Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 leak hints at Rocket's shocking origin story

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a long ways away, so for those looking for more info, it's good to look to the previous GotG movies for clues. Just yesterday, director James Gunn participated in a live watch of the first Guardians movie, answering fan questions and sharing stories from the set along with others from the film. The Twitter commentary was mostly just fun trivia, but at one point, a reveal dropped concerning everyone's favorite talking urban animal, Rocket Raccoon.

About a half-hour into the movie, a fan tweeted asking if Rocket's origin is going to be a part of the upcoming third movie. Neither confirming or denying, Gunn simply replied, "Rocket is a big part of what's happening in the future," adding that the scars seen on his back in Guardians of the Galaxy were included to set up a future movie.

This makes a Rocket Raccoon origin story seem pretty likely in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and one comic book character stands out as the possible creator of this wisecracking animal: the High Evolutionary.

The High Evolutionary is a human scientist who uses genetic hybrids and mutations to create his own army. As a student, he experimented by evolving the rats in his basement. A mad scientist who experimented on vermin seems like the perfect choice for the origin of a walking, talking raccoon, and an even closer look ties this character to the Guardians story all the more.

The High Evolutionary first appeared in 1966 in Thor, Vol 1, #134. After a fight with Ego (the villain from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), Thor find a captured Jane Foster at the High Evolutionary's Citadel where she's guarded by strange man-animal hybrids. The Evolutionary is in the middle of forcing a wolf to the limits of its evolution when Thor storms in, demanding to see Jane.

However, this encounter is anti-climactic. The High Evolutionary is a scientist, not a fighter, and simply told Thor where he could find Jane. He seeks out his love and finds her in a classroom, surrounded by the results of the Evolutionary's experimentation: the "Ani-men."

A character like this may be a bit ridiculous, but that's the name of the game in the world of Guardians of the Galaxy. It also makes sense for Starlord and the gang to encounter the High Evolutionary, as their past foes have been galactic, and it would be a refreshing change to see them go against someone entirely human, albeit a human advanced to his evolutionary limit.

After all, who better to create such an inherently hilarious character such as Rocket than a villain who began as a ridiculous one-off baddie?

Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 does not yet have a release date.