Rocket Raccoon charging with his gun and the MCU's new Guardians of the Galaxy behind him in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's ending
By
Felipe Rangel
Published 10 minutes ago
Felipe Rangel is a Superheroes Lead Writer and Reviewer at ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021, with a focus on superhero projects. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more. Since the launch of the Superheroes vertical in 2023, he has focused his efforts on coming up with insightful analyses of Marvel and DC's projects.
Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."
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Rocket Raccoon comes back in Marvel Studios' final release of 2025, only to die, but I'm glad that the Marvel Cinematic Universe's possible next appearance for the character should be the complete opposite of his dark fate. Rocket has become one of Marvel's most popular heroes, which is in huge part due to the high level of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.
The character, like most of the Guardians, was an obscure part of the Marvel brand before James Gunn made some of the MCU's best movies. Rocket has gone on to play a major role alongside Thor in Avengers: Infinity War, with his best friend, Groot, always by his side. Sadly, the MCU's final 2025 release spelled doom for that inseparable duo.
Rocket Raccoon Dies With His Best Friend In 2025 Marvel Release
Rocket fighting with Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
2025 did not see the release of a new Guardians of the Galaxy movie. However, both Rocket and Groot appeared in animated form. With Wonder Man pushed to January 2026, the MCU's final release of the year was Marvel Zombies. The TV-MA multiverse series explored a zombie apocalypse where Marvel characters retained their powers after transformation.
Rocket and Groot dealt with one of the biggest threats in that universe. Copying Avengers: Infinity War's events, Rocket, Groot, and Thor arrive in Wakanda to fight Thanos. However, they find a zombified version of the Mad Titan there, with Thanos using the full might of the Infinity Stones to seriously injure Thor and instantly incinerate Rocket and Groot, with nothing left.
The Main MCU Has Already Set Up A Bright Future For Rocket And Groot
New Guardians of the Galaxy team fighting together in Vol. 3
Rocket and Groot are best friends, so seeing the lovable duo die such brutal deaths in Marvel Zombies was heartbreaking. Thankfully, the animated series' universe is simply one piece of the larger MCU multiverse, not featuring the main versions of the Guardians of the Galaxy characters. As such, Marvel has the perfect fix for the heartbreak of Rocket and Groot's deaths.
Both characters are not only very much alive in the main MCU, but they continue to be part of the Guardians of the Galaxy. When the original cosmic team disbanded at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the only original members who remained were Groot, who is now huge and more powerful, and Rocket, who leads the new Guardians of the Galaxy.
Whenever they show up next in the MCU, the duo will be working together, just like they always have. Knowing that Rocket Raccoon and Groot still have a bright future ahead of them in the MCU helps make up for the tragic and graphic nature of their deaths in Marvel Zombies. Hopefully, the MCU will bring them back before long.
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10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Animation Action & Adventure Horror Science Fiction Release Date 2025 - 2025-00-00 Network Disney+ Directors Bryan Andrews Writers Bryan Andrews, Zeb Wells, Robert Kirkman Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe
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Yelena, Ms. Marvel and Blade Knight looking worried at something in Marvel Zombies YT
Zombie Thanos wielding the Infinity Gauntlet in Marvel Zombies (2025)
Spider-Man decapitating zombies with his webs in Marvel ZombiesCourtesy of Walt Disney Studios
Blade as Moon Knight with his sword in Marvel ZombiesCourtesy of Walt Disney StudiosClose
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David Harbour
Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian (voice)
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Simu Liu
Shang-Chi (voice)
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He's real. He's the tree of death.
Real spirit it's fusion of man or animal with tech. Maybe bug. They did this a while back usually it's kane character also real name was Daniel Pierce.
I leave him alone usually he don't fire off but the weapons are probably there.
Shouldn't go looking for characters just the truth. They change character or concept origins. It's either time or black hole concept. What a twist. Don't ask him he's not saying anything. Watch that movie with Bautista then Bushwick you'll see.
2025-11-28 16:51:16 Upvote Downvote Reply Copy