If anybody would have told me that a gun-wielding Raccoon will become one of the most well-known superheroes of Hollywood in 2018, I would have laughed at the guy’s face. And yet here we are. Rocket Raccoon is here to stay and he has made quite a name for himself. Throughout the years, Rocket has appeared in three MCU movies – all of them being super hits at the Box Office.
Rocket is currently a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy and their only surviving member after the events of Infinity War. As the sole surviving Guardian, it is up to Rocket to keep the legacy of the Guardians intact and alive. Let us help him there by getting to know the little guy a bit better. Presenting – 10 Facts about Rocket Raccoon, the craziest Guardian we bet you never knew!!!
1. His creator was inspired by a Beatles Song
Who does not know the Beatles? The world’s most popular music band gave us extraordinary music compositions but their contributions to the world of art do not stop there. Their 1968 song “Rocky Raccoon” is actually the one that inspired Marvel creators to draw up Rocket Raccoon. Several of the lines from the album is actually morphed into many of Rocket’s storylines in the comic books.
In the album, a young boy goes after an evil cowboy who has stolen his girlfriend. One of the first adventures of Rocket involved him teaming up with the Hulk to stop a guy who has stolen something called the Gideon’s Bible – am the object of immense comfort and nostalgia for Rocket.
2. Rocket Raccoon can actually understand what Groot is saying
To the untrained eye, it would look like when Groot talks and Rocket listens, the latter is just making up stuff to fit into Groot’s “I am Groot” words. But that is actually not true. Groot’s mode of language is so complex and sophisticated that it only takes a few syllables and three simple words to cover the entire thing.
You have to pay close attention to the pauses, the tone and the speed of the words to understand what Groot means. It actually took years for Rocket to understand what Tree Man means every time he utters those three simple words. Considering the fact that he has been with Groot the longest amount of time, Rocket and Groot understand each other completely.
3. He was an experiment conducted by Robotic prison wardens
In a far corner of the Galaxy, there exist insane asylum housing criminals that have become mentally unstable and are too dangerous for any living being to tend to. Robots are the wardens of that facility and they are short-handed. They needed muscle so they kidnapped a Raccoon from the earth along with other pets.
They then went on to experiment on these newfound subjects and managed to make them humanoid and enhanced in nature. Rocket has now several superhuman physical attributes and he knows he is different from the rest. This is probably why he hates everyone and acts jittery as he knows he is an outcast and a freak of nature that will never fit into society.
4. He is a womanizer
I know right!! Rocket Raccoon can have his way with the ladies if the comic books are to be trusted. In Marvel Comics, Rocket has been to so many worlds and come into contact with so many alien races that we have lost count. And he has tapped at least a few hot women there and knocked up quite a few.
Rocket is a womanizer, ladies and gentlemen. But he is also a world-class cheater. In a 2014 story arc, it is revealed that the dozens of exes Rocket has cheated on have now united and are coming for his head. Although rocket manages to get out of harm’s way, this still goes on to show how good at playing the fairer sex Rocket really is.
5. Rocket’s scars shown in GOTG Vol. 1 are a nod to his comic book origin
We do not learn too much to judge when it comes to Rocket’s MCU origins in GOTG Vol. 1. But we did see a lot of scarring and those weird matrix style poke holes on his back when he took off his shirt in the same movie. He claims those are the results of experiments done on him by his creators. This is actually a comic book reference to his painful past of being experimented upon by the robots of half-world. Raccoons cannot stand upright and act like humans. But Rocket Raccoon can. This is because of a flurry of extremely excruciating surgeries done on him by the Halfworld robots. That is just sad.
6. His best GOTG movie dialogue was actually improvised
Who could forget the super memorable quote in GOTG Vol. 1 by Rocket:
“Happy? We’re all standing now. Bunch of jackasses, standing in a circle.”
This line was actually a work of improvisation. Director James Gunn’s brother, Sean Gunn was the CGI stand-in for Rocket during the shoot. He was the one who made this remark while shooting was going on. The line was so hilarious that James Gunn decided to keep it for the final cut of the movie itself.
Bradley Cooper uses the same line again in the theatrical version. This line will never get old. Almost all Marvel fans quote it every now and then. Also, this line actually defines Rocket’s personality – Angry and Hilarious at the same time.
7. He is not a founding member of the Guardians
In Marvel Comics, the superhero group called the Guardians of the Galaxy have existed since 1969, a time when heroes like Star-Lord and Gamora were not even conceptualized. Did you know who was part of the Guardians of the Galaxy then?
One prominent member was Yondu Udonta, the whistling arrow wielding maniac that died a hero’s death in GOTG Vol. 2. Other member included Captain Charlie-27, Martinex T’Naga, and Major Victory. It was only in 1976 that the group was changed and the galaxy’s premium crime-fighting team allowed Rocket to join the group in Marvel Preview #7.
8. He became the Leader of the Guardians
To think anyone could lead the outcast crime fighters of the galaxy better than Peter Quill is just blasphemy. But in the comic books, it has already happened. In a major Marvel storyline called Annihilation, Star-Lord was trapped in the Negative Zone due to the machinations of Ronan the Accuser.
When the Guardians were left leaderless, they almost disbanded until Rocket managed to rein in and force their house back in order. Rocket actually did a splendid job as the leader and showed that he had charisma and foresight. Star-Lord was broken out of prison and he re-assumed his role as the Guardians’ leader but it is safe to know that there will always be a substitute leader who could do the job as effectively as (or even better than) Star-Lord if need be.
9. The Hulk Connection
The Hulk is one of the most popular superheroes of the Marvel Comics Universe. In 1982, Marvel Comics intended to celebrate 20 years of the Hulk’s featured publication and in The Incredible Hulk #271, they did the unexpected.
Rocket raccoon ended up being a part of the festive issue that saw the green goliath end up in the former’s homeworld called Half World, home to the anthropomorphic animal protectors of the Galaxy. They also had quite a bit of adventure together. In Infinity War, we do not see too much of Hulk and Rocket in the same scene but rest assured, there has always been a strong connection between the two. Perhaps Avengers 4 will throw some light onto it.
10. Rocket Raccoon and Groot die in the comic books
In Secret Wars, the Marvel 616 Universe and the Ultimate 1610 Universe combine to create a storyline of epic proportions. Both Universes struggle to maintain their existence at the expense of the other which creates violent backlashes within the space-time continuum.
In the end, both the universes are destroyed which creates an abomination called Battle world, a universe constructed out of bits and pieces of the former universes. In the very first issue of Secret Wars, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Black Bolt, Spider-Woman, Black Widow, and Beast are mercilessly dispatched by the Children of Tomorrow as the former group tries to defend the Stark Tower, the last stronghold of the good guys.
