WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy#10 by Donny Cates, Cory Smith, Victor Olazaba, David Curiel and VC's Cory Petit, on sale now.
Guardians of the Galaxy #10 continues Donny Cates' deconstruction of the team as it tries to rebound in the wake of calamities like Infinity Wars, and the Dark Guardians drama that resulted in Thanos being reborn. However, one person who hasn't been along for the ride lately is Rocket Raccoon.
Rocket went missing, leaving fans to wonder why he would suddenly ditch the team, only for it to be revealed he was dying, and didn't want to burden his friends. However, with his teammates imprisoned by Peter Quill's father, J'Son, aka the Patriarch, it's now up to Rocket to rescue them. To do so, he unleashes the might of his own Gundam suit, which, from all evidence, may be more powerful than the Hulkbuster.
Rocket's body is deteriorating badly, and when Moondragon and Groot found him, they couldn't believe the process that transformed him into a war-loving fuzzball was reversing. He's frail, and appears near death, a state in which he doesn't want anyone to see him. But what makes his suit so special is it isn't merely a war machine, it's also a life-support system. It's far more advanced than the Hulkbuster armor designed by Tony Stark to go toe-to-toe with the Incredible Hulk.
Rocket needs this suit to survive, but, hey, that it's also equipped with multiple guns, super-cannons and what appears to be advanced cosmic tech is a sweet bonus. We see it unleashed against a horde of Tremors-like creatures when the Guardians travel to a mysterious planet to bring young Adam Warlock into the fold. Or, more specifically, Kid Magus, who wants nothing more than to be a weapon of justice and prove to the cult that tried to kill him that he can be a force for the light. Rocket knows that, and so he vouches for him as backup.
When they attack Patriarch's vessel, however, it's not only about crashing David Bowie, the ship that replaced the Milano, through the roof; Rocket's suit can use it to hack security systems. Of course, he's only biding his time, as we know the firepower he holds. What makes the Rocket-suit even more dangerous is that its pilot, literally, has nothing left to live for.
It will be intriguing to see what Rocket unleashes against the Destroyer Horde, the legion of Drax the Patriarch has in store, because this classic clone army is modeled after the person who was destined to kill Thanos, but scrubbed of his softness. These clones know all about Rocket's methods, so you can bet it will be a high-octane battle.
What makes it even scarier is Beta Ray Bill, Phyla-Vell and Gamora are under Patriarch's control too, so Rocket and his teammates will have to be delicate. Thankfully, with the help of Rocket's suit and Kid Magus, the surviving Guardians are prepared to save their colleagues and the cosmos from yet another dark fate.
Guardians of the Galaxy #11 goes on sale Nov. 13.