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rocketraccoonmeta · 5 years

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Who Is Rocket’s Creator?

(No Endgame Spoilers)

Disclaimer: my theory wouldn’t be here today without the planets being pointed out in the Easter egg hunt here

Also, the app butchered my formatting so please open this post in a browser, not the app!

So, I’m not entirely sure how widely accepted this theory is but I believe that 100% High Evolutionary is Rocket’s Creator.

Obviously, in the comics this is different. Rocket, among other animals like a hare and an otter, is taken from earth and made to be human-like to look after mentally insane beings on a planet called Halfworld.

In the MCU, his origin is also listed as Halfworld, and Lylla (his sentient otter soulmate) is mentioned in the prison lineup screenshot so one might assume that he has the same origins as the comics.

But James Gunn says otherwise.

“As you know, the MCU is one way of processing these characters. [Universe] 616 is a different one. We are going to learn more about where Rocket comes from in the coming sagas. It’s going to be a little different from the comics. We already know a lot about from where he came from. It’s a little bit more horrible than what it is in the comics when you come down to it. We will learn more about that.”

Universe-616 AKA Earth-616 is the main comic book canon universe. Anything that’s not canon to the comic books is set in a different universe with a different number. For example, the MCU number is Earth-199999. So he’s said that 616 Rocket Raccoon origins aren’t the same as our 199999 Rocket.

Also, James Gunn confirmed that Rocket isn’t an Earth/Terran raccoon. Hence the drop of “Raccoon” at the end of his title. Cause he’s not a raccoon!

This is also made apparent when Drax recognises Rocket’s species in Vol.1:

"I recognise this animal. We'd roast them over a flame pit as children. Their flesh was quite delicious."

Anyway, we’ve established that Rocket isn’t from earth, he’s a raccoon-like alien species that someone experimented on. He is from Halfworld but, James has hinted at retconning this.

He didn’t say it was that fact in particular, but he has stated multiple times that Rocket and Groot are his two favourite characters so I believe he would want to explore them more. That, and Gamora being the last of her species has already been retconned in Infinity War. While Gunn could retcon Tibius Lark in Groot’s bio, it wouldn’t make any sense as that Groot is dead, and there’s no one in the comics with that name. A bit of a mystery.

So I would say he’s retconning Rocket’s origin planet, or the fact that one of his listed associates is Lylla (the otter). James Gunn has already basically said that Lylla is not going to make an appearance because their love and Lylla herself could get “really cartoony” which is something they were very worried about as they considered leaving Rocket out of the Guardians films. Either way, it’s safe to assume Rocket was made for a different reason than a companion for the insane.

Now to the meta.

From GOTG Vol.1, James Gunn has said that he likes Adam Warlock a lot and does want him to make an appearance. The post credit scene of Vol.2 hints at his appearance in the next film.

In the comics, he’s not made by Ayesha (The Sovereign High Priestess), but she’s his genetic twin. He escapes his first creators, almost dies at Thor’s hands, then goes into a cocoon again. When he comes out the second time, High Evolutionary AKA Herbert Wyndham becomes his mentor/adoptive father. And also gives him the Soul Stone.

In the movie, Ayesha has created him and that’s all we know from there. Will he seek the Guardians to destroy them like Ayesha wants? Or will he break out before we even see in in GOTG Vol.3 and he’s with Herbert?

The findings in the Easter Egg hunt point out that before choosing Ego, Rocket flicks through a list of planets: Drez-Lar, Hala, Terra and Terma.

Drez-Lar I can’t find out much about. Nova (Ryder) was there once. From the name you can tell it’s a Kree planet, but other than that I had a hard time with info.

Hala is the Kree homeworld. In the comics, it’s actually destroyed. I’m assuming it’s not decimated in the MCU seeing as it’s showing up in the system.

Terra is Earth! Quill’s home planet.

Now, Terma. Terma is only mentioned once in the entirety of the comics. Gunn could have chosen any planet that’s more well known for the viewers to cameo. But he didn’t. Terma is the Kree outworld where two characters found Adam Warlock in his cocoon. After Adam is awakened, he flies to a laboratory inside Terma’s star where he rendez-vous with his adoptive father Herbert Wyndham (High Evolutionary).

This is the important link.

High Evolutionary is a scientist, a master geneticist. Extremely intelligent. Not exactly the most humane person. He did... experiments.

He created the New Men. The New Men are, and I quote, an “artificial race of mutagenically altered, human-sized animals created to possess human-equivalent minds and consciousness”. Sound like someone we know?

Now, there’s a difference with Rocket here though.

Rocket isn’t human sized. My bet is on Rocket being an early experiment of his, instead of him being naturally bipedal, he has a normal alien-raccoon skeleton, so Herbert tore him apart and put him back together over, and over, and turned him... bipedal.

Herbert hadn’t figured out the minutiae of the process, hence why Rocket was an experiment, and not a creation. This also is further supported by Rocket saying “Ain’t no thing like me, ‘cept me”; Rocket was a failure so Herbert didn’t follow the process to make another one like him.

Also, mutagenically altered (how they describe the New Men) and genetically engineered (how they describe Rocket) mean the same thing, just different wording.

Another thing to note: Herbert banished a sentient cockroach (going to be a part of the New Men) into space because he was cocky and refused to follow Herbert’s orders. That sounds like something Rocket would do as well.

Also, it may just be coincidence, but there are a few other things in Vol.2 I want to point out that seem like a nod to Rocket’s past as well.

Firstly, we are reminded of Rocket’s past by the man himself as they try to manoeuvre the quantum asteroid field:

“I was genetically engineered to pilot a spacecraft”

Then right after that, they crash land on Berhert. Which is a real place in the comic books, but it’s also an anagram for Herbert. Coincidence? Maybe. But James Gunn could have made them crash on any other planet in the universe. He chose this one.

Secondly, he is called something he’s not a total of six times on Berhert.

“Yeah, that’s how eyesight works, you stupid raccoon!” - Quill

“I’m sorry. I took it too far. I meant trash panda.” - Quill

“Can I pet your puppy? He is adorable.” - Mantis

“Your associates are welcome. Even that triangle-faced monkey over there.” - Ego

“You’re leaving me here with that fox?!” - Nebula

“Hey there, rat.” - Yondu

Six times on the planet Berhert, the audience are subconsciously reminded that, no, he’s not any of those things. He’s a raccoon-like genetically-enhanced alien.

Thirdly, in a metaphorical basis, The Sovereign drove Rocket into facing his past (Chased them to crash land on Berhert [Berhert = Herbert] plus the constant name-calling bringing his past to attention).

Is this foreshadowing Volume 3? I think so. My predictions for the movie is that Adam (created by The Sovereign) and Herbert will be in it, and that they will be the antagonists. This will force Rocket to confront his past, among other things. I can’t go into much more detail about why I believe this is going to happen because I am not about to spoil endgame for anyone.

I will upload a follow-up theory to go with this one as to why I believe Adam and Herbert are so important for the next GOTG film (+ the future MCU) in the coming weeks.

#rocket raccoon #gotg #guardians of the galaxy #marvel #mcu #marvel comics #adam warlock #high evolutionary #herbert wyndham #meta #mine #long #rocket #ayesha #the sovereign

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