Warning: This post contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Rocket managed to outsmart the High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and one theory provides the perfect answer as to how. As James Gunn’s final project with Marvel Studios, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 concluded the story of the original Guardians team. Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, and Zoe Saldaña brought the Guardians back as the team set out to save the life of Bradley Cooper’s Rocket following a brutal attack. Through flashbacks, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 also explored Rocket’s origins in the MCU, showcasing his creation at the hands of the High Evolutionary and his childhood friendships.
Prior to the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, director James Gunn revealed that Rocket had always been the “secret protagonist” of the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, so the third installment focused almost entirely on explaining his backstory like. While the Guardians fought to save Rocket’s life in the present day, flashbacks uncovered the secrets of Rocket’s past. Vol. 3 revealed that the High Evolutionary (portrayed by Chukwudi Iwuji) had cybernetically enhanced Rocket – then known as 89P13 – but Rocket’s intelligence far surpassed anything the High Evolutionary had predicted. Now, one theory could explain how Rocket was so innately inventive.
Rocket’s Exposure To Music Could Have Made Him More Intelligent
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 explained that, while still young, Rocket was routinely taken from his cage to spend time with the High Evolutionary. During one of these excursions, Rocket is exposed to ancient music, the lyrics of which the High Evolutionary translates to, “be not as you are, but as you should be.” Soon after listening to this music, Rocket would figure out the intricacies of the High Evolutionary’s machines’ filtration system, proving his aptitude for invention and imagination. While this puzzles the High Evolutionary – and begins his obsession with Rocket’s brain – one Reddit theory suggests that the music had a key role in this development.
The theory notes that Rocket is the only one of the High Evolutionary’s experiments seen to have this musical interaction with his creator and specifically the only one who has a conversation about the music and its cultural importance. It’s immediately after this that Rocket deduces the problem with the High Evolutionary’s filtration system, so perhaps it was Rocket’s exposure to music that unlocked the creative, problem-solving areas of his developing mind. Exposure to music is believed to improve, so this would make sense, but this would also add weight to one of the key elements of the entire Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.
Music Is Fundamental To The MCU’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Franchise
Music has always been at the center of James Gunn’s MCU storytelling, with Peter Quill’s love of classic Earth music filtering through to each of the Guardians members. This was prominent during moments such as the now-iconic “Come and Get Your Love” opening of 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, the opening moments of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 during which Baby Groot dances to “Mr. Blue Sky,” and the cathartic “Dog Days Are Over” moment in the soundtrack of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Since music has been so important to the team, it would make sense for it to also be the root cause of Rocket’s brilliance.
