The third installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies is set to conclude the epic journey that the guardians have been on since they first teamed up in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 1 in August 2014. While each of the characters deserves and gets to have a proper conclusion to their stories, Rocket Raccoon receives the biggest focus in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.
And among the characters who we’ve gotten to know since the first and second movies, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 introduces a few new characters who will be significantly important to Rocket Raccoon. They are Adam Warlock, The High Evolutionary, and Lylla.
Adam Warlock
By the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, the advanced alien race known as The Sovereign, became consumed with revenge against the Guardians of the Galaxy after Rocket stole their precious, and powerful Anulax batteries. The Sovereign wasn’t able to punish the Guardians, but in a post credit scene it is revealed that The Sovereign’s leader, Ayesha, commissioned the creation of a humanoid weapon named Adam. It’s hard to say whether or not Adam Warlock’s anger will be directed toward Rocket more than any of the other Guardians, but the fact remains that he is the reason that the Sovereign came after them. There is a good hint that Adam Warlock will target Rocket, because (spoiler warning), there is a clip that does show Adam Warlock and Rocket fighting.
In the comics, Adam Warlock is incredibly powerful, and plays a big role in the Infinity Saga as well as other story lines. Now that he is making his debut in the MCU after the Infinity Saga, it will be interesting to see what happens with Adam Warlock. He may also be working with who appears to be the big villain of this third movie, and that is the High Evolutionary.
The High Evolutionary
The High Evolutionary is one of many sadistic and obsessed scientists in the Marvel Universe. In the trailer, he says, “My sacred mission is to create the perfect society.” To do this he uses genetic engineering. Rocket says (about the High Evolutionary), “He didn’t want to make things perfect, he just hated things the way they are.” It’s revealed in the trailer by these lines and some images that the High Evolutionary is responsible for Rocket in his current condition. The images show that Rocket was experimented on by the High Evolutionary as a baby raccoon. This is how he became the cyborg raccoon that we know and love.
Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 Rocket & Team Space T-Shirt
In the comics, The High Evolutionary lives in the mountains of Wundagore (which can be seen in Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness). This is where he has a lab and conducts many of his experiments. It appears that the High Evolutionary will be conducting his experiments on Mt. Wundagore unless there is a hidden laboratory somewhere. The High Evolutionary’s other base of operations however is a world that he created called Counter Earth. This is a planet where he could send all of his genetic experiments to live in peace.
Rocket Raccoon’s origin in the comics isn’t Counter Earth, but rather Half World. For the purposes of the MCU, it seems fitting that they would combine these two places into one since they seem to have a lot in common. Half World was said to be created to help sick people, and modified animals like Rocket were specifically there to help patients as support animals of sorts. It was later found out that Rocket was a security guard there. It will be interesting to see if any of the Half World story is included in the MCU’s Counter Earth.
Lylla
Like Rocket, Lylla is from Half World in the comics. She is also known as Lylla the space otter. She is similar to Rocket in that she started as a regular animal and she was altered. Her parents were toy makers there who made toys specifically for the people who live on Half World. One of the toy makers, Judson Jakes secretly killed Lylla’s parents so that he could have their company to himself. The movie adaptation is much different, but it seems that they have kept the spirit of her character, and she still has a strong connection to Rocket. In the comics, they even fell in love.
Just like in the other movies, it is exciting to see the journey of the old characters continue and the journeys of the new characters unfold. While some of the characters have had more focus than others, James Gunn has done a terrific job of creating genuine story arcs for his Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s been said that this is the last time that this roster of the team will be together, and Volume 3 provides a bittersweet ending for this epic and plucky story.
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