Anyone who has seen Guardians of the Galaxy is familiar with Rocket Raccoon, the morally ambiguous, genetically enhanced bounty hunter who often takes some convincing before he's in the mood to save the galaxy. Likewise, Rocket's cynicism and sarcasm have led him to have a pretty morbid sense of humor; there's no better example of this than his affinity for stealing other people's cybernetic body parts. Perhaps it's just funny for Rocket, but a recent Reddit thread speculates on Rocket's true motives.

Before Rocket joined up with the likes of Star-Lord, Gamora and Groot, he was a victim of repeated genetic testing by alien scientists -- he was cybernetically improved until he became sentient, going on to have fierce intelligence and tactical abilities. Though Rocket rarely brings up his past, he has alluded to the pain and internal torment the enhancements inflicted upon him in the Guardians of the Galaxy films; his exterior may be cold and callous, but he actually has great shame surrounding his past and always feels out of place around other intelligent life. In turn, his personality can be chaotic and unpredictable, and throughout his appearance in the Infinity Saga, Rocket is shown to have an obsession with pilfering cybernetics throughout his travels.

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Indeed, throughout Rocket's time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he has repeatedly tried to either steal or buy artificial body parts off of others. He told Peter Quill he needed an artificial leg for their prison escape in Guardians of the Galaxy even though they didn't, he tried to get Groot to steal one of the Ravager's artificial eyes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and even tried to buy Bucky's vibranium arm in the middle of the Battle of Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War. Because this is a common occurrence for Rocket's character, the Reddit thread speculated on Rocket's motivation behind his antics, and how it could be linked to his tortured past.

Some say Rocket's past trauma has caused him to fixate on the factors that make him feel freakish, and so he subconsciously gravitates toward anything to do with cybernetics. Combined with his former gig as a scavenger, it would make sense why Rocket's fixation and subsequent thievery seems compulsive. Others say Rocket is projecting his own feelings of incompleteness onto those around him; by taking a part of their body, they'll feel incomplete too. This may not be intentional on Rocket's part, but another unaddressed area of his psyche molded by his traumatic past.

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Perhaps the most outlandish theory is Rocket slowly collecting body parts to make himself a robotic body. It's no secret that Rocket is sensitive about the fact that he's a raccoon, and he reacts defensively any time someone makes a joke at the expense of his species. Therefore, some believe Rocket is building a body that will make up for his obvious external differences. Given his interest in the capabilities of the Winter Soldier's arm, it makes sense that he would want the best technology for himself. Perhaps Rocket has had a secret agenda none of the other guardians are aware of.

Whether Rocket decides to accumulate robotic body parts because it makes him feel less isolated, he's building himself a body or simply because he thinks it's funny, there's no doubt the chaotic raccoon is one of the more complex characters the MCU's roster has to offer. Luckily for fans, they'll get to see plenty more of Rocket in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and based on his past antics, they'll likely see him gunning for more artificial limbs to add to his collection.

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