The trailer for the highly-anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has finally dropped. As teased by director James Gunn, this movie revolves around Rocket Raccoon. While dramatic and arguably heart-breaking, the trailer proves that Rocket is undoubtedly the star of the show.
The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise follows Chris Pratt's Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, and his band of alien misfits. These include the likes of Groot, a humanoid tree with a limited vocabulary, a talking and somewhat violent raccoon-like alien named Rocket, and an array of other intergalactic people like Gamora and Drax. This group is forced to defend its galaxy from different villains.
GotG Vol. 3 Puts Rocket's Backstory Front and Center
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 takes the beloved yet different group on their third adventure. Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, the Guardians are forced to not only defend one of their own but to save their universe once again. Failing this mission could have disastrous consequences and maybe even cause the Guardians to fall altogether.
The newly-released trailer showcases the well-loved Rocket and his backstory. Fans get plenty of glimpses of his life before his involvement as a Guardian of the Galaxy. Whether it be scenes of his home planet of Halfworld, or his love interest, Lylla, Rocket's origins are clearly brought to the forefront. It's not just his home and love, though, as audiences are also shown pieces of his time with the High Evolutionary.
All of this is wrapped up with some pretty dramatic and emotional moments. The trailer shows Star-Lord and Mantis breaking down into tears before possibly the most gut-wrenching scene since the end of Avengers: Infinity War. This is, of course, Rocket Raccoon declaring that he's done running and suggesting that the Guardians will fly away together "one last time."
Will GotG Vol. 3 Be Rocket's Final Film?
Because of this, Marvel fans are absolutely convinced that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be Rocket Raccoon's curtain call. It's understandable to believe that Rocket dies in GotG Vol. 3. Scenes within the trailer show Rocket lying injured on the ground, as well as surreal glimpses of the beloved genetically-modified creature in a dream-like shot, which possibly represents the afterlife. There is definitely a reason to believe these rumors.
Another reason that fans believe such a sad theory is that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 represents director James Gunn's farewell to the franchise and the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole. It's possible that as he says goodbye to the trilogy, the Guardians will have to say goodbye to one (or maybe more) of their own. While fans may not get a confirmation regarding the future of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, it has unfortunately been confirmed by Gunn that the original team will never be the same again. Rocket Raccoon is getting a proper send-off in this upcoming movie. Whether he officially dies or perhaps just retires is still up in the air, so there's still some room for optimism.
A lot about the current state of the MCU is changing. Phase Four is finally at its end. Getting ready for Phase Five means getting ready for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Fans can both look forward to and dread that the cute but deadly Rocket Raccoon is getting his well-deserved spotlight in this upcoming film.
The third installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is expected to release on May 5, 2023.