Rocket's Childhood Friends Explained: Comic History & Importance To Guardians of the Galaxy 3

Rocket Raccoon's childhood friends in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are extremely important to the hero's arc in the movie, and the new characters can be traced back to the pages of Marvel Comics. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's story features Marvel's cosmic team going up against the High Evolutionary, played by Peacemaker's Chukwudi Iwuji. The villain wishes to create the perfect race on the planet Counter-Earth. To do it, he conducts unethical experimentation on other beings, including Bradley Cooper's young Rocket Raccoon.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 focuses on Rocket as the team bands together to defeat the High Evolutionary in the present, while flashbacks explain Rocket's past, revealing details that were never-before-shown in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's cast adds Linda Cardellini — known in the MCU as Hawkeye's wife Laura Barton — as Lylla the Otter, Asim Chaudhry as Teefs the Walrus, and Mikaela Hoover as Floor the Rabbit. The trio appears in the movie as Rocket's childhood friends, who helped the member of the Guardians dream of a better life outside the grasp of the High Evolutionary. The characters share connections to Marvel Comics.

Who Is Lylla? Marvel Comics History Explained

Lylla the Otter in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Lylla the Otter is the most important of Rocket's childhood friends, as the character not only shares a deep emotional bond with Rocket in the MCU but is the raccoon's soulmate in a number of comics and other media. Lylla originated in 1982’s The Incredible Hulk #271, with her Marvel Comics debut tying closely to Rocket's start. That issue presented only the second comic book appearance of the character that would become one of the most popular Marvel heroes through James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy franchise in the MCU.

Lylla was introduced as the heir to an intergalactic toy corporation known as Mayhem Mekaniks on the planet Halfworld. The MCU's Counter-Earth appears to share elements with both a planet of the same name from the comics and Halfworld. The comics' Halfworld is a place where terrestrial animals served as companions for patients before the world's robot caretakers developed sentience and decided to enhance the animals in an effort to create an evolved race. The High Evolutionary does the same in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, with Halfworld's animal experiments being mixed with the villain's attempt to create the perfect human-animal hybrid society on Counter-Earth.

A half-man/half-mole hybrid Judson Jakes attempted to take over Lylla's toy corporation, resulting in Lylla's parents' death. That is when Rocket showed up, helping Lylla defeat Jakes and end the war between those who coveted control of the toy corporation. Lylla and Rocket fell in love during the ordeal, with the two setting off on space adventures together, a kind of happily ever after at the time. In later comics, Rocket would find Lylla again, only to discover she was married to another animal mercenary, one that inspires a character in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Who Is Floor? Marvel Comics History Explained

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 introduces Floor the Rabbit as one of Rocket's childhood friends. While Lylla is the only one of Rocket's friends who has a direct comic book counterpart, Gunn appears to have pulled inspiration from two characters that Rocket encounters during his space adventures in the comics for both Floor and Teefs. Floor the Rabbit is likely inspired by Marvel Comics' Blackjack O'Hare, an enhanced rabbit who serves as a mercenary and is the leader of the Black Bunny Brigade.

O'Hare and Rocket have crossed paths at times in the comics, acting as both friends and enemies at different times. Blackjack O'Hare was part of the reason why Rocket was able to save Lylla during the toy war on Halfworld, as the rabbit mercenary teamed up with Rocket. O'Hare was the character that was revealed in later comics to have married Lylla the Otter, with Rocket finding out and accepting that he had to move on.

Who Is Teefs? Marvel Comics History Explained

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's Teefs the Walrus closes out Rocket's childhood friends. Teefs appears to be inspired by the comic book character known as Wal Rus. In the comics, Wal Rus is one of Rocket's best friends, aiding the raccoon on his space adventures. Funny enough, Wal Rus was the middle-aged uncle of Rocket's love, Lylla the Otter. The anthropomorphic walrus befriended Rocket when the two teamed up to save Lylla during the war for control of her toy corporation. Wal Rus is an engineer and has helped Rocket in different situations over the years, even going on to fight Blackjack O'Hare.

How Rocket's Childhood Friends Fit Into Guardians of the Galaxy 3's Story

Gunn has talked in the past about how he needed to make Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to tell Rocket's story. Recently, the director told Collider that "this [Rocket’s tragic backstory] was the thing that got me to write the first movie.” Rocket's childhood friends will be an integral part of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as the film will see Rocket finally confront the person responsible for his suffering, the High Evolutionary, after a long time. The flashbacks showing Rocket with his childhood friends will make the raccoon's tragic backstory hit even harder.

Will Rocket's Friends Return After Guardians of the Galaxy 3?

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

The movie promises an emotional journey as the Guardians of the Galaxy get together for one final adventure. This iteration of the team will be over after the film, as Gunn leaves for DC, and Dave Bautista confirmed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is his last outing as Drax. Rocket's childhood friends could replace any team members that leave/die in the movie, continuing the family element of the Guardians and positioning Rocket to take on the role of the team's captain from Chris Pratt's Star-Lord.

To do so, Rocket's childhood friends would need to be alive in the present. So far, the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailers have only shown Rocket's friends in the past, so it is possible that some of them, or even the whole group, have perished since Rocket escaped the high Evolutionary and joined the Guardians. Alternately, the theory that Rocket dies in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could prove true, which would limit the potential his childhood friends could have in the MCU.