Rocket Raccoon is the only Guardian of the Galaxy left alive after the Thanos Snap - and we're considering that nothing but karma, since Marvel's entire Infinity War was set into motion by his stupidest, most senseless decision. Will he finally take the blame in Avengers 4?
Rocket will have plenty of time to think about his role in triggering the rise of Thanos, even if he'll probably be doing all that thinking alone, now that his adopted family has been completely turned to dust (or been personally killed by Thanos beforehand). Since Rocket is absent from the first trailer for Avengers: Endgame, we're taking it as a sign that the MCU heroes have also held him responsible. And when you look at the evidence, there is absolutely no doubt.
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Every hero could have done better in their fight against Thanos, and yes, Star-Lord did ruin the best plan to defeat him. But at least he had a reason for putting lives at risk. Fans didn't know it at the time, but one mindless crime laughed off by Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 set the death toll of Avengers: Infinity War in motion.
- This Page: How Rocket's Dumbest Robbery Helped Thanos
- Page 2: Rocket's Mistake Starts The Whole Infinity War
Rocket's Robbery Ruined Everything
Rocket Raccoon's path to destroying half of the entire universe began innocently enough, with Guardians of the Galaxy 2 dropping fans straight into the action, showing how successful a team of hired guns the heroes had become since the first movie. Standing atop a massive structure on one of the worlds ruled by the Sovereign, their job was simple: kill the Abilisk who was expected to arrive at any second. It would arrive, they knew, because it was attracted to the Anulax Batteries used by the Sovereign: power sources far too valuable to lose to a cosmic monster… a detail that didn't escape Rocket’s notice (he has a knack for spotting valuable, unguarded goods).
As viewers know, the battle turned out to be more exciting than the Guardians intended, but they still got the job done. And in exchange for their success in getting rid of the Sovereign’s gigantic pest problem, they got something more valuable to them than cash (at least in an emotional sense). They pulled off the job on behalf of Gamora, to take custody of her fellow 'daughter of Thanos' Nebula, and see her brought to justice by the Nova Corps.
But that wasn't enough for Rocket. Instead of honoring their deal, he decided to steal right out from under a highly-advanced and proud empire, pocketing all the Anulax Batteries he could carry. Obviously a crime that would be instantly noticed... but c'mon, a GREAT joke he and Drax had a hearty chuckle over.
The Sovereign Attack The Guardians (Obviously)
Once the normally-thinking members of the Guardians (Peter and Gamora) discover that Rocket robbed their wealthy, proud, advanced, and honorable employers, they're as outraged and panicked as any non-cartoon would be. They know, as any normal person would, that the Sovereign will be instantly in pursuit, rightfully looking to kill these two-faced outlaws after they honored the deal. Rocket had made them all enemies of an empire over one unwise score, and the impact of his treachery soon drives the entire movie. And as it turns out, gets half of the universe blinked out of existence.
Once Ego shows up to rescue the Guardians before dividing them by offering help, and the Sovereign hire Yondu and the Ravagers to kill them all as retribution, it becomes clear that Rocket’s mindless theft was simply a plot device. These twists needed to happen to create conflict, and start Rocket on his arc to accept and embrace family. It's a shame that the inciting incident doesn't really stand up to scrutiny on its own - but hey, it's no worse than the average superhero movie. And these are the Guardians of the Galaxy we're talking about, meaning audiences would care too much about the dangers the heroes face to question the believability of the plot device that made it all happen.
Isolated to one movie, we could let it go. But now the real way in which Thanos gathered the Infinity Stones to launch his Infinity War, the entire state of the MCU has Rocket's ridiculous thieving to thank. Well, more specifically, how the crime made it possible for Thanos to form the Infinity Gauntlet.
Page 2: Rocket's Mistake Starts The Whole Infinity War
Rocket's Mess Allowed Nebula To Escape
We'll mention it again, since it really is easy to forget once the action of Guardians 2 really builds steam (and the reveal of Peter Quill’s father becomes the primary plot). The entire reason for the Guardians taking the job slaying the Abilisk for the Sovereign is to trade services for Nebula, a prisoner held by the Sovereign for - hey what do you know, stealing Anulax Batteries! After Nebula’s role in the first film, Gamora and the other heroes seek to bring her to justice as Ronan’s accomplice. They're directly on their way to the Nova Corps on Xandar to surrender her when the Sovereign attack them for what is seeming more and more like an idea below even Rocket’s intelligence.
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And when all is said and done, the Guardians take far too much damage from the attackers before Ego saves the day. Crippled, they make their jump through space before crash landing, destroying the Milano, and leaving them stranded on a remote forest world. What should have been a long overdue prisoner transfer has now become a whole Marvel movie, as the Guardians split up, leaving Groot and Rocket behind to guard Nebula. A questionable idea, perhaps, but the point is that Nebula escapes once the Ravagers arrive to settle Rocket’s double cross. And when she leaves, she makes it clear that getting revenge on Thanos is all she cares about.
Thanks to the director’s commentary for Avengers: Infinity War, fans know exactly how that mission worked out... and what information she gave up to Thanos when he defeated her.
When Thanos Caught Nebula, The Infinity War Began
Marvel had warned there would be no standing against Thanos when he finally stepped into the action, but nobody assumed that when he decided to “do it himself,” he would collect all of the Infinity Stones in a matter of days (hours?). Fans spun theories to explain the sudden movement, including the believable argument that Thanos was waiting for Marvel's Universe to lose its protectors. But the writer and directors of Infinity War put those theories to bed thanks to the home video commentary. Apparently, Thanos was waiting for someone to find the Soul Stone. Without a lead on every Infinity Stone, he couldn't act.
The only person who had found the Soul Stone’s location? Gamora. The only person she told? Nebula. The same Nebula who escaped thanks to Rocket's doomed theft, headed straight for Thanos, and revealed Thanos could start his Infinity War and capture Gamora to win it. All of which would have never happened if Nebula was quietly locked away, as the Guardians intended. Who knew that blatantly stealing from a cosmic empire while trying to quietly capture a pivotal super-criminal would be a bad idea?
Oh wait, everybody should know that. So whether or not Rocket realized it before, and regardless of how much blame he actually takes in Avengers: Endgame now that his family is gone, the Infinity War and Thanos' snap wouldn't have happened without him. And all for a pocketful of Harbulary batteries.
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