Director James Gunn recently revealed that there is a major Easter egg involving the mouthy, gun-toting Rocket Raccoon voiced by Bradley Cooper hidden in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2."
Responding to a fan's question about the origin of the character on Twitter, Gunn said that if fans looked carefully, they would spot references to Rocket's creator somewhere in the second installment.
"Believe it or not if you're really really really smart this is hidden somewhere in Vol 2," the director wrote.
According to CBR, Rocket was genetically engineered by alien scientists in the comics to serve as a security guard for the insane asylum on Halfworld in the Keystone Quadrant. He first referenced this origin in the first "Guardians" film when he said that he did not ask "to be torn apart and put together over and over and turned into some little monster."
Gunn has the tendency to stray away from the source material just like what he did with Mantis' (Pom Klementieff) personality and Peter Quill's (Chris Pratt) father, Ego (Kurt Russell). So, it is possible that Rocket's origins may have been altered as well.
The most popular theory so far is that his creator could be Thanos (Josh Brolin) himself. Comic Book recalls Nebula (Karen Gillan) went into detail how the Mad Titan would tear her apart after each failed battle with her sister, Gamora (Zoe Saldana), and slowly replace her with cybernetic prosthetics.
Whether or not Raccoon's origin story really has roots with the franchise's big bad is impossible to tell at this point. However, Nebula's past does feel oddly reminiscent of Rocket's revelation. For now, fans can only speculate.
Hopefully, more information about his origin will surface before the Guardians of the Galaxy make their next appearance in "Avengers: Infinity War." The much-awaited blockbuster is set to open in theaters on May 4. If not, fans may have to wait until the next GOTG installment. Marvel has yet to announce its release date, but "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is expected to premiere sometime in 2020.
