We Finally Know What Happens to Rocket in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

This article contains major spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is out in theaters, and it delves deeply into the tragic backstory of Rocket Raccoon. But while more Rocket is always welcome in our lives, the shots we saw of him in the trailer are a little disturbing. Does Rocket die in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3? How are we going to deal with any more bad stuff happening to this little king?

Whether you’re bracing yourself for heartbreak before you see the movie, or you want to process what happens, here’s the lowdown on Rocket’s fate in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer hints at Rocket’s death

When the trailer came out last December, it hinted at some pretty awful things happening to Rocket. We see him as a baby in a cage, shrinking back in fear as a hand reaches in to grab him. We see him hugging an otter, who’s known as Lady Lylla in the comics. Rocket tells Peter he’s “done running,” and then we see him lying on the ground, wounded. As he lies there, he says, “We’ll all fly away together one last time, into the forever, and beautiful sky.”

Then we see him standing somewhere new, without any armor on, surrounded by white light.

What’s important to remember is that Marvel loves to use their trailers to throw us off the scent. They edit footage in misleading ways, and even include footage that isn’t in the actual movie. Remember when we were all freaking out because it looked like Thor might die in Thor: Love and Thunder? Don’t worry, Marvel isn’t throwing our hearts out the airlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Does Rocket survive in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

Good news! Rocket doesn’t die at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. In fact, after Peter names him captain, Rocket goes on to form a whole new team of super-powered Guardians.

That isn’t to say that Rocket doesn’t come pretty close. Early in the movie, Adam Warlock is sent to return Rocket to the High Evolutionary, who considers Rocket his property because he gave him cybernetic enhancements and increased intelligence. Rocket is injured in Adam’s attack, and his friends race to find a way to save his life. Rocket has two near-brushes with death: when he’s first injured, and later, when he begins to succumb to his wounds. It’s the second near-death experience that leads him to the brightly-lit place we see in the trailer.

In that scene, Rocket finds himself reunited with his friends Lylla, Teefs, and Floor, who were all killed by the High Evolutionary. He asks if he can fly away with them, and Lylla tells him yes—but not yet. Rocket is pulled back into his body as Peter and Nebula revive him.

So you can breathe easy, Rocket fans! Rocket lives to fight another day—and maybe we’ll get to see him do it in the next Avengers team-up.

(featured image: Marvel Entertainment)