Credit: Marvel StudiosOscar nominee Bradley Cooper has been the voice of Rocket Raccoon in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise since 2014. But according to director James Gunn, the actor was reportedly replaced in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)—though only for select scenes.
The third and final installation of the fan-favorite Guardians franchise is blasting into theaters next month. Alongside Cooper, Chris Pratt (Star Lord/Peter Quill), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax), Vin Diesel (Groot), Karen Gillan (Nebula), and Pom Klementieff (Mantis) are all set to reprise their roles as the titular team of heroes alongside newcomers Will Poulter (Adam Warlock) and Chukwudi Iwuji (the High Evolutionary).
While specific story details remain scarce, Vol 3. will closely follow Rocket’s character arc while exploring bits and pieces of his dark past. Allegedly, his role in the script was a primary reason for Gunn’s decision to return to Marvel to finish the film after he was fired and rehired by the studio in 2018-2019.
Fans were given a closer look at the character’s backstory in a recent clip, which shows a flashback of a young Rocket with a group of other talking animals in what looks to be a prison: Floor the Rabbit (Mikaela Hoover), Teefs the Walrus (Asim Chaudhry), and Lylla the Otter (Linda Cardellini).
It’s implied that these critters are the victims of Iwuji’s High Evolutionary, a mad scientist with a penchant for giving animals self-awareness. Check out the full teaser below:
With his character playing such a crucial part in the film, Cooper won’t be doing all of the heavy lifting in Vol. 3. Gunn recently took to Twitter to clarify that multiple actors lent their voices to the character, though rest assured, Cooper is still up for the challenge, playing adolescent/adult Rocket in the majority of scenes.
However, Cooper isn’t alone, as Gunn revealed that Noah Raskin will voice baby Rocket, while the director’s brother, Season Gunn, will voice a different, younger version of the character. Read Gunn’s full response below:
Voice duties on Young Rocket are split between Bradley (adolescent Rocket), Sean Gunn (young Rocket), and Noah Raskin (baby Rocket).
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 25, 2023
According to early viewers’ high praise of the film, Cooper will conclude his nearly decade-long career at Marvel Studios with a bang. So far, critics are loving Vol 3., with some even deeming it the best MCU project since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
Though it looks like Rocket and other members of the Guardians won’t get a textbook happy ending, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is sure to be an emotional send-off to the titular fan-favorite team of ragtag antiheroes. It’ll be interesting to see how Rocket’s character will evolve over the course of the film and to hear how each actor will choose to play the character differently.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrives in theaters on May 5.
Are you sad to see Bradley Cooper and the rest of the Guardians