Rocket Raccoon will have a major impact on Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but not in the way fans expect. Rocket Raccoon received a worthwhile ending at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after he became the full-fledged leader of the new Guardians team. While the new team hasn't returned on-screen yet, Rocket's influence clearly endures. Avengers: Endgame proved that Rocket's tech genius and battlefield innovations ripple far beyond Knowhere, as he worked with Tony Stark and Smart Hulk, showcasing his critical skills during the Time Heist. Rocket's know-how isn't limited to space, as it is confirmed to influence Earth's heroes and infrastructure in the Multiverse Saga.
According to The Art of Spider-Man: Brand New Day (via AIPT Comics), Rocket Raccoon will apparently have a small off-screen role in the film as it is tied to the Department of Damage Control (DODC).
As it turned out, the Department of Damage Control has built out a sophisticated new headquarters and an upgraded arsenal explicitly assembled from salvaged Chiaturi, Sakaaran, and Rocket Raccoon technology. It simply means they are using his technology to serve as a blueprint for their newfound weapons.
This revelation serves as the perfect evolution of Rocket's contributions. What started as battlefield improvisation now equips a major government agency on Earth responsible for cleaning up and containing superhuman incidents. The MCU's Damage Control has shifted from a reactive cleanup crew to a more proactive force, one that poses a danger to the superpowered community.
Since we know Bill Metzger is the director of Damage Control, these weapons from Damage Control might end up being used against the X-Men eventually in the MCU, considering that they are mutant-hunting villains.
This off-screen role for Rocket keeps the MCU hero relevant without pulling him away from his new Guardians duties while also serving as a reminder that he still exists in the larger Multiverse Saga. It also bridges cosmic and Earth-bound stories, setting the stage for future crossovers in which Rocket could learn what's going on and be prompted to intervene.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives in theaters on July 31.
Why Rocket's Off-Screen Influence Is Bad News for the MCU's Eventual X-Men
In Marvel Comics, Bill Metzger is known for his anti-mutant views, so the MCU's version (played by Severance star Tramell Tillman) will likely follow the same path. This means that the Rocket-enhanced weapons could become foundational for escalated responses, such as early Sentinel prototypes or superhuman suppression tech. If anything, pairing Metzger's twisted ideology with Rocket's weapons creates a dangerous combo.
Rocket's genius, born from survival and defiance, is now woven into the same systems that might one day pose trouble for the next generation of heroes, specifically the X-Men in the MCU's upcoming Mutant Saga. It's also worth noting that this isn't generic Stark Tech leftovers; instead, these are cosmic-level ingenuity now in government hands, raising the stakes for all personnel involved.
Government agencies like the DODC, with proven "success" against threats (as evidenced by the plethora of superhuman threats imprisoned during the events of Wonder Man), gain public and political support. Rocket's tech lends them effectiveness, making future anti-mutant policies easier to justify.
There is also a cosmic irony in the grand scheme of things here. Rocket, who was a victim of an unethical experiment who fought for acceptance (and later found it in the Guardians), indirectly arms systems that could eliminate another marginalized group like the mutants.
