Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
It’s fair to say the question you’ve just read was the one that Marvel fans most desperately wanted to know going into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The marketing for James Gunn’s highly anticipated threequel left us in no doubt that tears would be shed once the film released, with there being a particular emphasis on Rocket being in danger from his creator, the High Evolutionary.
It was obvious that Marvel wanted us to think that the trash-talking trash panda could die in the trilogy-closer, then, but is that actually what transpires in the movie? A conspiracy theory rose up ahead of its arrival in cinemas that the studio was deliberately trying so hard to convince us Rocket was going to die that it must be a bit of misdirection and the character was going to survive after all. So what’s the truth?
Does Rocket survive the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
In a twist that’s either shocking or predictable, depending on what your expectations were going in, Rocket Raccoon does not die in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. In fact, as you can read about in full elsewhere, none of the main Guardians team meet their end in the movie, with James Gunn likely deliberately looking to subvert his reputation for killing off fan-favorites.
The film wastes no time in putting Rocket in peril, however, with Adam Warlock almost fatally injuring him during his attack on Knowhere. After investigating Rocket’s origins and getting his genetic information from the High Evolutionary’s files, Star-Lord and the gang manage to save him, although Rocket again puts his life on the line when he decides to go up against his creator to stop his evil plans.
Rocket ultimately bests the High Evolutionary and even refuses to kill him, proving how far he’s come as a hero. Once the original Guardians team goes their separate ways, Rocket is appointed the new captain and a post-credits scene reveals him in action as the leader of the rebooted lineup, which even includes his would-be killer, Adam.
So, yes, it’s entirely possible that we could see Bradley Cooper return to voice Rocket in the future (although Sean Gunn is done providing his on-set performance).