An original Guardians of the Galaxy actor is calling it a day with the MCU franchise 12 years after their character was introduced. 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy marked Marvel Studios' first swing at bringing a relatively unknown group of comic book heroes to the big screen, with established filmmaker James Gunn at the helm. That gamble paid off, expanding into a theatrical trilogy, a holiday-themed Special Presentation, a Disney+ spin-off series, two theme park rides at Disney parks worldwide, and more. While it may seem like a no-brainer for Marvel to keep these characters in the mix for as long as possible, the actor behind one of them appears to be calling it quits on their MCU journey.
During an interview with podcast host Brandon Davis, Rocket Raccoon star Sean Gunn, brother of director James Gunn, revealed that his time as a Guardian of the Galaxy has come to an end after 12 years. The two discussed Gunn's experience playing Rocket for Marvel Studios, which largely involved performing in a "catcher's crouch" position for motion-capture work. Over the years, the physically demanding process took a toll on Gunn, resulting in some injuries:
"Everyone thinks it's my knees but it's really my feet and my ankles... Because I'm in a catcher's crouch and I'm pivoting a lot on my points of contact with the ground... I'm doing a lot of pivoting in my ankles and feet. And over the years I think it had a little bit of an effect on my physiology."
Due to those injuries, coupled with the fact that Gunn turned 50 in 2024, the actor said he is "retired from Rocket." Gunn also noted that Marvel Studios has not contacted him about returning to the role:
"My knees are fine but since I turned 50 a couple of years ago I am retired from Rocket... Not that they've called but if they did, I don't think I could do the motion reference for Rocket anymore. I'm too old."
Rocket Raccoon was last seen in the post-credits scene of 2023's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, where he was leading a new team that included Vin Diesel's Groot, Will Poulter's Adam Warlock, and other members introduced throughout the Guardians franchise. Notably, Vol. 3 concluded with a "Star-Lord Will Return" tagline, deliberately omitting the rest of the Guardians, including Rocket.
Combined with the Guardians cast being absent from the announced rosters of both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars as of writing, Rocket's MCU future remains uncertain. However, Sean Gunn's latest comments seemingly indicate that fans shouldn't expect to see Rocket return anytime soon.
What Is Rocket Raccoon's Future in the MCU?
Based on Sean Gunn's comments, Rocket Raccoon's MCU tenure appears to be at its end, or more optimistically, up in the air. While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 gave the character a new direction by placing him at the head of the next iteration of Guardians, Marvel Studios has yet to announce another project centered on the team.
Still, Gunn's notion of calling it quits puts a wrench in the plans of any such project, particularly if Rocket's motion-capture performance would necessitate him returning to the physically demanding process he described. That doesn't mean Rocket's story is over, though.
If not a Guardians project, Marvel Studios could always bring him back in another cosmic MCU story, such as the Nova movie currently being developed or the unannounced Disney+ Special Presentation. The hope would be that appearances in either of these projects warrants a less physically demanding role for Gunn. For now, however, the next chapter for Rocket remains relatively unknown.
