In Marvel Comics, the Rocket Raccoon. Recently concluding his time in the MCU (at least for the time being), a comic story set in Marvel’s distant future shows how Rocket can make his triumphant return to the silver screen, now with his family in tow!

A wise-cracking loose cannon of a character, Rocket Raccoon first ed the Guardians of the Galaxy in Marvel’s 2008 relaunch of the team’s comic series, only for him to then make his way into the MCU in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy film.

In a comic tale set a century after the original publication of The Fantastic Four in 1961, 100th Anniversary Special: Guardians of the Galaxy #1 sees a hypothetical future version of the team go up against a cosmic pair of enemies, with Rocket letting his three nephews, Uno, Duo, and Trey in on the fun!

Rocket Raccoon’s Three Nephews Show How the MCU Can Keep Rocket’s Role Alive in Live-Action

100th Anniversary Special: Guardians of the Galaxy #1 - 2014 (Andy Lanning, Ron Marz and Gustavo Duarte)

Faced with defeating a traitorous Vance Astro as well as a Silver Surfer-powered “Silver Galactus,” “Rocket and the Raccoons” work alongside Gamora, Drax, Groot, Charlie-27, and a digital consciousness of Tony Stark in an Iron Man suit to save the day. Unleashing his nephews on an army of “Punisher Robots,” Uno, Duo, and Trey jump into action and stick explosive devices on their foes, taking out a whole slew of them in one go. Endearingly calling Rocket “dad,” this title shows exactly why the MCU needs to use this iteration of Rocket in his inevitable return to the live-action space.

Last fans saw Rocket in the MCU, he was fighting alongside the next generation of the Guardians, with this future-set story’s decision to turn Rocket into a role model being a smart character-driven choice that the films can lean into now that Rocket is the most senior hero on the team. Showcasing Rocket in a more mentor-like and “father” role — a uniquely contrasting take on his usual depiction as a brash gunslinger — by the time Rocket returns to the MCU, several years will have ed, giving the filmmakers of his next appearance a perfect in for introducing Rocket’s familial bonds.

Rocket Becoming a Role Model Is the Perfect Evolution of the Character for the MCU

To put a finer point on why this role could be so interesting for Rocket, this tale sees Rocket’s nephews constantly calling him “dad,” a name that he shirks but one that demonstrates how close his nephews feel to him as a parental figure, a bond that’s solidified when Rocket slips up and protectively calls them “my boys." After seeing the heart-wrenching backstory of how Rocket lost his friends in the MCU, evolving Rocket Raccoon into a new kind of hero has a surprising amount of potential and is something the next Guardians of the Galaxy film needs to incorporate.

100th Anniversary Special: Guardians of the Galaxy #1 is available from Marvel Comics.