Rocket Raccoon’s Unseen Backstory Makes Him The Saddest MCU Character

Rocket Raccoon's unseen MCU backstory as an anthropomorphic cyborg raccoon may be the most tragic origin in the entire MCU. Rocket is often an overlooked character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, partly because of the status of the Guardians of the Galaxy as the franchise's second team besides the Avengers. Even within the Guardians team itself, the focus is usually on Star-Lord and Gamora. The first movie and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 didn't explain much about how Rocket Raccoon was made, but Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 will change this.

Out of any member of the team, Rocket Raccoon actually has the most unusual and compelling backstory. Rocket Racoon's origins have been hinted at in the MCU but never fully explained. Rocket Raccoon's origin story in the comics is incredibly dark — was genetically engineered and given sentience by AI, with the sole purpose of janitorial duties on a planet-sized asylum. This planet — the "Halfworld" — is where Rocket is shown to come from in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, courtesy of his criminal record, suggesting that this part of his life is the same in both the comics and the MCU. This means fans could be set for the MCU's most devastating backstory when Rocket Raccoon's origins are revealed in Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3.

How, Where, And Why Rocket Raccoon Was Made

Rocket Raccoon looking troubled in Guardians of the Galaxy.

On top of the tragedy of Rocket's origin in the comics (which could connect to Adam Warlock in the MCU), James Gunn also appeared on a panel in 2017 (via MCU Exchange) and stated that Rocket's MCU backstory is "a little bit more horrible than what it is in the comics", suggesting that being abandoned by robot creators is not the worst of what he went through. It seems likely that this is in reference to the fact that Rocket either finally snapped as a result of the consistent scientific experiments done on him and did something terrible, or that perhaps his creators did something to him that left him permanently damaged.

Either way, it seems clear that the Rocket that is shown in the first Guardians of the Galaxy MCU movie is still very much living with the scars of his past close to the surface. While it's easy to deem his aggressive nature and proclivity to violence as inherent traits, it's more likely that these are a result of him viciously rejecting the caretaker role he was experimented on to fulfill. This would also go a long way as to explaining why Rocket finds it so difficult both in Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to try and trust his friends and show open affection for them — his history means he never fully learned how until the events of the movies.

Guardians 3 Will Explore Rocket's Origin

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 comes out in 2023, and Marvel have confirmed that it will explore Rocket Raccoon's origin. It's unclear if this will be an exact copy-paste from the comics (unlikely given the MCU's heavy alterations to Marvel Comics stories so far), but MCU Phase 5's GotG 3 will finally add a much-needed extra dimension to Bradley Cooper's Marvel character. James Gunn has often spoken about how important he feels Rocket is to the franchise, telling a fan in 2020, "Rocket’s loneliness and disaffection is at the center of the franchise for me," (via Polygon). He later went on to say "I’ll just say Rocket is a big part of what’s happening in the future – and a lot of this stuff (like the scars we’re about to see on his back) sets up what I’ve been planning for Rocket all along."

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Vol. 3 won't only focus on Rocket, as the hunt for Gamora and Adam Warlock's debut are also confirmed key plot arcs. There's also the question of how the movie will fit into the planned Avengers: The Kang Dynasty at the end of the MCU's Phase 6. Moreover, with the Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special revealing that Mantis is Ego the Living Planet's daughter, Mantis could assume a bigger role too. Nonetheless, fans of Rocket Raccoon will be happy that their favorite Guardian is finally getting his long-awaited moment in the spotlight.

Cosmo The Space Dog Might Link To Rocket's Backstory

The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special also introduced another cybernetic ally-modified Earth animal: Cosmo the Space Dog. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. will also feature Cosmo. With James Gunn going out of his way to give Cosmo and Rocket plenty of screen time together, it's likely that Cosmo is linked to Rocket Raccoon's MCU backstory. Cosmo is a Soviet cosmonaut, so he's probably not tied to Halfworld. However, since both are enhanced Terran animals blessed with sentience via technological means, Cosmo could have a significant role to play in helping Rocket Raccoon come to terms with the nature of his existence.

The GotG 3 Trailer Showed Baby Rocket (And Set Up His Death)

The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer revealed that Rocket was a baby when the experiments on him began, which lines up with Rocket's dark Marvel Comics origin. Depending on how revisiting these moments impacts the character, they may just result in Rocket's villain turn in the MCU — or possibly even Rocket's death, as foreshadowed by many of the voiceovers from Bradley Cooper in the first Guardians of the Galaxy 3 trailer. Moreover, the Guardians are also seen visiting humanoids similar to Rocket on a planet that looks eerily like Earth, which are references to elements from the comics related to the confirmed GotG Vol. 3 villain, the High Evolutionary. Apart from adapting Rocket's Marvel Comics origin, Rocket saying in the trailer that he's done running foreshadows him and the Guardians confronting the High Evolutionary as well, which in turn could potentially lead to Rocket Raccoon's death in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Next: Marvel’s GOTG Special Proves The Team Will Continue Without James Gunn