After rewatching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, I just realized there seems to be another reason Rocket doesn’t like to be called an animal outside of the obvious, and it makes his MCU origin story somehow even sadder. Rocket Raccoon’s tragic backstory in the MCU timeline was teased from his first-ever on-screen appearance, but only fully revealed 9 years later.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 showcased Rocket’s youth as one of the High Evolutionary’s experiments, and explained his feelings about being called an animal were in part due to the villain treating him as disposable because he was “just an animal”. However, there’s another equally upsetting reason the character appears to have this reaction to being called an animal.

Rocket Hates Being Called An Animal Throughout The Majority Of His MCU Arc

Rocket Has Big Feelings About The Many Animal References Made About Him

One of the first things we learn about Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy is that he is very unhappy with being referred to as a raccoon, since he reacts to Quill’s comment about him being one with considerable fury. While one of the most dramatic reactions Rocket has to be called an animal, it’s by no means the last.

Rocket reacts with some displeasure when Gamora refers to him as a rodent during their Klyn prison escape , and has a truly angry outburst about Drax calling him vermin in Knowhere, underlining his feelings about this at the time. However, that doesn’t stop him from being called a hamster later by one of the Nova Corps during the movie’s ending.

Things don’t stop there by any means, either. Thor repeatedly calls Rocket a rabbit in Avengers: Infinity War, Star-Lord calls Rocket a raccoon again in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – and then says he’s actually a “trash Panda” – and Yondu similarly calls Rocket a rat. Mantis even calls Rocket a puppy, though she’s quickly bitten when she tries to pet him.

With even Nebula and Ego calling Rocket by different animal names – a fox and a “triangle-faced monkey“, to be specific – almost every character that meets Rocket calls him some variation of an animal. Looking back at Rocket’s history, his frustration at almost all of these moments seems to connect to one overlooked angle of his origin story.

Rocket’s Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 Backstory Sheds Different Light On His Reaction To Being Called An Animal

Rocket’s One More Animal-Like Moment Is Also The Most Traumatic Moment In His Entire Life

First and foremost, Rocket’s frustrated reaction is clearly both about how often he is called an animal despite demonstrating advanced capabilities, and because it’s a reminder that he was mistreated and then almost killed off simply because he looked more animalistic than the High Evolutionary wanted his “civilized” beings to be. However, there does seem to be more to this.

Throughout Rocket’s MCU story, we rarely ever see him act in animal-like ways, despite being compared to almost every mammal under the sun. We only really see him revert to a more animal-like state once: when he attacks the High Evolutionary as a cub.

At the end of Rocket’s backstory, the character is overcome with rage about the news that the High Evolutionary intends to kill him, Lylla, Teefs and Floor essentially because they look too much like animals to him. After the villain shoots Lylla, Rocket gives a long, harrowing scream, and claws viciously at the man’s face,

This means being compared to an animal may remind Rocket of his only real animalistic moment, and could also remind him of what’s connected to that – that this rage prevented him from acting earlier to save his other friends, and potentially preventing their deaths. This ultimately makes his responses to being called an animal take on an extra tragic layer.

Rocket’s Backstory Makes His Reaction To Being Called An Animal Sadder On A New Level

Rocket’s Guilt About Not Being Able To Save His Friends Adds More Context To His Reactions

During the scene of Rocket mauling the High Evolutionary, Floor and Teefs can be heard begging Rocket to stop so they can all run – something Rocket seems to not register as he continually attacks the man who killed Lylla. Though Rocket eventually relents to shoot two approaching guards, they’re able to shoot Floor and Teefs, leaving Rocket on his own.

Though it’s entirely understandable that Rocket was blinded by rage for these moments, it also seems they were crucial ones that could have allowed the trio to escape together. This is especially true given it appears as though Floor and Teefs focus on begging Rocket to run with them versus finding a safe space to run or hide.

As such, it’s easy to see how there could also be a level of guilt for Rocket in being called an animal due to his one more animalistic moment being linked to his friends’ deaths. This may also have convinced Rocket the High Evolutionary was right about him on some level for some time, based on his overall arc.

Rocket’s Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 Backstory Also Explains Why He Calls Himself Rocket Raccoon At The End Of The Film

Guardians Of The Galaxy 3’s Ending Suggests Rocket Has Started To Heal

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s ending features a striking end to Rocket’s arc about hating being called an animal, even when said animal is the one species he in fact is. In a full circle sort of moment, the character refers to himself as Rocket Raccoon, using his full comic тιтle despite his previous reservations about the raccoon label.

When the High Evolutionary refers to Rocket by the 89P13 label he gave him, the hero tells him that he’s actually Rocket Raccoon, just before he and the Guardians defeat him. It’s a nice moment, and shows Rocket has started to heal from his past rather than try to distance himself from it, allowing him to embrace his animal side.

This is supported by director James Gunn’s own comments about why Rocket calls himself Rocket Raccoon at the end of the movie. In a March 2024 comment on Threads, Gunn discussed talking with Kevin Feige about how remarkable it was that the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 movie could work as a Rocket origin story, and also stated:

“Within that: “Rocket” is the part of our selves we create – our dreams and work and actions. “Raccoon” is what we are and can’t change. We’re all a combination of these two things. The secret is finding the balance and knowing what’s what!”

This helps to explain both why Rocket’s story is so impactful, and why the character struggled all this time with the animal side of himself. Thankfully, Rocket does find his balance, and realizes that who he is was never a bad thing, even if he was placed in a bad situation that prevented him from learning that until Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.