Name: Rocket Raccoon

Superhero Name: Rocket Raccoon

Created By: Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen

Played By: Bradley Cooper

Powers: Super strength, speed and agility, durability, reflexes, and senses compared to normal raccoons, skilled marksman and tactician, expert starship aviator, and genius-level intellect.

Mini Bio: Rocket started out life as the Guardian Of The Keystone Quadrant – an area of space closed off from the rest of the cosmos. He was part of a set of genetically engineered animals to have human-level intelligent and bipedal bodies, who were made specifically to be caretakers to the inmates of Halfworld – a planet made for mentally ill patients.

Rocket’s role was to look out for threats to Halfworld, with the help of his friend Wal Russ, who was a walrus who had gone through the same experiments as he had.

When Judson Jakes (a mole who also had human-level intelligence) tried to steal the Gideon Bible, which was said to hold the secrets to Halfworld, Rocket and Wal set out to stop him, and ended up running into the Hulk while they were at it. Hulk agreed to help them, and that was when the trio discovered that Jakes had kidnapped Lylla, Rocket’s otter girlfriend.

They managed to save Lylla, and eventually got the Bible back and stopped Jakes. In return, the patients of Halfworld offered their animals the chance to become entertainers and assistants. Rocket said no to this, and set off to explore space instead.

During his exploration, Rocket encouraged Peter Quill, aka Star Lord, Groot, Mantis and several others during a battle with a species called the Phalanx. Rocket, being a weapons expert, was drafted into Quill’s team. During this time, Rocket became close friends with Groot.

After the war, Rocket was asked to join the Guardians Of The Galaxy team, where he has become a mainstay of the team. In total, Rocket has only left the team twice – once in the early days, when it was revealed that Peter and Mantis psychically manipulated them, and a second time when his enhancements started to fail.

When this happened, Rocket went back to Halfworld without saying goodbye to the rest of the team, not wanting them to see him in that condition. Gamora stayed by his side though, promising to bury him when the time came. Luckily though, Rocket managed to reverse his body’s failings, going through multiple surgeries until he was fully recovered.

Since then, Rocket has stayed with the Guardians Of The Galaxy, with the occasional holiday with Groot, or break to go steal something he really shouldn’t be stealing.

Interesting trivia: Rocket is named after the Beatles song ‘Rocky Raccoon,’ and once tried to make ‘Blam! I murdered you!’ his catchphrase – his attempt was unsuccessful.

First Comic Appearance: Marvel Preview issue 7 (1976)

Most Common Team Ups: Guardians Of The Galaxy, Nova Corps, Groot

Comic Recommendations: Rocket Raccoon: Guardians Of The Keystone Quadrant (1985) by Bill Mantlo, Guardians Of The Galaxy (2008) by Dan Abnett, Rocket Raccoon (2014) by Skottie Young, Rocket Raccoon (2017) by Al Ewing