Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is quickly approaching, and with the movie hitting theaters next week, Marvel has released a new clip giving us a glimpse into the past of Rocket Raccoon. Warning: the clip is very, very, very sad!
Oh no. Oh no, my heart. Here I was, having a perfectly ordinary day, and now I’m wringing my hands over the well-being of a walrus named Teefs and a fluffy bunny named Floor. Sandpit
To recap what’s in the clip: Rocket and three friends—Lyla the otter, Teefs the walrus, and Floor the rabbit—all lie in cages, giving themselves names. Rocket tells the others that someday, he wants to build a ship and fly all of them out into the forever and beautiful sky. The clip ends with Lyla saying that “it really is good to have friends.” The four of them are presumably prisoners of the movie’s villain, a scientist obsessed with genetic modification who calls himself the High Evolutionary.
Oh boy. I don’t think I’m alone in fretting about what awful things might happen to these cuddly creatures. Everything about this clip is ominous! Maybe they all escape and it will turn out that they’ve been somewhere out in the galaxy this whole time? Maybe? I dunno, I’m steeling myself to witness poor little Floor suffering some unimaginable fate.
The most heartbreaking details in the clip are the clues we get about their mistreatment. They all have visible cybernetic implants, but Floor’s is the worst, with a huge metal muzzle covering her mouth. It’s straight up body horror! We already knew that Guardians 3 was going to delve into Rocket’s past, but I don’t think anyone’s ready for what we’re going to see.
Marvel movies are at their best when they have heart—when they really give space for the emotional beats that make us care about their characters. Quiet, contemplative scenes like this one are often the best parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s not VFX-rendered powers or thrilling chase scenes or feats of strength that make Marvel movies unforgettable. It’s little moments like this.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the last movie in the series, comes out on May 5. Bring your tissues.
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Julia Glassman (she/her) holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and has been covering feminism and media since 2007. As a staff writer for The Mary Sue, Julia covers Marvel movies, folk horror, sci fi and fantasy, film and TV, comics, and all things witchy. Under the pen name Asa West, she's the author of the popular zine 'Five Principles of Green Witchcraft' (Gods & Radicals Press). You can check out more of her writing at https://juliaglassman.carrd.co/.
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