The Trauma of Rocket Raccoon in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3": An Exploration of Animal Abuse and Empathy in Cinema

The "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies are best known for their comedic moments set to pop songs, but for the author, the series is about processing trauma, especially trauma caused by father figures. The author's most memorable moment from the series is the final shot of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," where Rocket Raccoon sheds tears at Yondu's funeral, setting up his character's trauma to be explored in the third movie.

In "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," Rocket's trauma is revealed to be the result of being experimented upon by the High Evolutionary and subjected to torture and abuse along with other animals. The author finds this difficult to watch but justifies the discomfort as empathy for both the character and real-life animals that undergo abuse.

The author believes that cinema does not afford the same empathy for people as it does for animals, citing the abuse suffered by characters like Gamora and Nebula at the hands of Thanos in "Avengers: Infinity War" as examples. The author argues that all living things should be treated with the same respect and empathy, and James Gunn successfully breaks down the tiers between different species in his portrayal of trauma bonding.