Flarkin' Awesome 004 - Rocket Raccoon's Unanswered Origins

*Cosmic greetings, Raccoonatic Commander Leo Wyld here, it's been a while, but it is finally time for another... Flarkin' Awesome

Issue 04... What the Flark?! (Or, I Don't Have All the Answers)

I consider myself Rocket Raccoon's #1 Fan, and, along with that claim, I try to make it my business to know everything there is to know about Rocket. But even I am often left with plenty of questions. And that is the premise of this issue of F.A. Caution: Possible Spoilers and Rampant Over-Thinking Ahead!

First, Rocket Raccoon's origin. Hey, I covered what we do know in the bio, but there are plenty of things we don't.

What's the deal with the ol'-chap-ish “Rocky” on “Witch-World” in Marvel Preview #7? When the hero was introduced in 1976, he spoke decidedly more British and was not on Halfworld at all. Did this occur just after his leaving Halfworld? Maybe the scrambled rearranged memories made him act differently for a while. Maybe the story takes place in the future and this is an older Rocket Raccoon. And what is the deal with the Greco-Roman armor? (The story probably isn't meant to really share continuity with mainstream 616, but, hey, these are still fun things to consider)

So, Rocket is no scientist, but clearly he has received some sort of education in his life. He can speak and write and has basic (or perhaps advanced, compared to Earth tech) knowledge of numerous subjects. Was he raised by robots, a program, other animals like himself? Were such things implanted into his brain directly through his genetic engineering, which brings me to another topic...

"I'm not a raccoon. I'm a retcon!"

Sorry Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon, we know Rocket is a raccoon (and not a member of an alien race that resembles them, facepalm, or facepaw, heh). And he was genetically engineered to be of somewhat more anthropomorphic form and human intelligence (and possibly superhuman cunning). Halfworld is filled with other such enhanced animals, who are of such a design for the purpose of working at the Halfworld Asylum. But... were these adjustments made to him and others individually as a specimens, or are they descended from a line of similarly enhanced species that share an original set of normal animal ancestors that were experimented on? If so, were these species collected from Earth, or does there just happen to be an Earth-like planet that happens to have otters, raccoons, walruses and such? Now, the 1985 series hints more at the experimented ancestor theory, but with the retcon-ish Annihilators side feature, who knows? All we know is that someone used genetic design at some point to have anthro animals at the Halfworld Asylum and the Asylum is still an actively used facility. And is there some relation between those pulling the strings of the genetic design at the Halfworld Asylum and the similarly enhanced animal inhabitants of Planet X?

What actually did happen back in the 80's period? So there couldn't likely have been a toy war as portrayed in the 1985 series because.. Dyvyne was actually the Asylum's head doctor who was only driven mad on one occasion by Star-Thief, and Judson Jakes only became a Star-Thief-infected threat after Rocket left Halfworld (after having his real memories restored, Rocket remembers Judson as being a good guy).

Rocket's Original Costume

The Halfworld/Gideon's Bible serves a clear purpose as a device to connect Rocket with his Beatles song origin, but what role did it have in the actual 616 continuity. It may or may not have been a book (the one he was given by Star-Thief as part of the distraction in Annihilators was probably just a prop). I'd guess it was like the pseudo-fairy-tale-ish reality representation of some computer history log or possibly the computer system itself, since the Haflworld Bible was depicted as providing the means to cure the “loonies”, which were, in reality, patients hooked up to computer-driven immersion therapy devices.

In that regard, I have a theory that the Red Breath, that Dyvyne released in the '85 series that was trying to erase things from existence, was actually some sort of virus trying to interfere with immersion therapy programs, perhaps directly by Star-Thief or during the time Dyvyne was under his influence. Clearly that was not planned in '85, but it is one fun imagined connection with the current version of events.

And did Rocket actually meet Hulk? Maybe, Maybe not. Hulk being dragged to Halfworld was part of a Hulk storyline. But what actually happened? Was he trapped in an immersion therapy program? Did he help Rocket with one of Star-Thief's rampages or perhaps with another villain and then his memories were reprogrammed before he was sent back to Earth in a similar fashion to the way the were done for Rocket before he was later sent away from Halfworld? (Although it is interesting that in Avengers Assemble, which is after the events of Annihilators, and the restoration of his memories, Rocket does not greet Hulk or seem surprised or happy to see him again. Then again, he seems to have knowledge of pizza places in New York, so maybe he'd visited Earth in the time since leaving Halfworld and seen Hulk.)

Pyko the Wise

The turtle Pyko was the one who sent Hulk back to Earth, he was also the one who, in the '85 series, explains the Halfworld Bible to Rocket & Co., and tells Rocket how to use the book to obtain a cure for the “loonies”. Strangely, he is not shown in the real-world version of the Halfworld Asylum in the Annihilators side feature, he is actually the only major character from the 80's series not accounted for. My theory, Pyko, like possibly the Halfworld Bible itself, was a pseudo-reality representation of the Asylum computer program, last one to “talk” with Hulk before sending him back to Earth, decoding the book, providing a means for curing the patients. PYKO could easily be an acronym for a computer. Hmm. Something to think about.

And the rocket skates. Never used them since the 80's, since leaving Halfworld (except in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, which isn't canon). I think they were possibly a part of the fake memories. It is also possible they were part of his Security Chief equipment and were left behind, with his badge, when he was sent away from Halfworld with the reprogrammed memories. Either way, though, now that he is aware of the fake and the real series of events, he could make a pair of them, but it seems Rocket has already gotten used to his rocket pack (maybe he just thinks skates are passé now)

Does Rocket have OCD? He supposedly insisted on handwashing the uniforms of Quill's taskforce himself in Conquest and, in the same series, he repeatedly cleans the same weapon multiple times. He is defensive when asked about the later act, which would be in keeping with the condition. But this issue is never really addressed after Conquest (although it is hinted at in his bio on the Marvel Heroes site). So, who knows? Regardless, I certainly doubt Rocket would dig in trash cans or the dirt (ahem, USM and UMvC3, respectively).

Rocket Raccoon: Confronting OCD

In Rocket's Infinite comic, a stranger at a bar mentions seeing someone like Rocket elsewhere in the galaxy which very much surprises Rocket. The question is why. He's aware of other animals such as himself because, again, this was after his memories of Halfworld were restored. So, maybe he is surprised at the prospect of another raccoon like himself? Were there no other enhanced raccoons at the Halfworld Asylum? Presumably the storyline from Infinite is going to be tied into Guardians v3 at some point, so some of those questions will likely be answered.

Rocket has questionable taste in women.

And speaking of the NOW interpretations of Rocket... what is the deal with him not knowing anything about Earth? Aside from being there in Avengers Assemble, he's made plenty of references to Earth, Earth technology, Earth pop culture in the past. And, suddenly, he doesn't know what a phone, a television, or a fish is? Is he pretending to be above knowing such things, to make Tony Stark feel inferior, perhaps? (that seems a bit convoluted, but I wouldn't put it past Rocket)

These are just some points of consideration from a mind that thinks about Rocket Raccoon all the time. Ha. I'm not even getting into the sillier things, like... where does he carry all those cannons? Isn't it weird that an otter is a niece of a walrus and a mate of a raccoon then later of a rabbit? Or what the flark did Rocket do what all the money he made from that Rocket & Groot Mojoverse show?

Maybe you have some good unanswered questions about Rocket, hey maybe even I could answer them (maybe not). Well, I've given you some things to think about...

Until next we meet. See you 'round the Raccooniverse.