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Quote1 I didn't ask to get made! I didn't ask to be torn apart and put back together over and over and turned into some... some little monster! Quote2
Rocket[src]

History

Origins[]

Rocket Raccoon (Earth-199999) from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol

Test subject of the High Evolutionary

Subject 89P13 is a raccoon who was taken from Earth by the High Evolutionary, a cruel and narcissistic geneticist who experimented on non-self-aware creatures in an effort to transform them into "perfect" beings and create the perfect society. He cybernetically and genetically enhanced 89P13's mind and motor skills, granting him self-awareness and other abilities such as speech and genius level intelligence. While in the High Evolutionary's laboratory on Counter-Earth, 89P13 made friends with some of the other test subjects in his wave of test subjects, notably an otter who gave herself the name Lylla. Deciding he wanted a name as well, 89P13 chose the name "Rocket", and he and his friends patiently awaited their time to come into the High Evolutionary's new world.

High Evolutionary and Rocket Raccoon (Earth-199999) from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol

The High Evolutionary takes an interest in Rocket

After a few years of experimentation and watching him grow increasingly more intelligent, the High Evolutionary became fascinated by Rocket's intelligence, as he possessed not only an incredible memory, but also could invent new ideas, something no other test subjects had been able to do. After one of his ideas helped the High Evolutionary create passive creatures as opposed to aggressive ones as part of his new wave of experiments, Rocket was ordered to be taken for examination of his brain, while the rest of his friends were to be incinerated, serving no other purpose to the High Evolutionary's new world.

Horrified at this thought, Rocket attempted to free his friends, starting with Lylla, but the High Evolutionary and his guards shot them all dead, sending Rocket into a furious rage. He attacked the High Evolutionary and severely disfigured his face, before fleeing the laboratory by hijacking a spacecraft, flying off to make his way in the cosmos.

Rocket Raccoon (Earth-199999) and Groot (Earth-199999) from Guardians of the Galaxy (film) 002

Rocket and Groot

He eventually met the friendly but idiotic flora colossus Groot, and the two became close friends, finding solace in each others' loneliness. They became partners as bounty hunters across the galaxy, with Groot acting as Rocket's muscle, and Rocket as the weapons expert. Rocket himself, meanwhile, became jaded and sarcastic, pushing away anyone but Groot and becoming ever lonelier on his travels, even claiming to not be a raccoon out of shame for his past.[4][1]

Conflict with Ronan[]

In 2014, Rocket and Groot were staking out potential bounty targets on Xandar when they spotted Peter Quill, a boisterous, oversensitive human bounty hunter also known as "Star-Lord", and wanted by the Ravagers for betraying them. They attempted to capture him, but got into a scuffle in the process with Gamora, a cold but ingenious killer hired by Ronan the Accuser to retrieve an orb in Quill's possession for her father, the tyrannical warlord Thanos. Unfortunately, in their fight, all four were captured by the Nova Corps and sent to prison, where they got to know each other better.

Guardians of the Galaxy (Earth-199999) from Guardians of the Galaxy (film) 004

Aiding in escape

Rocket initially decided to protect Quill until he and Groot could escape and they could deliver him to the Ravagers, but when Gamora revealed she planned to betray Ronan and sell the orb to a third party who would pay them more than double the Ravagers' price for Quill, he agreed to work together with them to try and escape. They escaped with the powerful but simple-minded Drax the Destroyer, a mercenary with a grudge against Ronan for killing his family, and took off in Quill's ship, the Milano, now a reluctant team.

The group made their way to the mining colony Knowhere where, in a large museum, they met up with the buyer of the orb, the Collector, who revealed that the orb was actually a vessel containing the lethal and destructive Power Stone, one of the Infinity Stones, items of godlike power. When one of the Collector's assistants grabbed the Stone and triggered an explosion that destroyed the Collector's entire museum, Gamora then told the group they had to turn the Stone over to the Nova Corps to keep it out of Ronan or Thanos' hands.

Rocket Raccoon (Earth-199999) and Peter Quill (Earth-199999) from Guardians of the Galaxy (film) 001

Rocket and Quill battle Ronan's forces

As Rocket tried to object, Ronan's forces arrived, having been summoned by a vengeful Drax, wanting to face Ronan head-on. The group battled Ronan's forces using industrial pods, but ultimately Ronan's right hand, and Gamora's sister, Nebula, got the orb and left Gamora stranded in space, her body floating just outside Knowhere's atmosphere. To save her, Quill sent his coordinates to the Ravagers before exiting his pod to give her his oxygen mask. Just as he began to freeze, the Ravagers arrived and captured both of them, flying away and leaving Rocket, Groot, and Drax behind.

After yelling at Drax for endangering them all, Rocket realized that he'd come to form a bond with Quill and Gamora, and decided to maybe try and save them. Taking the Milano to the Ravagers' ship, Rocket attempted to threaten the Ravagers to let them go, but Quill informed Rocket that they had come to an agreement with them and they were fine. Once they all regrouped, they formulated a plan to stop Ronan from using the Power Stone to destroy Xandar: after contacting the Nova Corps to aid them, Quill and Ravager leader Yondu Udonta planned to enter Ronan's ship with the help of Rocket, and would kill Ronan in his chambers.

Rocket Raccoon (Earth-199999) from Guardians of the Galaxy (film) 006

Fighting for Xandar

At first, the plan went well, with the Novas and Ravagers slowing down Ronan's ship, but Yondu was unable to enter the ship, leaving Quill, Groot, Gamora, and Drax to fight Ronan as Rocket helped the outside forces protect Xandar. The battle lead to a desperate attack from Rocket, crashing the Milano into Ronan's ship, damaging both vessels and knocking himself unconscious. As Ronan's ship came crashing to Xandar's ground, Groot used his branches to create a dense spherical barrier around his friends, saving their lives but perishing in the process, much to Rocket's dismay.

Guardians of the Galaxy (Earth-199999) from Guardians of the Galaxy (film) 005

Defeating Ronan

When they all hit the ground and climbed from the rubble, Rocket lunged in fury after Ronan, who promptly swatted him away near one of his weapons, a Hadron Enforcer blaster he began rebuilding as Quill distracted Ronan. With Drax's help, Rocket blasted the Stone out of the weapon Ronan was channeling it through, and Quill grabbed it out of the air. As the energy began to consume him, Gamora, Drax, and Rocket joined hands with him, sharing the power between them. They then used the power to kill Ronan before sealing the stone in a containment unit, which they later gave to the Nova Corps for safekeeping.

Guardians of the Galaxy (Earth-199999) from Guardians of the Galaxy (film) 007

The Guardians of the Galaxy are born

After the battle, Rocket mourned the loss of Groot, his best friend for many years, and took a twig from his shattered body that he planted in a pot. It began to grow into a new Groot, with none of the old Groot's memories, but with the same childlike innocence and sweet attitude. Rocket and the new Groot proceeded to join Quill, Gamora, and Drax as a team of intergalactic mercenaries and hired protectors known as the Guardians of the Galaxy, and proceeded to travel the galaxy helping anyone in need, all their criminal records wiped clean by the Nova Corps.[4]

Facing Ego[]

Rocket Raccoon (Earth-199999) and Groot II (Earth-199999) from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol

Stealing the batteries

A few months after their formation, the Guardians of the Galaxy were hired by the Sovereign to protect their anulax batteries from an approaching abilisk. They succeeded, but the batteries were to tempting for the kleptomaniac Rocket, and he pocketed some to keep for himself. After meeting with the Sovereign and receiving their payment, a captured Nebula, the Guardians took off in the Milano and began making their way to collect the bounty on their prisoner. Unfortunately, the Sovereign took notice of Rocket's theft and sent a fleet of fighter craft after the Milano. Rocket attempted to maneuver the ship past the fleet as Drax attempted to take out the Sovereign, but Quill and Rocket came to fighting over piloting the ship, causing much more damage to the ship that allowed the Sovereign to gain on them.

As all seemed lost, a ship flew by and decimated the Sovereign fleet, allowing the Milano to make an emergency crash landing on the nearby planet Berhert where Rocket could work on repairs for the ship. Before long, the ship that had saved them touched down on Berhert, and its pilot introduced himself as Ego, a Celestial who declared he was Peter Quill's father and Quill was half-Celestial himself. Ego invited Quill to accompany him to his home, and so they left with Drax and Gamora, leaving Rocket to repair the ship and look after Groot and Nebula.

Rocket Raccoon (Earth-199999) from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol

Rocket is captured by the Ravagers

Rocket set up several traps in the forest surrounding the Milano just in case they were attacked, and sure enough, a group of Ravagers, led by Yondu, came after Rocket for a bounty placed on the Guardians by the Sovereign. Rocket was able to use his traps and combat abilities to incapacitate many of the Ravagers, but Yondu cornered Rocket with his remote controlled yaka arrow. Fully prepared to be taken in by Yondu, Rocket watched as Yondu declared it was safer to take the anulax batteries than kill the Guardians of the Galaxy, followed by Yondu's crew turning on him, and capturing Yondu along with Rocket and Groot. Taking advantage of the ensuing chaos, Nebula managed to escape and convinced the mutinous Ravagers she was on their side.

Rocket Raccoon (Earth-199999) and Yondu Udonta (Earth-199999) from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol

Escaping with Yondu

Rocket, Groot, and Yondu were taken back to the Ravagers' ship, the Eclector, where they were humiliated and prepared to be killed. However, with the help of Groot and Kraglin, a mutineer who regretted standing against Yondu, they were able to acquire a prototype control fin so Yondu could use his yaka arrow against the rest of the crew. The group, now including Kraglin, escaped in the forward section of the ship and made their way to Ego's planet, with Rocket now afraid Quill was in danger. Along the way, Yondu appealed to Rocket's compassion for his friends and the two bonded over their isolation.

Rocket Raccoon (Earth-199999) and Peter Quill (Earth-199999) from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol

Saving the galaxy again

Upon reaching Ego's planet, the group learned that Ego intended to consume the universe with his biomass utilizing Quill's Celestial energy. Using a mining craft with powerful lasers, Rocket rescued Quill, Gamora, Drax, and Mantis, Ego's empathic assistant who had joined the Guardians, and after a long battle within the center of the planet attempting to destroy Ego's astral brain at its core, Rocket was forced to fashion a powerful bomb using the annulax batteries he stole earlier that would destroy the entire planet with a chain reaction, which Groot managed to place and set. The majority of the Guardians managed to get off the planet as the bomb blew, but Yondu stayed behind to make sure Quill escaped, and Rocket, after inducting him to the Guardians of the Galaxy, said farewell to his friend and promised to be better by him.

Sure enough, Yondu was forced to sacrifice his life to save Quill, and the Guardians held a grand Ravager funeral. Even the other Ravager clans, whom Yondu had been exiled from, came to show their respect after saving the galaxy, showing Rocket that anyone can be redeemed, and that he was capable of change.[2]

War with Thanos[]

Thor Odinson (Earth-199999), Rocket Raccoon (Earth-199999), and Groot (Earth-199999) from Avengers Infinity War 001

Teaming up with Thor

In 2018, some time after having acquired their new ship, the Benatar, the Guardians of the Galaxy responded to a distress signal from an Asgardian refugee ship, only to find it completely decimated when they got there, and the majority of Asgardians on it dead. They located one survivor in the wreckage, the cold but noble warrior Thor Odinson, who explained that Thanos had destroyed it in his quest for the Infinity Stones, planning to use them to destroy half of all life in the universe for population control. Having destroyed Xandar and now possessing the Power and Space Stones, Thanos became the Guardians' new target, and the team split up, with Rocket and Groot joining Thor in the Benatar's escape pod to the forge Nidavellir to get Thor a weapon that could properly destroy Thanos, while the rest of the team made their way to Knowhere to retrieve the Reality Stone from the Collector before Thanos could.

On the journey there, Rocket came to see how Thor's pain was poisoning him, with his brave demeanor slipping into despair as he thought about everyone he had lost over the years, including his brother, Loki and his best friend, Heimdall, to Thanos earlier that day. Rocket found himself able to sympathize with Thor, and even tried offering some reassurance as they approached the forge, where the dying star keeping it working had gone out. They then met the king of the Dwarves, Eitri, and the only survivor of Thanos' attack on the forge, who told them that he had crafted a gauntlet powerful enough to harness the power of all six Infinity Stones for him.

Thor Odinson (Earth-199999), Rocket Raccoon (Earth-199999), and Groot (Earth-199999) from Avengers Infinity War 002

Battle of Wakanda

Working as fast as they could, Thor, Rocket, and Groot helped Eitri relight the forge and create the weapon Thor had been asking for: an axe called Stormbreaker through which he could channel his powers, as well as summon the Bifrost. Once it was complete, the trio used the Bifrost to teleport to the nation of Wakanda on Earth to aid the Avengers in the battle to defend Thanos' forces from retrieving the Mind Stone, knowing their leader couldn't be far behind.

Rocket Raccoon (Earth-199999) and Groot II (Earth-199999) from Avengers Infinity War 001

Losing another friend

When Thanos finally arrived, the group fought as hard as they could, but eventually, Thanos acquired the final Stone and was able to complete his goal of wiping out half of all life with a snap of his fingers. As Thanos escaped, Rocket watched in horror as his allies disintegrated before him, including Groot. Three weeks later, Iron Man returned from fighting with the Guardians, he revealed all the Guardians had fallen victim to "The Blip", as it would be called, leaving only himself and Nebula behind.[3]

Avengers (Earth-199999) from Avengers Endgame 001

Rocket joins the Avengers

Filled with rage, Rocket joined the Avengers and, with the help of Captain Marvel, located Thanos, alone on an uncharted planet, having generated a power surge of similar magnitude to the Blip with the Stones, and piloted the Benatar to seek him out with the rest of the team. They ambushed him and attempted to take the Stones and restore the dead to life, but Thanos had used the power of the Stones to destroy each other, and Thor beheaded him in anger. Devastated, the team returned to Earth, accepting defeat, and trying to restructure the world for the next five years. Along with Nebula, Captain Marvel, and War Machine, Rocket performed damage control across the cosmos, trying to repair the broken universe.[5]

Time Heist[]

In 2023, Ant-Man returned from being trapped in the Quantum Realm since the Blip, with his five years being experienced by him as five hours. Realizing the Quantum Realm altered time somehow, Ant-Man suggested they could utilize time travel to undo the Blip, further theorized by Iron Man and Bruce Banner to be able to create temporal divergences to retrieve variants of the Infinity Stones and undo Thanos' damage in their timeline. With the Avengers realizing they needed their combined forces for what Ant-Man called this "Time Heist", they reassembled, with Rocket and Banner convincing a depressed, alcoholic Thor to come out of retirement.

Thor Odinson (Earth-199999) and Rocket Raccoon (Earth-199999) from Avengers Endgame 001

Reassuring Thor

Rocket and Thor were assigned to retrieve the Reality Stone, which was imbued into Thor's ex-girlfriend Jane Foster in Asgard in 2013. With Thor panicking and finding himself unable to get past his trauma seeing Jane and his deceased mother, Frigga, Rocket was forced to try and calm him down and tell him to push on. Thor went to talk with his mother regardless, and so Rocket was forced to improvise and extract the Stone from Jane himself, and so he and Thor quickly returned to 2023.

Rocket Raccoon (Earth-199999) and James Rhodes (Earth-199999) from Avengers Endgame 001

Final battle with the Avengers

When the groups returned with the Infinity Stones, they placed them on a nanotech gauntlet, and Banner used it to bring everyone killed in the Blip back to life. Unfortunately, one of the groups had accidentally brought back a version of Nebula still loyal to Thanos, and minutes later used their time machine to bring Thanos and his army to 2023. A battle began between the Avengers and Thanos and his forces over the Stones, with this younger Thanos planning to reset the universe with the Stones if he got them. Fortunately, all the Avengers' resurrected allies, including the Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as the alternate timeline's Gamora, came to their aid in the battle, and together they were able to hold off Thanos' armies long enough for Iron Man to get ahold of the Stones and use them to turn Thanos and his armies to dust, at the cost of his life.[5]

Guardians of the Galaxy (Earth-199999) from Thor Love and Thunder 001

Adventures with Thor

Rocket rejoined the Guardians, this time with Nebula, Thor, and his best friend Korg, as well as bringing Kraglin on as a full time member, and went off in search of the alternate Gamora, who had fled to the stars and Quill was determined to find. After Thor and Korg left the team, the Guardians bought out Knowhere and made it their new base of operations, acquiring a new, much larger spacecraft called the Bowie. They even took on a resident of Knowhere, a stubborn but enthusiastic telekinetic dog named Cosmo, as a member of the team and Rocket's personal pet.[6][7]

Battling the High Evolutionary[]

Rocket Raccoon (Earth-199999) and Groot II (Earth-199999) from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol

In critical condition

After living on Knowhere for some time and helping his friends deal with their own issues, Rocket was finally located by the High Evolutionary, who had been seeking him out for years with the intent to capture him and study his brain. He sent the evolved Sovereign Adam to capture him, but when Adam tried, he was intercepted by the Guardians. During the battle, Rocket was critically wounded, and as Adam escaped, the Guardians attempted to operate on him and save his life, but discovered a device left on his heart by the High Evolutionary that would kill him if they tried to operate.

Fearing for his life as he lay unconscious on the Bowie, the Guardians traced his heart device's origins back to OrgoCorp, the High Evolutionary's bionics company, and so made their way to their headquarters, the Orgoscope, to try and get the parts needed to save his life. With the help of the alternate Gamora, who had joined the Ravagers, they managed to get information regarding a code that could disable his heart device, but realized the code itself was located on Counter-Earth with the High Evolutionary, and so made their way there to confront him and save their friend.

Rocket Raccoon (Earth-199999), Groot II (Earth-199999) and Peter Quill (Earth-199999) from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol

Rocket embraces his friends and saviors

The Guardians faced down the High Evolutionary and battled his men, which resulted in the High Evolutionary destroying Counter-Earth and killing all the Animen in favor of his latest species, the Star Children, launching his ship, the Arête, into space, and kidnapping Nebula, Drax, and Mantis. Fortunately, however, Star-Lord, Groot, and Gamora managed to get the code to deactivate Rocket's heart device and were able to operate on him and save his life just in time. When Rocket came to and was informed as to what was going on, he joined the Guardians in their quest to save their friends from his old enemy, although he was reluctant to face him again.

The team called up Kraglin, who piloted Knowhere to their location and used its weaponry to blow a hole in the side of the Arête, allowing the Guardians to battle through the High Evolutionary's armies, as well as Adam Warlock, and enter the ship. They reunited with their friends, who had managed to escape their custody on their own, and insisted they had to save the Star Children onboard the ship. Nebula then took control of the Arête and flew it in close so an opening in its hull could connect with an opening in Knowhere's side and the children could be evacuated through it.

Guardians of the Galaxy (Earth-199999) from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol

Rocket Raccoon spares the High Evolutionary

As the Guardians evacuated the children, Rocket finally came face to face with the High Evolutionary. The two began a one on one battle, but soon the Guardians joined in the fight and together overpowered him, with Gamora stabbing him and letting him fall to the ground. However, Rocket couldn't bring himself to deliver the finishing blow, having found a new compassion within himself spawned from his best friends risking it all to save his life, and simply left Drax to bring him to Knowhere. He then convinced the team to also evacuate the High Evolutionary's animal test subjects as well, and with the help of a reformed Adam Warlock, whom Groot had saved from death and decided to give a second chance, they all escaped the Arête just as it was obliterated completely.

Guardians of the Galaxy (Earth-199999) from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol

Leading the new Guardians

Once everyone was settled, the High Evolutionary was imprisoned, and Gamora headed back to the Ravagers, Peter Quill gathered the Guardians and announced he was quitting the team, planning to go back to Earth and reconnect with his family. One by one, Mantis, Drax, and Nebula also announced their retirement, leaving Rocket to be the leader of a new iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Taking on the name "Rocket Raccoon" as a way to finally embrace who he was, he became captain of the Bowie and led the new team of Guardians, composed of Groot, Kraglin, Cosmo, Adam Warlock, a F'Saki called Blurp and a Star Child named Phyla, across the cosmos, protecting those in need and helping wherever they could.[1]

Personality

Rocket Raccoon is sarcastic and sadistic, with a tough attitude and misanthropic nature. He used this tough nature for years to push away those who cared for him and mask his feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing from the trauma of his experiments. Over time, however, his experiences with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Yondu Udonta, and the Avengers made him much stronger emotionally, more able to open up to his insecurities and embrace those who cherished him. He also learned to stop hating himself for who he is, and became strong and heroic enough that Quill left him the leadership of the Guardians.[4][2][3][5][1]

Attributes

Powers

  • Raccoon Physiology: Rocket possesses enhanced raccoon senses, including an acute sense of smell, sharp eyesight, and enhanced senses.
  • Enhanced Condition: Rocket has been augmented in torturous experiments and as a result has superhuman abilities that are uncommon for raccoons.
    • Enhanced Strength: Despite his size, he has above human levels of physical strength, and is able to batter a human-sized opponent unconsciousness.
    • Enhanced Agility: He can walk on two legs like a humanoid being as well as run on all four limbs.
    • Enhanced Intelligence: Due to the augmentations, he gained a vast genius-level intellect and became an expert engineer, especially a weapons engineer.

Abilities

  • Marksman: Rocket is well-versed in the use of high-powered firearms.
  • Technical Expertise: Rocket has shown great skill and intelligence in matters of technology and mechanics. He was able to hack the Kyln's primary watchtower and take control of the prison security drones whilst disabling the artificial gravity. He is also able to build complex weaponry out of spare pieces of technology he has on hand.
  • Master Tactician and Strategist: Rocket is an accomplished strategist. He is able to formulate battle strategies and his brilliant tactical sense allows him to alter any strategy to fit the changing need of the situation. Rocket is also a master at escaping confinement, claiming to have escaped twenty-two prisons upon being arrested by the Nova Corps.
  • Pilot: Rocket is an accomplished starship pilot.[4]
  • Multilingualism: Rocket is able to understand Groot's language.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Microsoft Zune: Rocket was given a Zune by Star-Lord, an MP3 player with three hundred songs on it, that he uses to entertain himself and the Guardians in between and during missions.

Weapons

Rocket maintains an ever-changing arsenal of weapons, in most cases improvised from any spare parts available.

  • Bombs: Rocket's improvised bombs are limited only by the parts available to him at the time of construction. He can rig explosive charges ranging from small scale explosives to high yield devices capable of extensively damaging planetary bodies.
  • Gravity Mines: Landmine devices that can create fields of alternating gravity. Those caught in the gravity field find themselves falling upwards into the air, and falling back down again with each reversal of the gravitational field.
  • Quadruple Barrel Shock Rifle: Rocket normally carries a very large gun with four square-shaped barrels. It appears to be an energy weapon that shoots small electric projectiles that painfully stun their targets.
  • Shock Charges: Small devices that attach to the skin of a target, and emit electrical discharges that can incapacitate human-sized victims.
  • Tranq Traps: Dart launchers placed strategically that inject victims with a powerful toxin capable of rendering people unconscious in seconds.

Notes

Trivia

  • Rocket Raccoon has escaped from twenty-three prisons.[4]
  • During his time with the Guardians, Rocket came to share Star-Lord's love for Earth's classic rock music, setting up his music to listen to while killing his enemies and passing time by asking his teammates their favorite musical acts.[2][1]

See Also

Links and References

References

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