Rocket Is The 'Secret Protagonist' Of The Guardians Of The Galaxy Films According To James Gunn

It's taken longer than expected to get to this point, but James Gunn's final film in his "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy is nearly here. After being fired in 2018 and promptly rehired later on in 2019, Gunn set out to properly end what he started in the first "Guardians of the Galaxy" film. When looking at the 30(!) films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe up to this point, there are very rarely any trilogies or series of movies overseen by one director. The Russo Brothers may have redefined Captain America for a modern audience with his last two films, but director Joe Johnston brought the character into the MCU. Other prominent characters, like Iron Man, Thor, and Doctor Strange, have all had their projects overseen by various directors as their sequels came and went.

In the rare case of other films, such as "Spider-Man," "Ant-Man," and "Guardians," a creative throughline is established thanks to the vision of one director telling a story through a trilogy. The first two "Volumes" of the Guardians have Gunn heavily focusing on Peter Quill's story, accentuated by the outsider status of the other members of his team and found family. However, for this third and final volume of his trilogy, Gunn plans on shifting his focus to one of the most tragic characters of the bunch — Rocket (Bradley Cooper), a character the filmmaker sees as the "secret protagonist" of the entire trilogy.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, James Gunn talked about how the character of Rocket was one of the big reasons he decided to return to finish what he started with "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3:"

"I felt like I needed to tell Rocket's story. I would've been very sad not to complete the trilogy for many reasons, but I just feel very connected to Rocket. I feel like nobody would be able to tell his full story if it wasn't me."

Gunn has been very protective of his stories, only ever sharing a writing credit for the first "Guardians" film and penning the rest himself. Thankfully, this second chance was all the motivation he needed, driven by his love for Rocket and how the character is representative of everything the Guardians of the Galaxy are:

"To me, Rocket has always been the secret protagonist of the 'Guardians' movies. From the beginning, it has been rooted in who he is as a character. I think he exemplifies a lot of the traits of all the Guardians. They've had all these traumas, and it brings them together. I just think that his is more extreme than others."

Rocket being the "secret protagonist" of the "Guardians" films makes a lot of sense, given that the character is responsible for some of the most emotional moments throughout the franchise's first two "Volumes" and, to some extent, is representative of who the Guardians are in the "Avengers" films he's appeared in as well.

For as much as the first two "Guardians of the Galaxy" films spotlight Peter Quill and his human-celestial heritage, they also feature genuinely touching character development for Rocket. From the CGI character's drunken ramblings in the first movie (expressing his self-hatred and how he didn't ask to get made) and the tragic loss of the original Groot, Rocket has grown to accept his found family and himself. "Volume 2" expounds on Rocket's insecurities, his arc paralleling that of Yondu's in the lead-up to the film's emotional and absolutely stunning ending shot of Rocket watching the space fireworks for Yondu's funeral and realizing he isn't alone.

Between all that and his experiences in "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Endgame," you have a fully fleshed-out Rocket ready to meet his maker in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." James Gunn confirmed the film will also reveal the character's tragic backstory:

"He was just fine being an animal, and he was transformed into something else he didn't want to be. I think that transformation itself was extremely painful, but I also think it made him feel incredibly alienated from everyone else. In 'Vol. 3,' we learn a lot about his past — where he came from, who he is, and what he's been through. It's been a difficult road for the little animal."

Gunn has a knack for making conceptually silly characters feel the most human, and that's especially the case with Rocket. The idea of a creature being content with its life before being painfully transformed into something else entirely is a lot of emotional baggage to carry. That baggage is something Gunn will no doubt address in a way that will make me bawl my eyes out when "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3" releases on May 5, 2023.