Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to explore Rocket’s “extremely painful” origin story

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 will showcase the “painful” origin story of its “secret protagonist”, Rocket Raccoon, according to James Gunn.

Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper, has always been a firm fan favorite since the first Guardians movie in 2014. However, Vol. 3 will set a different tone for the furry hero, delving into his traumatic backstory.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the final movie in the current Guardians era as we know it, bringing Gunn’s trilogy – arguably the best in the MCU – to a close before he moves to DC.

The first trailer teased an emotional conclusion to the series, with more than a few teases of Rocket’s death – but Rocket was the main reason Gunn came back to finish the story.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 happened because of Rocket

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gunn spoke about the upcoming sequel, and how Rocket is finally coming to the forefront of the finale.

“One of the reasons why I came back to [make] this movie was because I felt like I needed to tell Rocket’s story. I would’ve been very sad not to complete the trilogy for many reasons, but I just feel very connected to Rocket. I feel like nobody would be able to tell his full story if it wasn’t me,” he said.

“To me, Rocket has always been the secret protagonist of the Guardians movies. From the beginning, it has been rooted in who he is as a character.

“I think he exemplifies a lot of the traits of all the Guardians. They’ve had all these traumas, and it brings them together. I just think that his is more extreme than others.”

The sequel will explore his relationship with the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), who was responsible for Rocket’s agonizing transformation at a young age.

“He was just fine being an animal, and he was transformed into something else he didn’t want to be,” Gunn continued.

“I think that transformation itself was extremely painful, but I also think it made him feel incredibly alienated from everyone else. In Vol. 3, we learn a lot about his past – where he came from, who he is, and what he’s been through. It’s been a difficult road for the little animal.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is due for release on May 5, 2023. You can find out more about the movie here.