As the days roll by, we inch closer and closer to James Gunn’s Marvel Cinematic Universe swansong, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, before he turns all of his attention to co-heading DC Studios and revamping its cinematic universe.
As it turns out, there was a very specific draw for Gunn to return for the GotG threequel, that being none other than Bradley Cooper’s Rocket Raccoon, who he considers to be the franchise’s “secret protagonist,” according to an interview he gave TotalFilm (via GamesRadar).
Going into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gunn says his key priority was rounding out Rocket’s story before the rest of the cast. Considering the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) is one of the film’s big bads, and has a very intimate tie to the furry Guardian’s past, that makes enough sense.
“The most important thing for me was Rocket’s story, and then, following that, everybody else. Rocket is the secret protagonist of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and has always been the center of it for me; and this is really fulfilling that. The reason I came back, and decided to do this movie, was because I really felt like Rocket’s story needed to be told – and it was left hanging after Vol 2. So that’s the most important thing.”
At this point, it’s no secret that we’re going to be bidding farewell to many, if not all of the ensemble cast of characters in the GotG threequel, with the film’s trailers not holding back on hints and allusions that the threats the space-faring supergroup face may spell their imminent demise.
All will be revealed when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrives in theaters on May 5, 2023.
