drax leave with the Celestial Ego and Mantis, Rocket and Groot stay behind to fix the Benatar. This leads to them falling captive to the Ravagers, along with Yondu, who had been overthrown during a mutiny. During this time, Yondu and Rocket bond, realizing they share many distasteful similarities, but it's their dedication to their family that makes them formidable adversaries to the treacherous Ravager crew. These scenes display tender moments between Rocket and Yondu and help the former to realize his value on the team.

The Celestial Ego Is Defeated Because Of Rocket

baby groot with bomb in guardians of the galaxy vol 2

Rocket and Yondu return to the rest of the Guardians team for the epic final battle of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, putting their newfound respect for their family to the test. While Yondu ends up sacrificing his own life to save Quill, Rocket shows his appreciation for his team by fashioning a bomb capable of eliminating the seemingly all-powerful Ego. Even though it's Groot who eventually detonates the explosive device, it was Rocket's genius and quick thinking that once again saved the Guardians of the Galaxy. Rocket and Groot even dub Yondu an official team member moments before his tragic and emotional sacrifice.

Rocket Survives Thanos’ Snap & Helps The Avengers In Infinity War & Endgame

rocket is an avenger in avengers endgame

During Avengers: Infinity War, Rocket and Groot once again leave the rest of the Guardians team to help Thor create a new "Thanos-killing weapon," Stormbreaker. This journey brings them to Earth for the first time, battling alongside the Avengers in Wakanda, and Rocket finds himself as one of only two survivors of the Guardians team, along with Nebula, following Thanos' snap. During Avengers: Endgame's five-year time-jump, Rocket becomes an official member of the Avengers, helping scour the cosmos for those in need, as well as participating in the Time Heist, and retrieving the Reality Stone from 2013 Asgard, eventually being reunited with his lost family.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Will Explore Rocket’s Backstory

high evolutionary experimenting on rocket in guardians of the galaxy vol 3

Scheduled for release on May 5, 2023, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will mark the final adventure for the current Guardians team, since James Gunn is leaving Marvel Studios for his new role as co-CEO of DC Studios. This means that Gunn has one last chance to shine the spotlight on Rocket, who he has revealed to be his favorite character of all time and the secret protagonist of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Vol. 3 will explore Rocket's backstory, detailing his origins as an experiment of Chukwudi Iwuji's High Evolutionary and revealing a lost love in the form of Lylla the Otter.

Will Rocket Die In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3?

rocket on ground in trailer for guardians of the galaxy vol 3

The fact that Vol. 3 is the last ride for the Guardians and that James Gunn has put so much emphasis on this being Rocket's story has led many to speculate that Rocket could die in the upcoming film. Trailers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 heighten the idea that Rocket's story could come to an end, setting up the film to be an emotional and tragic finale for the character. Though Rocket might not have a future after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, his development since 2014 has been fantastic to see, and it's great that he'll finally get the focus in the Guardians' last adventure together.

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