Rocket (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Fictional character

Rocket Raccoon

Marvel Cinematic Universe character

Rocket as depicted in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

First appearance| Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Based on|

Rocket Raccoon

* Bill Mantlo
* Keith Giffen

Adapted by|

* James Gunn
* Nicole Perlman

Voiced by|

* Bradley Cooper
* Sean Gunn (young, Vol. 3)
* Noah Raskin (infant, Vol. 3)

On-set acting by| Sean Gunn
In-universe information
Full name| Rocket Raccoon
Alias| Subject: 89P13
Species| Raccoon
Occupation|

* Captain of the Guardians of the Galaxy
* Bounty hunter
* Mercenary

Affiliation|

Guardians of the Galaxy

* Avengers

Weapon|

* Various ion and laser cannons and blasters
* Hadron Enforcer[1]

Children| Groot (adoptive son)[2]
Origin| Earth

Rocket Raccoon, commonly referred to simply as Rocket, is a fictional character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise voiced by Bradley Cooper and based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Rocket was based on movements from Sean Gunn and an actual raccoon named Oreo.[3] Rocket is a hot-tempered mercenary and weapons expert who, along with his companion Groot, joins the Guardians of the Galaxy. They then come into conflict with Ronan the Accuser and Ego.[4] Following the Blip, Rocket remains on Earth as a member of the Avengers. Five years later, Rocket and the Avengers quantum time travel to alternate universes to find the Infinity Stones. Following their success, Rocket joins the battle against an alternate Thanos, and rejoins the Guardians after their victory; departing for space. Later, he and the Guardians make their base on Knowhere before coming into conflict with Rocket's creator, the High Evolutionary. Rocket then assumes leadership of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Rocket made his first appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and has become a central MCU character, appearing in six films as of 2024[update], in two episodes of the I Am Groot series of animated shorts on Disney+, and in the TV special The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022).

## Fictional character biography

[edit]

### Origins

[edit]

Further information: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Rocket, originally named Subject: 89P13, was abducted from North America on Earth by the High Evolutionary and taken aboard his ship into space. He is subjected to illegal genetic and cybernetic experiments and placed in another cage of three other genetically and cybernetically tested animals in Batch 89, an otter named Lylla, a walrus named Teefs, and a white rabbit named Floor that he becomes friends with. 89P13 names himself Rocket after wanting to make flying ships and explore the sky with his friends. Rocket shows extreme intelligence, finding the flaw in the High Evolutionary's design to accelerate animal evolution that made them violent. The High Evolutionary plans to harvest Rocket's brain for further research and kill the rest of Batch 89. Rocket escapes his cage and frees Lylla before the High Evolutionary shoots her. Rocket mauls the High Evolutionary's face off in response, and Teefs and Floor are killed during crossfire with the High Evolutionary's guards, after which Rocket escapes.

At some point in his travels after escaping, Rocket becomes friends and partners with Groot, a sentient anthropomorphic tree.

### Guardian of the Galaxy

[edit]

Further information: Guardians of the Galaxy (film)

In 2014, Rocket and Groot travel to Xandar, where they try to capture Peter Quill for a bounty, interfering in a fight between Quill and Gamora over possession of the Power Stone that Quill had acquired. All four are captured by the Nova Corps and sent to the space prison, the Kyln. Rocket devises a plan to escape from the Kyln, and they escape along with Drax the Destroyer, another inmate. The five then travel to Knowhere to sell the Power Stone, where Rocket and Drax have a heated argument. After Drax drunkenly calls Ronan the Accuser to confront him, Ronan acquires the Power Stone. Rocket resists further involvement in the affair, but Groot persuades him to rescue Quill and Gamora from the Ravagers, and Quill then persuades all five of them to attempt to stop Ronan. As other members of the team battle Ronan aboard his ship, the Dark Aster, Rocket crashes a Ravager ship through the Dark Aster, which crash-lands on Xandar. Groot sacrifices himself to shield Rocket and the team, and the remaining Guardians are able to gain control of the Power Stone and destroy Ronan. Rocket plants a sapling cut from Groot in a pot, which grows into a baby of his species, whom Rocket adopts, also naming Groot in his biological father's honor.[5]

### Facing Ego

[edit]

Further information: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and I Am Groot

Two months later, Rocket and the Guardians are hired by the Sovereign to fight off an alien attacking their valuable batteries, in exchange for Nebula. Annoyed by the arrogance of the Sovereign, Rocket steals some of their batteries, leading the Sovereign fleet to chase and attack the Guardians' ship. They crash land on a planet, where Quill meets his father, revealed to be Ego, a primordial Celestial who manifests a human avatar that allows him to interact with other races. Quill, Gamora, and Drax go with Ego to his planet while Rocket and Groot stay behind to watch Nebula and repair the ship. Ravagers arrive searching for Quill and, after a fight, capture Rocket and Groot and free Nebula. The Ravagers mutiny against their leader, Yondu, and aboard the Ravager ship, Rocket and Yondu plot their escape, eventually destroying most of the Ravager vessel except for a breakaway quarter, called the Quadrant, in which they travel to Ego. They learn that Ego is an evil living planet intent on dominating the universe. Quill keeps Ego occupied in combat with his newfound Celestial powers until Rocket is able to assemble a bomb, which the baby Groot places in Ego's brain. Later, Rocket and the rest of the Guardians hold a funeral for Yondu.

Sometime later, Rocket hears an explosion in the Quadrant and investigates, finding Groot. Rocket finds himself unable to stay mad when Groot gives Rocket an artistic drawing he made of the Guardians. Rocket is then almost sucked out of the ship before Groot saves him.[a]

### Infinity War

[edit]

Further information: Avengers: Infinity War

Four years later, Rocket and the Guardians respond to a distress signal and end up rescuing Thor, who is floating in space amidst the wreckage of the Statesman. Gamora tells them of the plan to obtain the Infinity Stones, and the Guardians split up, with Rocket and Groot accompanying Thor to Nidavellir to create a new weapon. On the way, Rocket gives Thor a replacement for an eye Thor has lost. They find an abandoned Nidavellir and meet the dwarf king Eitri. The four work together to create Stormbreaker, a powerful axe that also grants Thor the power of the Bifröst. Thor transports himself, Rocket, and Groot to Wakanda on Earth via the Bifröst to help members of the Avengers, Bucky Barnes, and the Wakandan army in the battle against the Outriders. During the battle, Rocket asks Barnes if he can have his arm, but after being declined, vows to get it. Later, Rocket watches helplessly as Groot weakly calls out "I am Groot" one final time as he disappears in the Blip. Director James Gunn revealed that this phrase translated to "...Dad?" as Groot looked to Rocket for help.[2]

### Member of the Avengers

[edit]

Further information: Avengers: Endgame

Rocket, along with Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, James Rhodes and Thor, depart on the Quinjet and arrive at the Avengers Compound. Shortly after, they are met by Carol Danvers. Three weeks later, they witness Danvers bringing Tony Stark and Nebula back on the Benatar, and Rocket realizes that only he and Nebula were the remaining Guardians. After detecting another energy surge, Thor, Rogers, Romanoff, Rhodes, Banner, Danvers, and Nebula go into space to the Garden planet where they confront Thanos about the Stones. However, Rocket finds that the Gauntlet is empty, in which Thanos reveals he destroyed the Stones, causing Thor to abruptly kill him. With nothing left to do, they return to Earth.

Rocket then becomes a member of the Avengers and works on missions in space with Nebula, under Rogers' and Romanoff's leadership. In 2023, when a means is discovered to use quantum time travel to reverse the Blip, Rocket and Nebula return to the Compound. Rocket then accompanies Banner to New Asgard to convince a depressed Thor to return to help with the effort, while also meeting Valkyrie, Korg, and Miek. Rocket, Banner and Thor return to the Compound and Rocket aids Stark in building a quantum tunnel in the Compound's hangar. Afterwards, Rocket participates in the Time Heist brainstorming. When they are ready to go, he suits up in the Avengers Quantum suit, listens to Rogers' speech, and gives his spaceship to Clint Barton. Using the quantum tunnel, Rocket and Thor travel through the Quantum Realm to an alternate 2013 timeline and go to Asgard to get the Reality Stone, during the time when it had been absorbed into Jane Foster. They retrieve the Stone and return to the Compound in the main timeline, but after Banner uses the new Infinity Gauntlet to undo the Blip, an alternate Thanos attacks, trapping Rocket, Rhodes, and Banner underneath the destroyed Compound. Scott Lang, in his Giant-Man form, saves them, and Rocket joins the battle against alternate Thanos' army, where he is reunited with Groot. A week later, Rocket and the reunited Guardians of the Galaxy attend Stark's funeral at Stark's house. They then return to New Asgard to pick Thor up and depart for space.

### Guardians reassembled and confronting his past

[edit]

Further information: Thor: Love and Thunder, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Rocket, Thor, and the rest of the Guardians return to space and embark on several adventures, while reuniting with Kraglin, who joins the team. In 2025, after arriving on Indigarr, they are joined by Korg and fight off an invading army. Afterwards, they learn of several distress calls caused by a god killer and split up from Thor, as he sets off to locate Sif.

Few months later, the Guardians buy Knowhere from the Collector, and Rocket befriends Cosmo who joins their team. Rocket and the Guardians then work on rebuilding Knowhere following its attack. Later that year, Rocket participates in the Christmas celebration and is given Barnes' arm by Nebula as a gift.

In 2026, after finishing their rebuilding of Knowhere, the Guardians are attacked by Adam, a superpowered being created by his "mother" Ayesha. During the fight, Rocket is seriously injured, leaving the Guardians unable to tend to his wounds due to a kill switch embedded in him. The team resolves to travel to the Orgosphere, headquarters of Orgocorp, in the hopes of finding an override code. Meanwhile, Rocket's creator, the High Evolutionary, becomes obsessed with retrieving his subject. At the same time, Ayesha seeks revenge against the Guardians for Rocket's previous theft of her property. With the assistance of the Ravagers and the alternate variant of Gamora, the Guardians infiltrate Orgosphere and retrieve Rocket's file. However, they are attacked by Orgosphere's guards, barely escaping. The team next visit Counter-Earth, and then split up, with Quill, Nebula, and Groot boarding the High Evolutionary's ship in search of a scientist named Theel, believed to have information that can save Rocket. Drax, Mantis, and Gamora initially remain on the planet with Rocket, but Drax and Mantis later leave, and Warlock arrives looking for Rocket, and fights Gamora, who manages to escape with Rocket in the Guardians' ship. Rocket flatlines and has a near-death experience, where he is met by his former childhood friends, Lylla, Teefs, and Floor, who tell him that his time has not yet come before Quill successfully implements the override code and revives him. A battle ensues on the High Evolutionary's ship, during which Rocket discovers a litter of baby raccoons and other test subject animals but is attacked by a deranged High Evolutionary while attempting to free them. As Rocket battles the villain, he proclaims his true name is Rocket Raccoon before being aided by the Guardians. Together, the Guardians, who have learned of the High Evolutionary's sadistic treatment of Rocket and his friends to their outrage, defeat the villain in a punishing combined attack until he is left helpless with Rocket's previous mauling of him exposed. Rocket declines to finish him off as he and the Guardians rescue the caged animals from the doomed ship. The Guardians also bring the High Evolutionary with them to be imprisoned on Knowhere.[6] The Guardians, in their current form, decide to disband upon returning to Knowhere, with Quill bestowing the captaincy upon Rocket before leaving for Earth.

Rocket leads a new Guardians lineup, consisting of himself, Groot, Cosmo, Kraglin, a reformed Adam with his pet Blurp, and the High Evolutionary's recent creation Phyla. Sometime later, they go to a planet to help the inhabitants there.

## Alternate versions

[edit]

See also: What If...? (TV series)

Alternate versions of Rocket appear in the animated series What If...? as non-speaking characters.

### Thor's party

[edit]

Further information: What If... Thor Were an Only Child?

In an alternate 2011, Rocket participates in Thor's intergalactic party on Earth in Las Vegas.

### Cyborg Rocket

[edit]

Further information: What If... Strange Supreme Intervened?

A cyborg version of Rocket was among the universal killers and righteous heroes from different realities who were abducted by Doctor Strange Supreme to feed to the Forge, until they were freed by Captain Peggy Carter and returned home by Kahhori.

## Concept and creation

[edit]

A typical raccoon.

The comic book character was created by Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen,[7] and inspired by the Beatles song "Rocky Raccoon".[8] Rocket Raccoon first appeared in Marvel Preview #7 (Summer 1976), in the back-up feature "The Sword in the Star", under the name "Rocky".[9][10] He would next appear in The Incredible Hulk #271 (May 1982), where it is learned that "Rocky" is short for "Rocket". In 1985, he received his own four-issue limited series and in an afterword to the first issue, Mantlo himself asserted that this was the same character seen in Preview, penciled by Mike Mignola and inked by Al Gordon with Al Milgrom. Rocket appeared in Quasar #15 in 1990 and later appeared in three issues of Sensational She-Hulk in 1992 (#44–46).[11] The character only appeared in a total of ten comic books in his first thirty years of existence.[12] Besides a brief appearance in a 2006 issue of Exiles,[11] Rocket Raccoon was next seen in 2007's Annihilation: Conquest and Annihilation: Conquest - Star-Lord limited series,[11][13] and their spin-off series, a new volume of Guardians of the Galaxy.[11][14] He remained a regular member of the series cast until it was canceled with issue #25 in 2010.

Bradley Cooper, the voice of Rocket, pictured here in 2011

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige first mentioned Guardians of the Galaxy as a potential film at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con, stating, "There are some obscure titles, too, like Guardians of the Galaxy. I think they've been revamped recently in a fun way in the [comic] book."[15] Feige reiterated that sentiment in a September 2011 issue of Entertainment Weekly, saying, "There's an opportunity to do a big space epic, which Thor sort of hints at, in the cosmic side" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Feige added, should the film be made, it would feature an ensemble of characters, similar to X-Men and The Avengers.[16] Throughout the writing process, there was some debate on whether keeping Rocket as a member of the Guardians or even featuring the character at all in the film due to concerns that he could come off as "too cartoonish", hence why a few drafts excluded the character, but Nicole Perlman felt that the character's inclusion was necessary and was happy at Feige letting her keep in the script due to him being a great Rocket fan.[17] Feige announced that the film was in active development at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con during the Marvel Studios panel, with an intended release date of August 1, 2014. He said the film's titular team would consist of the characters Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Groot, and Rocket.[18] In August 2013, Marvel announced that Bradley Cooper would voice Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy.[19]

## Characterization

[edit]

In Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket was characterized as a genetically engineered raccoon bounty hunter, mercenary, and master of weapons and battle tactics.[20][21][19][22] Gunn worked with live raccoons to get the correct feel for the character, and to make sure it was "not a cartoon character", saying, "It's not Bugs Bunny in the middle of the Avengers, it's a real, little, somewhat mangled beast that's alone. There's no one else in the universe quite like him, he's been created by these guys to be a mean-ass fighting machine".[23] Gunn also based the character on himself.[24] Describing Rocket in relation to the rest of the Guardians, Cooper said, "I think Rocket is dynamic. He's the sort of Joe Pesci in Goodfellas guy."[25]

Cooper voiced Rocket, while Sean Gunn (James' younger brother) provided on-set acting for the character during filming.[26][27] James Gunn said that for the role of Rocket, some physical movements from Cooper, including facial expressions and hand movements, were recorded as potential references for the animators,[28] though much of Sean Gunn's acting is used throughout the film.[29] Sean noted they "kind of stumbled" into the process of him performing on set since they "weren't sure how we were going to create that character". The same process continued to be used for all subsequent appearances of Rocket.[30] Before Cooper was cast, James Gunn said that it was a challenge finding a voice for Rocket, that he was looking for someone who could balance "the fast-talking speech patterns that Rocket has, but also can be funny, because he is really funny. But also has the heart that Rocket has. Because there are actually some pretty dramatic scenes with Rocket."[31] In addition to Cooper's voice and Sean Gunn's movements, the appearance of Rocket was based on an actual raccoon named Oreo. James Gunn said of the process, "We needed a raccoon to study how he looked and his behavior, so that our on-screen raccoon, which is generated through CGI will be realistic. Our Rocket is based on a combination of our voice actor, Bradley Cooper, our on-set actor, my brother Sean Gunn, the movements and behavior and look of Oreo [the raccoon], as well as my own animation".[3] Gunn brought Oreo to the red carpet premiere of the film.[32]

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Sean Gunn once again served as on-set actor for Rocket during filming,[33] with Cooper's performance also referenced.[34][35] Sean Gunn said that "Rocket has the same sort of crisis of faith [that he had in the first film] about whether or not he belongs in this family",[36] with James Gunn adding, "this is really about Rocket coming to terms with accepting his place within a group of people, which probably seemed like a good idea" when they were heroes together at the end of the first film, but now "he's just not very comfortable with the idea". Feige stated that the relationship between Rocket and Groot has changed, saying, "Groot was Rocket's protector in the first movie, [and now] Rocket is Groot's protector."[37] Oreo died in 2019, at the age of ten.[32]

For Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gunn said that the film tells Rocket's story, including his background and "where he's going", along with how that ties into the other Guardians and the end of this iteration of the team.[38] The film completes a character arc that was established in Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), and continued in Infinity War and Endgame.[39] Sean Gunn once again provided on-set acting for the character, while also voicing young Rocket.[40][41][42] Cooper also voiced adolescent Rocket while Noah Raskin voiced baby Rocket.[43]

## In other media

[edit]

### Theme parks

[edit]

Rocket appears in Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! at Disney California Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot, and in the preshow of Avengers Assemble: Flight Force at Walt Disney Studios Park. Cooper reprises the voice role for the character's appearance in Mission Breakout!.[44][45][46]

## Reception

[edit]

### Critical reception

[edit]

Dominic Lerose of The Daily Cardinal called Rocket Raccoon a "top fan favorite," writing, "Rocket is the only surviving member of the Guardians of the Galaxy after Thanos' snap for good reason. He's the most interesting out of them all, the most emotionally vulnerable and a character audiences love not only for his cuteness and humor, but for his saddened soul and desire to fit into the dramatic universe of Marvel. Let's hope we get to see a lot of Rocket Raccoon in Avengers: Endgame next month, and let's hope he makes it out alive so we can see more of him in the future."[47]

### Accolades

[edit]

* In 2014, CBR.com included Rocket Raccoon in their "Marvel and DC's Greatest Animal Characters" list.[48]
* In 2018, CBR.com ranked Rocket Raccoon 25th in their "25 Most Powerful Guardians Of The Galaxy" list.[49]
* In 2021, Screen Rant ranked Rocket Raccoon 19th in their "20 Most Powerful Guardians Of The Galaxy Members In The Comics" list.[50]
* In 2022, The A.V Club ranked Rocket Raccoon 44th in their "100 best Marvel characters" list.[51]

Year  | Award  | Nominated work  | Category  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

2015  | MTV Movie Awards | Guardians of the Galaxy | Best On-Screen Duo
(with Vin Diesel) | Nominated  | [52]
2017  | Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | Best Voice Performance  | Nominated  | [53]
2024  | North Carolina Film Critics Association  | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | Best Vocal Performance in Animation or Mixed Media  | Nominated  | [54]
Astra Film Awards | Best Voice-Over Performance  | Nominated  | [55]
Utah Film Critics Association  | Vice/Martin Award for Performance in a Science-Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror Film  | Nominated  | [56]
Austin Film Critics Association | Best Voice Acting/Animated/Digital Performance  | Won  | [57][58]
Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Actor in a Superhero Movie  | Nominated  | [59]

## See also

[edit]

* Characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ As depicted in the I Am Groot short "Magnum Opus".

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Rocket On Screen Full Report". marvel.com. Marvel.com. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
2. ^ a b Sharf, Zack (March 7, 2018). "'Avengers' Fans Are Even More Upset After James Gunn Reveals Groot's Heartbreaking Final 'Infinity War' Line". IndieWire. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
3. ^ a b Outlaw, Kofi (2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy: How They Made Rocket Raccoon in Marvel's Space Adventure". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on July 1, 2014.
4. ^ Skipper, Ben (August 20, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy Writer Reveals Hit Marvel Film Nearly Didn't Star Rocket Raccoon". International Business Times. Archived from the original on August 23, 2014. "Kevin was a big fan of Rocket, and I'm so glad because I really felt like that was necessary and that was needed."
5. ^ "James Gunn Twitter ನಲ್ಲಿ: "First Groot is dead. Baby Groot is his son.... "". twitter.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
6. ^ Plant, Logan (May 19, 2023). "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: James Gunn Reveals a Key Character's Fate". IGN. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
7. ^ Mazza, Ed (August 5, 2014). "Bill Mantlo, Rocket Raccoon Co-Creator, Gets Private Guardians Screening In Care Facility". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on August 7, 2014.
8. ^ Reed, Bill (June 12, 2007). "365 Reasons to Love Comics #163". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
9. ^ Rocket Raccoon at the Grand Comics Database
10. ^ Mantlo, Bill (w), Giffen, Keith (p), Giffen, Keith (i). "The Sword in the Star!: Stave 2: Witchworld!" Marvel Preview, no. 7 (Summer 1976).
11. ^ a b c d Cronin, Brian (February 19, 2014). "The Unlikely Journey of Guardians of the Galaxy Star Rocket Raccoon". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
12. ^ Collins, Sean (July 29, 2014). "The Rise of Guardians of the Galaxy's Rocket Raccoon". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. "Rocket was a punchline, putting in brief comic-relief cameos in titles like Incredible Hulk and She-Hulk; he appeared in 10 comics total over 30 years."
13. ^ Warmoth, Brian. "Getting Exclusive at Marvel's Cup O' Joe". WizardUniverse.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2007. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
14. ^ Rogers, Vaneta (May 14, 2008). "Greeting the Guardians: Rocket Raccoon, Groot". Newsarama. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009.
15. ^ Wigler, Josh (August 6, 2010). "Marvel Considering 'Iron Fist' & 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' Movies, 'Black Panther' & 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' Too!". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
16. ^ Woerner, Meredith (September 30, 2011). "Marvel's next 5 movies after The Avengers could include some weird surprises". io9. io9. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
17. ^ Skipper, Ben (August 20, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy Writer Reveals Hit Marvel Film Nearly Didn't Star Rocket Raccoon". International Business Times. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
18. ^ Kit, Borys (July 14, 2012). "Comic-Con 2012: Marvel Names 'Avengers' Follow-Ups; Robert Downey Jr. Makes Surprise Appearance". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
19. ^ a b "Official: Bradley Cooper to Voice Rocket Raccoon in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy". Marvel.com. August 30, 2013. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
20. ^ "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Official Character Descriptions (minor spoilers)". Stitch Kingdom. May 15, 2014. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
21. ^ "Read the Official Synopsis For Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy". Marvel. January 3, 2014. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
22. ^ Kit, Borys (August 22, 2013). "Bradley Cooper in Talks to Voice Rocket Raccoon in Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 30, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
23. ^ Fischer, Russ (April 19, 2013). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Director James Gunn Explains Rocket Raccoon as a "Mangled Little Beast"". /Film. Archived from the original on July 21, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
24. ^ Robinson, Will (March 29, 2016). "Guardians of the Galaxy: James Gunn says Groot was inspired by his dog". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 2, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
25. ^ Sullivan, Kevin P. (December 9, 2013). "Why 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Reminds Bradley Cooper Of 'Goodfellas'". MTV. Archived from the original on July 23, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
26. ^ Sullivan, Kevin P. (October 16, 2013). "Vin Diesel on Stilts Isn't Even The Weirdest Thing About This Video". MTV. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
27. ^ "Stephane Ceretti Talks Rocket, Groot and the VFX of 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". Animation World Network. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
28. ^ Sullivan, Kevin P (November 6, 2013). "'Guardians of the Galaxy': Latest on Vin, Bradley and the Scene Everyone's Talking About". MTV. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
29. ^ Dietsch, TJ (June 26, 2014). "James Gunn Reveals His Brother's Roles in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
30. ^ Tramel, Jimmie (September 23, 2018). "Tulsa-bound actor Sean Gunn knows Marvel-ous details, but can't share yet". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on September 24, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
31. ^ Tilly, Chris (June 4, 2014). "Why The Success Of Guardians Of The Galaxy Depends On A Talking Raccoon". IGN. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
32. ^ a b "Oreo the raccoon: Guardians of the Galaxy model dies aged 10". BBC. February 8, 2019.
33. ^ Perry, Spencer (February 2, 2016). "The Guardians of the Galaxy Assemble in a Rehearsal Photo". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
34. ^ Seymour, Mike (June 6, 2017). "The fractal nature of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". Fxguide. Archived from the original on December 28, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
35. ^ Alonso, Victoria; Carr, Damien; Townsend, Christopher; Williams, Guy; Fawkner, Jonathan; Rahhali, Nordin (July 30, 2017). "The making of Marvel Studio's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"". ACM SIGGRAPH 2017 Production Sessions. SIGGRAPH '17. New York, NY, USA: Association for Computing Machinery. p. 12\. doi:10.1145/3078345.3099604. ISBN 978-1-4503-5016-7.
36. ^ Awesome, Amy (November 23, 2016). "Rocket Racoon Has A Crisis of Faith in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
37. ^ Nemiroff, Perri (February 6, 2017). "'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2': 40 Things We Learned from Our Set Visit". Collider. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
38. ^ Jirak, Jamie (November 18, 2022). "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: James Gunn Teases Rocket's Emotional Ending (Exclusive)". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
39. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 15, 2019). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Director James Gunn Breaks Silence On High-Profile Disney Firing, & What He Learned From The Career Crisis That Followed – Deadline Disruptors". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
40. ^ Couch, Aaron; Kit, Borys (April 26, 2023). "James Gunn's Guardians: How Chris Pratt and His Marvel Castmates Rescued Their Director's Career". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
41. ^ Frei, Vincent (June 6, 2023). "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Stephane Ceretti – Production VFX Supervisor - Marvel Studios". The Art of VFX. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
42. ^ Treese, Tyler (August 9, 2023). "GOTG 3 Interview: VFX Production Supervisor Stephane Ceretti Talks Rocket". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
43. ^ @JamesGunn (April 25, 2023). "Voice duties on Young Rocket are split between Bradley (adolescent Rocket), Sean Gunn (young Rocket), and Noah Raskin (baby Rocket)" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023 – via Twitter.
44. ^ Coggan, Devan (April 21, 2017). "Go behind the scenes of Disney's new Guardians of the Galaxy ride". ew.com. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
45. ^ Anderson, Jenna (March 15, 2024). "Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Is Even Better After Vol. 3". comicbook.com. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
46. ^ Acuna, Kirsten (July 16, 2022). "Disneyland Paris' Avengers Campus sneakily teases Deadpool's entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe". businessinsider.com. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
47. ^ "Rocket Raccoon: Marvel's most unique hero | The Daily Cardinal". May 11, 2019. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
48. ^ Buxton, Marc (May 16, 2014). "MORE THAN PETS: Marvel and DC's Greatest Animal Characters". CBR. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
49. ^ Kantor, Jonathan H. (June 11, 2018). "The 25 Most Powerful Guardians Of The Galaxy, Ranked". CBR. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
50. ^ Lealos, Shawn S. (September 1, 2021). "15 Most Powerful Guardians Of The Galaxy Members In The Comics, Ranked". ScreenRant. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
51. ^ "The 100 best Marvel characters ranked". The A.V. Club. July 9, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
52. ^ "MTV Movie Awards 2015: See the Full Winners List". Billboard. April 12, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
53. ^ "Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards (2017)". IMDb. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
54. ^ Neglia, Matt (January 10, 2024). "The 2023 North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA) Winners". nextbestpicture.com. NextBigPicture. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
55. ^ Anderson, Erik (December 7, 2023). "'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' Lead Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) Astra Awards Nominations". AwardsWatch. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
56. ^ Neglia, Matt (January 7, 2024). "The 2023 Utah Film Critics Association (UFCA) Winners". Next Best Picture. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
57. ^ Anderson, Erik (January 3, 2024). "Austin Film Critics Association Nominations (AFCA): 'Killers of the Flower Moon', 'Oppenheimer' Lead with 10 Each". AwardsWatch. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
58. ^ Neglia, Matt (January 10, 2024). "The 2023 Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) Winners". Next Best Picture. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
59. ^ Neglia, Matt (March 9, 2024). "The 2023 Critics Choice Super Award Nominations". Next Big Picture. Retrieved March 13, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Rocket on Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki, an external wiki
* Rocket on Marvel Database, a Marvel Comics wiki
* Rocket on Marvel.com

* v
* t
* e

Guardians of the Galaxy

* Stan Lee
* Arnold Drake
* Roy Thomas
* Dan Abnett
* Andy Lanning

Members|

| 1969 team members|

* Aleta Ogord
* Charlie-27
* Martinex
* Nikki
* Starhawk
* Vance Astro
* Yondu

|

2008 team members|

* Adam Warlock
* Agent Venom
* Angela
* Bug
* Cosmo the Spacedog
* Drax the Destroyer
* Gamora
* Groot
* Hulkling
* Jack Flag
* Mantis
* Marvel Boy
* Moondragon
* Nebula
* Nova (Richard Rider)
* Quasar (Phyla-Vell)
* Rocket Raccoon
* Star-Lord
* Wiccan

Supporting
characters|

* Annihilators
* Beta Ray Bill
* Gladiator
* Quasar
* Silver Surfer
* Avengers
* Captain Marvel
* Iron Man
* Thor
* Cosmic Ghost Rider
* Fantastic Four
* Thing
* Fin Fang Foom
* Howard the Duck
* Inhumans
* Kismet
* Kree
* Nova Corps
* Richard Rider
* Sam Alexander
* Quasar (Wendell Vaughn)
* Shi'ar
* Imperial Guard
* Skrulls
* Starjammers
* Symbiote
* Uatu the Watcher
* X-Men
* Kitty Pryde

Antagonists|

* Annihilus
* Ayesha
* Badoon
* Black Order
* Blastaar
* Blood Brothers
* Brood
* Celestials
* Chitauri
* Collector
* Doctor Doom
* Ego the Living Planet
* Elders of the Universe
* Fin Fang Foom
* Galactus
* Grandmaster
* Hala the Accuser
* High Evolutionary
* J'son
* Knull
* Korath the Pursuer
* Korvac
* Kree
* Nebula
* Ronan the Accuser
* Shi'ar Empire
* Vulcan
* Skrulls
* Supreme Intelligence
* Thanos
* Titus
* Universal Church of Truth

Storylines|

* Annihilation
* Annihilation: Conquest
* War of Kings
* Realm of Kings
* The Thanos Imperative
* The Black Vortex

In other media|

| Marvel Cinematic Universe|

* Guardians of the Galaxy
* soundtrack
* accolades
* Vol. 2
* soundtrack
* I Am Groot
* Holiday Special
* soundtrack
* Vol. 3
* soundtrack

| Characters|

* Drax
* Gamora
* Groot
* Mantis
* Nebula
* Peter Quill
* Rocket

|

* Guardians of the Galaxy (animated series)
* Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series
* Marvel's Wastelanders
* Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (2021 video game)

Related|

* Old Man Quill
* Asgardians of the Galaxy
* Knowhere
* Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!
* Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
* Alien races
* Guardians of the Galaxy (New Guard)

* v
* t
* e

Marvel Cinematic Universe

* List of feature films
* accolades
* List of television series
* accolades
* Television specials
* Timeline

Marvel Studios

| Infinity Saga|

| Phase One|

* Iron Man
* The Incredible Hulk
* Iron Man 2
* Thor
* Captain America: The First Avenger
* The Avengers
* accolades

|

Phase Two|

* Iron Man 3
* Thor: The Dark World
* Captain America: The Winter Soldier
* Guardians of the Galaxy
* accolades
* Avengers: Age of Ultron
* Ant-Man

Phase Three|

* Captain America: Civil War
* Doctor Strange
* Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
* Spider-Man: Homecoming
* Thor: Ragnarok
* Black Panther
* accolades
* Avengers: Infinity War
* production
* box office
* accolades
* Ant-Man and the Wasp
* Captain Marvel
* Avengers: Endgame
* production
* box office
* accolades
* "Avengers assemble" scene
* Spider-Man: Far From Home

Multiverse Saga|

| Phase Four|

| Films|

* Black Widow
* Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
* Eternals
* Spider-Man: No Way Home
* accolades
* Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
* Thor: Love and Thunder
* Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
* accolades

|

TV series|

* WandaVision
* accolades
* The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
* Loki
* accolades
* season 1
* What If...?
* season 1
* Hawkeye
* Moon Knight
* Ms. Marvel
* She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

TV specials|

* Werewolf by Night
* The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Phase Five|

| Films|

* Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
* Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
* The Marvels
* Deadpool & Wolverine
* Captain America: Brave New World
* Thunderbolts*

|

TV series|

* Secret Invasion
* Loki season 2
* What If...? season 2
* Echo
* Agatha All Along
* What If...? season 3
* Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
* Daredevil: Born Again
* season 1
* Ironheart

Phase Six|

| Films|

* The Fantastic Four: First Steps
* Avengers: Doomsday
* production

|

TV series|

* Eyes of Wakanda
* Marvel Zombies
* Wonder Man
* Daredevil: Born Again season 2
* Vision Quest

TV specials|

* Untitled Punisher television special

Other|

* Marvel Studios Animation
* Mid-credits and post-credits scenes
* Reception

Key people|

* Kevin Feige (president)
* Avi Arad (founder)
* David Maisel (Founding Chairman)
* Victoria Alonso

Related|

* Blade (franchise)
* Captain America in film
* Fantastic Four in film
* Spider-Man in film
* X-Men (film series)
* X-Men '97

Marvel Television

| ABC series|

* Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
* episodes
* season 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5
* 6
* 7
* characters
* Agent Carter
* season 1
* 2
* characters
* Inhumans
* premiere
* Most Wanted (unaired)

|

Netflix series|

* Daredevil
* season 1
* 2
* 3
* characters
* Jessica Jones
* season 1
* 2
* 3
* characters
* Luke Cage
* season 1
* 2
* characters
* Iron Fist
* season 1
* 2
* characters
* The Defenders
* The Punisher
* season 1
* 2

Young adult series|

* Runaways
* "Reunion"
* Cloak & Dagger
* season 1
* 2
* New Warriors (unaired)

Adventure into Fear|

* Helstrom

Other media

| Short films|

| Marvel One-Shots|

* Item 47
* Agent Carter
* All Hail the King
* Team Thor

|

* I Am Groot

Digital series|

* WHIH Newsfront
* Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. web series
* Slingshot
* The Daily Bugle

Tie-in comics|

* Fury's Big Week

Cast and characters

| Cast|

* Film cast
* The Infinity Saga
* Television series cast
* Marvel Television series
* Marvel Studios series

|

Characters|

| Introduced in
Marvel Studios media|

| A–L|

* Bruce Banner
* Bucky Barnes
* Clint Barton
* Yelena Belova
* Kate Bishop
* Peggy Carter
* Sharon Carter
* Phil Coulson
* Carol Danvers
* Death
* Drax
* Jane Foster
* Nick Fury
* Gamora
* Groot
* Agatha Harkness
* J.A.R.V.I.S.
* MJ
* Kamala Khan
* Scott Lang
* Loki

|

M–Z|

* Mantis
* Wanda Maximoff
* Nebula
* Peter Parker
* Pepper Potts
* Peter Quill
* James Rhodes
* Rocket
* Steve Rogers
* Natasha Romanoff
* Thaddeus Ross
* Erik Selvig
* Shang-Chi
* Shuri
* Trevor Slattery
* Marc Spector
* Tony Stark
* Stephen Strange
* Sylvie
* T'Challa
* Thanos
* Thor
* Hope van Dyne
* Vision
* Sam Wilson
* Wong

Introduced in
Marvel Television media|

* Tandy Bowen
* Frank Castle
* Wilson Fisk
* Leo Fitz
* Daisy Johnson
* Tyrone Johnson
* Melinda May
* Matt Murdock
* Jemma Simmons
* Daniel Sousa
* Claire Temple
* Grant Ward

Introduced in
other Marvel franchises|

* Blade
* Otto Octavius
* Norman Osborn
* Peter Parker (Sam Raimi film series)
* Peter Parker (The Amazing Spider-Man)
* Wade Wilson

Other|

* Teams and organizations
* Avengers
* Ten Rings
* Species

Features

* The Blip
* Infinity Stones
* Iron Man's armor
* Mjolnir and Stormbreaker
* Multiverse
* Rogers: The Musical

Music

| Soundtracks|

| Phase One|

* Iron Man
* The Incredible Hulk
* Iron Man 2
* Thor
* Captain America: The First Avenger
* The Avengers

|

Phase Two|

* Iron Man 3
* Thor: The Dark World
* Captain America: The Winter Soldier
* Guardians of the Galaxy
* Avengers: Age of Ultron
* Ant-Man
* Luke Cage

Phase Three|

* Captain America: Civil War
* Doctor Strange
* Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
* Spider-Man: Homecoming
* Thor: Ragnarok
* Black Panther
* Avengers: Infinity War
* Ant-Man and the Wasp
* Captain Marvel
* Avengers: Endgame
* Spider-Man: Far From Home

Phase Four|

* Black Widow
* Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
* Eternals
* Spider-Man: No Way Home
* Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
* Thor: Love and Thunder
* Werewolf by Night
* Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
* The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Phase Five|

* Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
* Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
* The Marvels
* Deadpool & Wolverine
* Captain America: Brave New World
* Thunderbolts*

Songs|

* "Live to Rise"
* "All the Stars"
* "King's Dead"
* "Pray for Me"
* "Agatha All Along"
* "Run It"
* "Lift Me Up"
* "Slash"
* "The Ballad of the Witches' Road"

Inspired media

| Docuseries|

* Marvel Studios: Legends
* Marvel Studios: Assembled

|

Shorts|

* The Good, the Bart, and the Loki
* Deadpool and Korg React

Video games|

* Iron Man
* The Incredible Hulk
* Nintendo DS
* Iron Man 2
* Thor: God of Thunder
* Captain America: Super Soldier
* Iron Man 3: The Official Game
* Lego Marvel's Avengers

Disney attractions
and experiences|

* Avengers Campus
* Iron Man Experience
* Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!
* Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!
* Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure
* Avengers: Quantum Encounter
* Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

* Category
* Outline

*[Ref.]: Reference(s)
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