Marvel just brought the Guardians of the Galaxy's Rocket and Groot back to Disney+ for the first time in years. Before James Gunn jumped ship to DC Studios full-time to serve as co-CEO and lead the rebooted DCU, he returned to the MCU once more for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Despite fears of mass casualties as the Guardians made their final appearance, the entire Vol. 3 roster survived, with most of the OG team going their separate ways across the galaxy, while a brand new team of heroes assembled, led by Rocket Raccoon.
For the time being, nobody knows when the MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy will be back in action, if ever, but Disney+'s Meet Spidey and His Amazing Friends just introduced youthful, pre-school-friendly Variants of Rocket and Groot.
The shorts introduce the Disney Jr. show's audiences to new heroes ahead of their appearances in Spidey and His Amazing Friends. The show returns for Season 5 on July 13 with the "Rescue-Webs" arc, at least one episode of which will feature Rocket and Groot teaming up with Peter Parker, Miles Morales, and Gwen Stacy.
Rocket was brought to life in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, two Avengers blockbusters, and more, by the Oscar-nominated A-lister Bradley Cooper. Notably, Cooper actually reprised Rocket once already since Vol. 3, although there is currently no sign of any further appearances on the cards.
When it comes to the Disney Jr. Variant, the loveable raccoon is voiced by Trevor Devall, who also assumed the role in the three-season Disney XD show. Of course, as Spidey and His Amazing Friends is made for a pre-school audience, this Rocket is far less outrageous, rude, and menacing than his MCU Variant.
Fast & Furious legend Vin Diesel delivered the phrase "I am Groot" in literally thousands of ways for Marvel Studios over the years. However, those days are done, and, much like with Rocket, the Disney Jr. series is pulling from the Disney XD show to recast Groot, with Kevin Michael Richardson tagging in for Diesel.
Groot has come in all shapes and sizes across his MCU journey, having last been seen as a jacked behemoth joining the New Guardians of the Galaxy. However, Spidey and His Amazing Friends is leaning into his adorable baby design that has been the subject of endless merchandise and memes over the last decade.
All of Rocket and Groot's appearances are streaming now on Disney+, including Meet Spidey and His Amazing Friends, which is also bringing one member of the Fantastic Four, Reed Richards, into the fray ahead of Avengers: Doomsday.
Will the MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy Return In Avengers: Doomsday & Beyond?
The only Guardian of the Galaxy whose return was directly promised after Vol. 3 was Chris Pratt's Star-Lord after finally revisiting his Earth family. Three years on from that promise, many were starting to become sure that promise had been abandoned, until Pratt teased that Star-Lord's return "will happen" at some point.
Despite being on Earth and having teamed up with Earth's Mightiest Heroes before, it seems Star-Lord will miss out on Avengers: Doomsday. The same goes for both the surviving members of the original team and the New Guardians of the Galaxy, who are seemingly still wandering space, too busy for a Multiversal war.
It seems equally unlikely that any of the galaxy-saving superheroes will receive any major role in Avengers: Secret Wars either. There is a chance that Pratt's Peter Quill receives a minor supporting role to set up his rumored Annihilators team for the next saga, while anyone else is limited to Battleworld cameos.
There has been talk that the MCU's cosmic branch will be a major focus after Secret Wars, opening the doors to the New Guardians of the Galaxy's return. While Vol. 4's chances of happening are slim in James Gunn's absence, the new roster of cosmic heroes could find their way into another project.
For the most part, the days of the Guardians of the Galaxy may be in the past for the MCU unless anything changes, especially as Marvel Studios is about to have a brand new toy to play with as the X-Men enter the fold. However, if another cosmic crossover event comes around, fans can only hope the Guardians will be there.
In terms of projects set outside the MCU, only Rocket Raccoon and Groot have officially died in Marvel Zombies thus far, as they were annihilated by a zombified Thanos using the Power Stone. Their fate could bring other members like Star-Lord to Earth in future seasons, if they can bypass the Nova Corps' blockade.
