Guardians of the Galaxy is easily one of Marvel’s most popular movies out there. The title is known for its more mature sense of humor as well as the incredibly nostalgic soundtrack that seems to bring all generations together. Proving to be a successful venture in something very different from Marvel’s previous movie, the film does a good job of mixing humor into a rather serious storyline that would break almost anyone’s hearts; each character has such a tragic background story, after all.
With an angry attitude and a silver tongue, Rocket Raccoon is easily one of the biggest fan favorites to come out of this franchise alongside his best friend, Groot. It’s not really hard to see why when Rocket is so sarcastic and just so happens to be the only person that can really understand what Groot is saying. Between the two of them, there’s endless comedy and a friendship that warms the heart. Unfortunately, not everything about Rocket has been something to laugh at.
While most movies would make a talking raccoon the pinnacle of humor, Marvel took Rocket’s creation down a much darker path that will have you sobbing your eyes out. From how he became a more humanoid talking animal to his love of prosthetic limbs, there’s a reason for almost everything Rocket does. His backstory is filled with pain and misery, but without it we wouldn’t have the attitude-filled raccoon we have today. If you’re a huge Rocket Raccoon fan that’s read the comics, you’ll probably be familiar with some of our list items, but if you’ve only seen the films, you’re certainly in for a heart wrenching ride!
25 HE CAN REALLY UNDERSTAND GROOT
This may seem a little obvious, especially if you’ve seen the films, but Rocket can really understand what Groot is saying. A little strange, seeing as all he can say is, “I am Groot,” but Rocket genuinely gets the language his best friend speaks, without any context or hints.
Part of this simply comes from how smart Rocket is. Because he’s the product of illegal experiments, there’s a lot of thinking on his toes in order to adapt to his surroundings; being able to pick up another language as soon as possible is just one of the many things you can do to help you survive.
24 A ROBOT MOM AND DAD?
Previously mentioned, Rocket was the product of illegal testing. The experiments preformed on him were nothing less than horrific, but at least we can say it wasn’t exactly humans that bred this form of evil. Instead, Rocket was designed and created by robots. Sounds like an absolute nightmare…
These Robots would create leftover pets with genetically modified abilities so that they would be able to care for insane asylum patients. It sounds like this would be rough for any species, but when you’re just a regular raccoon who doesn’t really understand what’s going on, it seems to make it a thousand times worse.
23 CHILDHOOD IN AN INSANE ASYLUM
If you’re wondering where the attitude Rocket has comes from, you should look no further than his childhood. The robots that created him gave him the clear task of taking care of insane asylum patients on planet Halfworld; a place where “Loonies” were assigned to go.
With the original robot caretakers no longer wanting to deal with the ever-growing population of “Loonies,” experiments like Rocket Raccoon were created to take over. There’s no way growing up around some of the galaxy’s most ill patients would help you turn out to be completely okay. Especially when you’ve been genetically modified and have had plenty of experiments done yourself.
22 IN-MOVIE SCARS ARE ACTUAL COMIC REFERENCES
Out of many of the characters in Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket and Groot are perhaps the two we’ve gotten very little explanation for. However, Marvel did make sure to include references to Rocket’s original backstory from the comics; a nod given by his scars.
Originally, Rocket was not unlike any other raccoon. However, the robots who helped to create him wanted to give him a specific skeletal structure that would allow him to walk upright like a human. This led to multiple surgeries that were horrifically painful and left plenty of scars that we saw in theaters.
21 HIS MOVIE VERSION IS INSPIRED BY A REAL RACCOON NAMED OREO
There’s a lot of fun things to learn about Rocket’s past from the comics, but one adorable piece of trivia from the cinematic universe is how they made this sassy raccoon so realistic. Wanting to make him look like any other raccoon here on earth, the filmmakers decided to really look at the anatomy of raccoons as well as their behavior.
This included looking at the adorable raccoon named Oreo, who taught them everything they needed to know. Following Oreo around, the team was able to recreate a fairly realistic raccoon, and we’re sure plenty of fans can definitely agree it was a success!
20 HE WAS INSPIRED BY A BEATLES SONG
Does anyone remember the song “Rocky Raccoon” by the Beatles? Well, the creators of Guardians of the Galaxy sure did. The entire song fits his personality well, as it’s all about a rebellious man who’s ready to go off and gain revenge on the man who stole his girlfriend. Seriously, doesn’t that seem like something Rocket would do?
The cool thing about this reference is that his earlier comics would often refer to the lyrics of the original song. This also seems to fit the movie’s aesthetic of holding music as one of the most important factors to the story.
19 BOTH HE AND GROOT HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES BEFORE
Of course, when we’re talking about the end of life in the Marvel Universe, there’s a good chance that they’ll come back; either by some incredible life-altering feats or in another series. Spoilers; we’re referencing their demise in the Secret Wars comic's first issue.
The entire point of this series was to pin two different universes together in a war that would put the entire galaxy at stake. Obviously, this wouldn’t go well for anyone involved and our favorite besties were among many of the tragedies. Their loss was severe and motivated plenty of their remaining friends to take a stand in an impossible future.
18 ROCKET STRUGGLES WITH OCD
If any of our readers struggle with OCD, you can certainly rejoice in having some representation in the Marvel Universe! Rocket Raccoon will probably understand exactly how you feel, considering he has a minor form that has always compels him to keep things his way. This could certainly explain why Rocket is so determined and precise most of the time.
Of course, this was partially speculation, especially since it came more from Bradley Cooper’s MCU version verses the comic books, but we could definitely see it. It certainly helps to consider all possibilities when getting into character, and OCD is nothing to mess around with.
17 JUST LIKE ANY OTHER RACCOON, HUMANOID OR NOT
Despite how human he may look, at the end of the day Rocket is still your average raccoon that has most of the same traits and qualities that his species would have. Unlike humans, he still has strong senses that tend to learn more into his animalistic side.
However, it’s stated that these abilities may have actually been heightened through the various experiments he was forced to endure when becoming more humanoid. Everything from smell to sight can help him on his missions with the other Guardians, placing him at more of an advantage. In the end, we’re pretty glad he was able to keep these qualities.
16 HEIGHTENED AGILITY
One of the most impressive raccoon abilities Rocket was able to keep, and heighten, was his agility. Whether you’ve only seen it on the big screen of you’ve actually read it in the comics, Rocket is incredibly capable when it comes to his physicality. No human, or alien, would be able to keep up with Baby Groot without his abilities!
This incredible agility certainly helped him escape once or twice, but it also makes his small stature more of a boon rather than a hindrance. Pair this with the cybernetic skeletal structure he was given and you have an unstoppable raccoon!
15 A CYBERNETIC SKELETAL STRUCTURE
The robots that created Rocket knew that he wouldn’t be able to stand up straight like a human, making him an ineffective caretaker for the “Loonies” they were so desperate to abandon. This is why he was given multiple surgeries in order to “correct” his posture.
Having a cybernetic skeletal structure isn’t entirely unrealistic for the Marvel Universe; there are plenty of people with limb replacements or body augmentations that have made them more robotic than flesh. However, Rocket was repeatedly taken apart and put back together until his body fitted the mold his creators specifically wanted. This horrible fact has left Rocket a little more than broken on the inside.
14 CEREBRAL CORTEX IS ALSO GENETICALLY AUGMENTED
As one of his most identifying attributes, Rocket’s intelligence is beyond many of his fellow Guardians. This is mostly because his cerebral cortex was genetically augmented so that he could go above most of the other species in the galaxy. Seriously, this raccoon is smarter than you and you know it.
Rocket was designed to preform incredibly complex tasks; something that would certainly help in his position considering how many people he was originally tasked with caring for. Thankfully, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise because his wits have saved both himself and his friends on more than one occasion.
13 USED TO WEAR ROCKET SKATES, HENCE THE NAME
Anything that goes on his body is still an interesting fact and Rocket certainly had one defining attribute from his early days; his rocket skates! Matching his very name, these skates did exactly what you’d expect by helping him fly around to complete different tasks.
Of course, we could see why this was later dropped from the design. It certainly makes him more goofy than his personality seems to always portray, making him more cartoonish than anything else. Could you imagine the films with a CGI raccoon wearing rocket skates? It’d be a little hard to take it seriously after that.
12 ENHANCED STRENGTH AND DURABILITY
Despite his small stature, Rocket is actually relatively strong and durable! Of course, with how many experiments he’s been through and beatings he’s taken since, it’s hard not to see just how tough he is physically. How else do you think he’s able to wield those giant guns around?
Advanced strength certainly has a lot of abilities, but your average raccoon would never be able to hold some of the more human-sized weapons. It’s not something we readily think about, but even if you’ve only watched the movies you’ve probably seen Rocket exercise just how strong he really is; i.e. when he tackled Gamora in the first movie.
11 HE’S NOT A CRAZED SHOOTER, SURPRISINGLY
After seeing Rocket on the big screen holding massive weapons and shooting wildly, it almost seems as though he’s causing more chaos than having any kind of tactic. The truth is actually more surprising; this little raccoon is actually an amazing marksman that’s able to hit almost anything he sets his eyes on.
Rocket clearly has a preference for handling high-powered weaponry, which already gives him a better shot of hitting his target when so many bullets go flying. However, most of this is to avoid combat, considering he’s so small to begin with; being agile or strong may not be enough against certain enemies.
10 A MASTER STRATEGIST
One of his many skills is to be the best tactician there is. Thankfully, his role as a Guardian gives him an opportunity to really shine as he usually makes plans that can succeed, should people follow them correctly. Of course, this doesn’t always go well when people decide to go off and do their own thing.
With the kind of personality Rocket has, it should be obvious to his friends the kind of reaction they’d get should they want to deviate. He gets incredibly annoyed when people don’t follow his orders, which can cause a huge scene and end up with a massive fight.
9 HE’S THE BEST ENGINEER, OBVIOUSLY
It’s no secret that Rocket is an incredible engineer, but we thought we’d remind you anyways. Because of his inventions, he’s saved his friends plenty of times and helped them escape; not to mention dealt with some of the critical ship repairs that no one else seems able to do.
What’s incredible about this specific skill is that he can create a weapon out of almost anything. Iconic weapons like Peter’s Hadron Enforcer may look really cool now, but it’s really just a bunch of junk Rocket was able to put together with a little bit of shine, making it dangerous.
8 ACCOMPLISHED SPACECRAFT PILOT
With so many talents, it can be tricky not to forget a few. Rocket’s piloting skills, however, are not to be missed on this list. Our favorite raccoon has been an accomplished pilot on various spacecrafts; it doesn’t take him long to figure out not only how to fly a new vehicle, but also how to fly it well.
This is why he’s often put as a leader in a flight attack. With his kind of abilities, he’s able to lead assaults from the sky with ease. Referring to the Battle of Xandar, he was responsible for leading the entire flight.
7 TINY, BUT MIGHTY
We’ve mentioned before that Rocket seems to prefer weaponry; an obvious choice for a very small animal, regardless of whether or not he’s humanoid. However, even if he did run out of weapons to use, there would be a good chance he could take down his opponent anyways!
Rocket is a great combatant and, when you add his incredible agility and increased strength, he’s almost deadly. It definitely makes sense, since he is so smart, and he could also take a lot of damage considering his durability. We’re not talking about your average raccoon after all; he needs to be a proficient fighter in order to survive.
6 HE HIDES THAT HE’S INCREDIBLY LONELY
On a much darker note, Rocket is incredibly lonely. You can imagine that growing up the way he did and having so many cruel things done to him would turn him a little sour. But what’s even worse is that he’s really one of the few, if not the only one of his kind out there. His mental state is already a little out of sorts, but him being lonely is just downright heartbreaking.
Thankfully, he has the guardians and Groot to keep him company now. Without them, there’s no telling where Rocket would be. As part of his character development, it looks like he’s learning to grow more into being a real friend.