Also known as Subject 89P13, Rocket is the result of illegal genetic and cybernetic experiments conducted on Halfworld. Traveling with Groot, his friend and fellow bounty hunter, Rocket accumulated a criminal record with the Nova Corps that includes 13 counts of theft, 22 counts of escape from incarceration, 7 counts of mercenary activity, 15 counts of arson—and a note that he tends to bite.
Rocket had escaped 22 prisons by the time he met fellow outlaws Peter Quill, AKA Star-Lord, and Gamora on Xandar while attempting to claim Quill for the outstanding bounty on his head. In the scuffle that followed, all four attracted the attention of the Nova Corps and were arrested, sending them to a high-security prison. Locked up together, Rocket, Groot, Quill and Gamora—joined by a prisoner named Drax—banded together and escaped. Despite Rocket’s attempts to keep his new allies at arms length, he grew to care for them, fighting alongside them as they became known as the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Rocket is an expert engineer with genius-level intellect when it comes to constructing high-powered weaponry. He is a genetically and surgically modified lifeform containing a cybernetic skeletal structure, enhanced phalange and metacarpal bones, along with a genetically augmented cerebral cortex. He possesses enhanced strength, durability, agility, and acute senses due to his cybernetic augmentations.
Rocket is a master marksman, tactician, pilot, and is multilingual, able to speak with Groot. Despite his small stature, he’s able to pack a punch with the weapons he creates.
His weaponry includes an Ion Cannon, Laser Cannon, Gas Grenade, the Hadron Enforcer combustion cannon, Aero-Rigs—allowing users to jettison into the air and outer space—and a Nanobot Welder.
Rocket’s enemies include any enemy of the Guardians of the Galaxy, although he has accrued some notable adversaries.
When Radical Kree zealot Ronan the Accuser breaks a peace treaty with the Kree and Xandarians, desiring the destruction of all Xandarians, Rocket engages in a battle with him over an Infinity Stone alongside his fellow Guardians. He blames Ronan for Groot’s death during the confrontation.
The Mad Titan Thanos is immensely strong and cruel and stops at nothing to get ahold of each Infinity Stone in his bid to destroy half the universe. While Rocket does his best to stay out of Thanos’ way, Thanos’ actions begin to hit increasingly close to home and he earns Rocket’s enmity.
The Sovereign and their High Priestess originally give the Guardians a job to defeat an Abilisk, a creature feeding off their precious Anulax Batteries. Rocket’s theft of some of those same batteries lead the Sovereign to hunt the Guardians.
The Celestial Ego attempts to conquer the universe using his son, Peter Quill, but the Guardians, Rocket included, fight to stop him.
Rocket has a close bond with Groot, formed before the two joined the Guardians of the Galaxy. After Groot dies, but generates a spawn, that bond carries over, with Rocket continuing to watch out for the young being—even as the adolescent Groot tests his patience.
Besides Groot, Rocket fights alongside his fellow outlaws turned Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill, Gamora, and Drax, with Mantis eventually joining the group. While prone to arguments, Rocket still finds close connections with his fellow Guardians, even if he’s reluctant to admit it.
Yondu Udontu straddles the ally and enemy role with the Guardians, but ultimately sides with them. Rocket and Yondu bond over their similar personality traits, including their tendency to push people away to protect themselves.
After the Guardians rescue Thor, the Asgardian Avenger and Rocket form a friendship. Alongside Thor and Groot, Rocket battles alongside several of Thor’s fellow Avengers and other allies. He also quickly sees a potential new score in Bucky Barnes’ robotic arm.
After being locked up in the the prison known as the Kyln alongside Groot, Peter Quill, Gamora and fellow prisoner Drax, Rocket planned their escape. Though there were obstacles to overcome, Rocket’s engineering ingenuity proved key in the break out, as he turned off the artificial gravity in the prison, while redirecting the security drones to propel them out of the cell block.
To sell the valuable and dangerous Orb Quill had stolen, and to keep it from Ronan, the outlaws traveled to Knowhere. While waiting to meet their intended buyer, the Collector, Drax offended Rocket with his rude name calling, causing a fight to break out between the two that Quill had to break up. Rocket was also upset by the Collector referring to him as a pet, though Gamora intervened. It was the Collector who explained that the Orb housed the Power Stone, one of six incredibly powerful Infinity Stones.
After the sale to the Collector went sour, Rocket, Groot and Drax found themselves separated from Gamora and Quill after simultaneous attacks by Ronan and Yondu, who both sought the Orb. Rocket suggested he and Groot get to the other side of the universe to save themselves, but was convinced by both Groot and Drax to instead help his newfound friends. After the outlaws were reunited, Quill begged them all to help him make a stand against Ronan, though Rocket suggested that, given the odds, Quill was asking them to die. Gamora, Groot, and Drax decided to support Quill, with Rocket finally reluncantly agreeing as well.
Putting aside their grievences to work with both Yondu and his Ravagers and the Nova Corps, the group—soon dubbed the Guardians of the Galaxy by Ronan as a jest—confronted Ronan and his army on Xandar, with Rocket initially providing crucial air support. When Ronan grabbed Drax by the throat, Rocket flew his ship into Ronan’s craft, the Dark Aster, sending the Aster careening towards the ground. Despite Rocket’s protests, Groot enveloped his friends in his protective branches, absorbing the impact, but causing his own death.
When Quill needed help harnessing the Power Stone, Rocket joined hands with Quill, Gamora, and Drax, and the teammates were able to defeat Ronan. In the aftermath, Rocket, mourning his friend, planted one of the twigs remaining from Groot’s sacrifice, only for that planting to sprout into a new spawn of Groot.
The Guardians were hired soon after by the the Sovereign and their High Priestess Ayesha to stop a creature feeding off their home planet’s power source, valuable Anulax Batteries. The Guardians were successful, but Rocket stole some of the prized batteries, sending the Sovereign after them on a quest for revenge.
When the Sovereign attacked, the Guardians were saved thanks to the intervention of Quill’s father, the Celestial known as Ego. While Quill, Gamora, and Drax accompanied Ego and his servant, Mantis, to Ego’s planet, Rocket and Groot, along with their prisoner, Nebula, stayed behind while Rocket worked to repair the Milano.
Yondu and his Ravagers arrived to secure the stolen batteries for themselves and ended up battling Rocket, who managed to incapacitate many of his foes before being taken prisoner—along with Yondu himself—as a mutiny began against him. With the help of Groot and the Ravager Kraglin, Rocket and Yondu broke out of their cell, decimating the traitorous Ravagers who’d turned on Yondu, before heading out to reunite with Quill and the others.
During their journey, Yondu called out Rocket for being just like him, pushing everyone away so that he’s not reminded of the love he lacks and feels he doesn’t deserve. As they bonded over their similarities, Yondu agreed to overcome his own fears and confront Ego, whose dark intentions masked his friendly demeanor.
Joined by Mantis, Nebula, Yondu and Kraglin, the Guardians were successful in their bid to stop Ego’s plan to take over the universe though his so-called “expansion,” with a bomb Rocket fashioned powered by the stolen Anulax batteries, playing a key role. When it became clear Yondu was willing to sacrifice himself to save Quill from Ego’s dying planet, Rocket regretfully gave him the only remaining space suit and aero-rig to help him in his quest. Moments later, Rocket stunned Gamora, who was going to try and return to the surface to get Quill, saying that he couldn’t lose any more friends in the same day. After Yondu’s death, and his subsequent Ravagers funeral—with old compatriots who’d long rejected him honoring him once more—Rocket cried for the friend he’d made and lost.
Years later, the Guardians of the Galaxy answered a distress call that led to their discovery of Thor, the only apparent survivor of a destroyed spaceship. After Thor explained his people had been decimated by Thanos, who now had two of the Infinity Stones, Gamora warned that should Thanos get all six of the stones, he could end life in half of the universe with a snap of his fingers. When Thor revealed he intended to travel to Nidavellir to have a new weapon forged to battle Thanos, Rocket volunteered himself and Groot to accompany the god of thunder.
Forming a quick rapport, Thor and Rocket’s bond was strengthed on their trip to Nidavellir as Thor opened up to Rocket about all of the personal loss he’d gone through. Rocket ended up gifting Thor, who’d recently lost an eye in battle, with a new robotic eye he’d stolen during his travels. Upon arriving at Nidavellir, the trio met the Dwarf Eitri, the only survivor there after Thanos had the Dwarves build him his Infinity Gauntlet and then wiped them out. Rocket, using the ship they’d flown to Nidavellir, did his part to assist Eitri and Thor in the creation of the mighty axe known as Stormbreaker, with Groot sacrificing his own arm to forge the handle.
With Stormbreaker capable of opening the Bifrost, Rocket accompanied Thor and Groot to Earth, joining the battle fought by Black Panther, his Wakandan forces, and several Avengers members and allies against Thanos’ legion of followers. On the battlefield, Rocket admired Bucky Barnes’ gun and robotic arm, hoping to add them to his own collection.
With Thor’s crucial help, the tide of the battle seemed to be going in the heroes’ favor, but Thanos’ arrival quickly changed everything. When the villain gained possession of the Mind Stone from Vision, he had all six of the Infinity Stones, and even Stormbreaker could not stop him. Thanos snapped his fingers, doing what Gamora had warned them of, and instantly ended half the life in the universe. Crying out “No” repeatedly, Rocket watched helplessly as Groot vanished into nothingness, along with many others on the battlefield.
Alongside the equally stunned Thor, Black Widow, War Machine, Bruce Banner and Captain America, Rocket stood in disbelief over what had just occurred.