Probably one of my least favorite superhero movies of all time, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) is the winner of 4 Saturn Awards: Best Actor (Chris Pratt), Best Director (James Gunn), Best Make-Up (David White, Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou), and Best Comic-to-Film Motion Picture. It was also nominated for two Oscars for Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Achievement in Visual Effects. The film mounted 52 wins from 2014 to 2015. Like all other MCU movies, the film was based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, created by the one and only, Stan Lee. The movie was directed by superhero genre master James Gunn and was greatly inspired by the Mass Effect video game series, Flash Gordon, Farscape, and Star Wars. The movie has an IMDb rating of 8.0 and 92% on Rotten Tomatoes (both critical consensus and audience score), meaning that my opinion is not popular.
The film features an ensemble cast including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper as the titular Guardians. Principal photography began in London under the working title of Full Tilt. Filming took place at Shepperton Studios (same as Alien!) and Longcross Studios. The movie follows a group of intergalactic criminals who must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe. Just your average run-of-the-mill superhero plot. However, a character I truly loved to see develop through this movie (and subsequent Marvel movies that featured him) was Rocket Raccoon. With Guardians of the Galaxy becoming a blockbuster hit, Rocket Raccoon has seen a character arc similar to none in the MCU. How has Rocket's character grown throughout the MCU's films? Warning, this post will spoil Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (2017), Infinity War (2018), and Endgame (2019).
The audience doesn't know much about Rocket's origin story through the MCU retellings (in the comics, I'm told, it's more fleshed out). It was stated a few times by Rocket and his captors that he was the result of an experiment. Either gone wrong or right, we don't know. However, we know that Rocket was a loner until he met Groot. Rocket initially rejected Groot too, but their friendship could grow because of Groot's inability to take 'no' for an answer. Groot sat with Rocket every day until Rocket eventually accepted Groot's company. Groot and Rocket were alone in Guardians of the Galaxy until they met Quill, Gamora, and Drax. The Guardians. At first, their interest relies solely on Gamora because of the hefty bounty on her head that he hopes to collect when taking her in. He only agrees not to kill Gamora because of the prospect of an even bigger payout once he helps explode The Kiln. Money remains Rocket's motivation for most of the film. However, because of Groot's kind nature, Rocket ends up becoming closer to the rest of the Guardians too. Only with Groot's death does Rocket truly become a Guardian, in memory of his leafy friend.
At the beginning of Vol 2, Rocket's been traveling with the Guardians (and baby Groot) for a few months. Rocket, however, struggles to find his place in the new team dynamic. He makes careless mistakes to push away the other Guardians (except Groot). Only at the end of the film, and following Yondu's sacrifice, does Rocket realize that the Guardians are his new family. They love him unconditionally, no matter how big his mistakes and how big a brat he is. In Infinity War, the Guardians have been together for two years. Rocket acts as a father to the unresponsive teenage Groot. At this point, Rocket has entirely accepted the Guardians as his family. This is evident in a conversation with Thor (who loses Loki early in the film). Thor states that he has nothing left to lose when Rocket replies: "Me, personally, I could lose a lot..." This indicates he could lose his found family, the Guardians. At the film's climax, Rocket is devastated as he watches Groot fade away after Thanos' snap. In Endgame, the Guardian's ship has returned to Earth along with Stark and Nebula. At this point, Rocket learns that his loved ones were lost to Thanos. The easy way out would have been to take the ship back and leave, returning to the solitary life he lived before meeting Groot. Instead, he decides to stay. He helps the Avengers deal with the aftermath of the snap and works for them still, five years later.
Throughout the four films mentioned, Rocket has grown from a self-serving bounty hunter without a care in the world to a character who would risk his life alongside people he barely knows for a chance at saving his family. I can't wait to see what the MCU has in store for Rocket in Volume 3 and any other Phase 4 movies.
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