Marvel Officially Confirms Rocket Racoon Return, But No Guardians of the Galaxy

Published Jul 25, 2026, 7:30 PM EDT Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words. Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II. Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno. Marvel is bringing back Rocket Raccoon, however his iconic allies in the Guardians of the Galaxy are nowhere to be seen. Here's what you need to know about Rocket's latest appearance, and why Marvel is focusing on the beloved Trash Panda and not his cosmic pals. It's been fifty years since Rocket Raccoon was introduced to Marvel lore by Bill Mantlo and Keith GIffen. Initially the cosmic sheriff of the therapy planet Halfworld, Rocket later ventured out into the galaxy, becoming a roguish criminal and iconic warrior famous across the galaxy. Now, Marvel is celebrating the occasion with an anthology of adventures from across Rocket's history, as well as reprinting his first ever story. Rocket Raccoon Celebrates 50 Years This Wednesday, Marvel will release Rocket Raccoon: Rocket Rewind #1, featuring solo stories from across the character's many different eras. 'The Fight in the Raccoon' sees Rocket shrink down to fight alongside former Ant-Man Hank Pym, 'Boomshakalaka' sees Rocket heisting a cosmic artifact that will reveal the meaning of life, and 'The Sword in the Star' acts as a new framing device to present Rocket's first ever appearance from 1976's Marvel Preview #7. The anthology looks like a fun examination of what makes Rocket special, as well as how much he's changed over time, with his adventures taking him from straitlaced lawman to amoral heister to complex war hero known across the galaxy, having fought against the Annihilation Wave, Thanos and Dormammu's most recent attempt to conquer the galaxy. While Rocket is seen communicating with Groot in the second tale, this one-shot is dedicated to the antiheroic raccoon himself, and so the Guardians of the Galaxy won't have a major presence, despite Rocket not being seen with the heroes in years. Why Rocket Has Been Absent from Marvel Lately This Rocket special is a treasure for fans of the character, given his absence from recent comics. Rocket was last seen in an ongoing series in 2023's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 7. While he's had some one-shot and digital-only appearances since, there's a big hole in his schedule thanks to a major cancellation. In 2025, Marvel published Imperial - an event series that rewrote its cosmic order, and was meant to presage a whole new slate of space-set stories. However, those series have met with speedy cancellation, and the one starring Rocket - Exiles - never even released. The comic would have spun out of the Imperial War: Exiles one-shot, and seen Professor X and alien empress Lilandra form a new team including their daughter Xandra, Rocket, Danger, Kid Gladiator and Corsair. Their adventures would have pitted them against the new galactic order represented by Star-Lord's Galactic Union. The Guardians of the Galaxy Are Still AWOL from the Marvel Universe Imperial officially split up the Guardians as fans know them. Star-Lord took a semi-villainous term, framing the Skrull Empire for a series of assassinations to increase his own political power, and has since been appearing in the now concluded Nova: Centurion. Meanwhile, Gamora joined the unofficial 'Imperial Guardians' under the order of the Inhuman Maximus, in a series that concluded its run this week. Groot, Drax and Mantis haven't been seen since. This team break-up coincides with the heroes' absence from the MCU following Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but likely wasn't meant to be as glaring as it has become. Had Imperial's spin-off series done better, most of the Guardians would still have appeared monthly over the last few years. With all the Imperial spin-offs now concluded, it's likely Marvel will soon showcase a new volume of Guardians of the Galaxy, bringing at least most of the classic team back together. Until then, these new stories starring Rocket Raccoon will have to be enough to satisfy Guardians fans a little longer. Rocket Raccoon: Rocket Rewind #1 is coming July 29 from Marvel Comics. TV Show(s) Guardians of the Galaxy, I Am Groot Video Game(s) Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy: The Telltale Series, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy First Film Guardians of the Galaxy First TV Show Guardians of the Galaxy Cast Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, Lee Pace, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Elizabeth Debicki, Will Poulter, Chukwudi Iwuji Created by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning