Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been in theaters for over a week now, so it’s safe to assume that the majority of tears have been shed for this heartfelt farewell to one of the most beloved posses to ever grace the MCU. Goodbyes are never easy, but goodbyes in the wake of confronting some of the most horrid character trauma in the whole franchise is an extra special challenge, to say the least.
Indeed, as if he wasn’t already, Vol. 3 propelled one Rocket Raccoon as a chief protagonist of the Guardians sub-franchise, marked by audiences catching a glimpse into his hyper-miserable past under the cruel hand of the High Evolutionary. Suffice to say, it wasn’t the easiest watch in the world.
For some folks, the obvious next step following a dive into a traumatic backstory is to play Marvel Pain Olympics, and one such person has brought the game to r/marvelstudios.
The user’s gripes seem to stem from the rest of fandom naming Rocket’s backstory as the single most tragic of its kind in the whole franchise, but, putting aside the fact that it’s certainly a strong contender for that title, it’s a bit hard to take them seriously considering that no one seems to be doing that
Nevertheless, other users were happy to chime in with explanations as to why some folks might find themselves more affected by Rocket’s story than those of fellow trauma survivors Nebula or Bucky, for example.
One responder in particular made the decision to throw their own palpable media literacy into their explanation; a brave choice, considering how rare that trait seems to be among internet comments.
The moral of the story is that sad stories make people sad, and the fresher the sad story, the more prominent that sadness will probably be. Normally we’d worry for people who feel the need to complain about that, but on the other hand, if this is the stuff they can afford to be bothered by, we reckon they’re doing just fine.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now playing in theaters.
