Who is Rocket’s girlfriend in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’?

The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer has dropped and from the looks of it, we have a cinematic spectacle rivaling that of Avengers: Endgame on our hands. It’s been five years since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 landed in theaters in 2017, rounding out Yondu Udonta’s storyline and bidding farewell to both of Peter Quill’s fraternal figures in Ego and Yondu. From director James Gunn yet again, the third installment in the Guardians trilogy seems to shift focus from mainstays like Peter and Gamora and instead revolves around Rocket Raccoon and other — in comparison — ‘minor’ characters.

The Guardians wouldn’t be the Guardians without Rocket, the loud-mouthed degenerate and cybernetically enhanced raccoon, former freelance mercenary and now honorary Guardian of the Galaxy. Rocket hails from Halfworld in the Keystone Quadrant, where scientists were able to make animals sentient. Rocket has been tagging along with the Guardians since his debut in 2014, but a minor, blink-and-you-miss-it detail in the first Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 suggests that Rocket — who doesn’t have many relations outside of Groot and the Guardians — has a girlfriend. However, Rocket’s soulmate isn’t unfamiliar to Marvel Comics fans and it’s rather insightful of Gunn to include her in the trilogy round-off.

Comic fans already clued-in on all the Guardians lore will know all about Lady Lylla, a sapient otter and heiress to the toy-making empire Mayhem Mekaniks on Halfworld. In the comics, both Lylla and Rocket oppose the former’s business rival, Judson Jakes (a talking mole), and joined forces in a mutual attempt to kill him. Ultimately, Rocket and Lylla decided to leave together in pursuit of sharing a new life. That dream never came to fruition, however, as Rocket and Lylla parted ways and the former went on to work with Groot, his partner and friend.

Although it’s less than five seconds of footage, the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer introduced Lylla into the fray when she and Rocket embrace lovingly. According to comic lore, Lylla is Rocket’s soulmate and love interest, both originating from Halfworld and both becoming sentient in similar fashions, hence their strong connection. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call Lylla his girlfriend, but let’s hope Rocket gets a happy ending, because the trailer isn’t giving us much hope that he’ll survive a third outing.