Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now in theaters, and fans are falling in love with Rocket (don't call him a raccoon!) all over again thanks to its look at his MCU backstory.
But Rocket's not the only animal superhero - far from it, in fact. And we've got a list of 10 of the best animal superheroes of all time right here - Rocket included.
Ursa Major
A member of Russia's Winter Guard national superhero team, Ursa Major is a mutant whose power is that he can turn into a bear. Though that power wasn't on display, Ursa had an MCU cameo in the 2020's Black Widow, played by Olivier Richters.
Tawky Tawny
A member of the Shazam Family dating back to the Golden Age of Comics in the '40s, Tawky Tawny is an anthropomorphic tiger who also happens to be the unlikely best friend of Billy Batson and his superhero companions.
Ch'p
The Green Lantern Corps has hundreds of members of almost as many different species from all over the universe - including Ch'p, who is just a lil squirrel guy doing his best. A very different version of Ch'p appeared in the animated film DC's League of Super-Pets.
We3
Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's We3 is a cult-favorite 2004 limited series about three animals who are turned into super-weapons, but who escape control in an attempt to find their freedom. The story's tragic heroes, Bandit the dog, Tinker the cat, and Pirate the rabbit, will remain lodged in readers' minds long after finishing the story.
Jonathan the Wolverine
There are several characters in Marvel Comics who have used the codename Wolverine over the years, but there's only one superhero who is also an actual frickin' wolverine. "Superhero" may be stretching it a bit, but as the pet wolverine of Gabby Kinney, the younger sister of Wolverine Laura Kinney, Jonathan has done his share of shredding up bad guys.
Detective Chimp
Detective Chimp is a chimp who is a detective, and if you don't think that makes for a perfect comic book superhero I don't know what to say. Christened 'Bobo' by his original human handler, a name he hates, Detective Chimp is actually a brilliant genius crimesolver whose skills rival Batman's in the DC Universe.
Captain Carrot and the Amazing Zoo-Crew
Captain Carrot is an anthropomorphic superhero rabbit with a whole suite of Superman-esque powers - and a whole team of other animal heroes known as the Zoo Crew at his back as well. The Zoo-Crew, which includes members such as Alley-Kat-Abra, Rubberduck, and Yankee Poodle, are denizens of Earth-C in the DC Universe, and have even teamed up with Superman and the Justice League.
Krypto the Superdog
Kal-El isn't the only survivor of Krypton. Of course there's his Kryptonian cousin Supergirl, but there's also Krypto the Superdog, a Very Good Boy with Kryptonian super powers just like Superman's. Back in the Golden Age of comics in the '40s and '50s, there even used to be a whole menagerie of other Super-Pets including Comet the Superhorse, Streaky the Supercat, and Beppo the Super-Monkey.
Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham
Thanks to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Peter Porker the Spectacular Spider-Ham is nearly as much a household name as his namesake Peter Parker. But much like DC's Captain Carrot, Spider-Ham comes from a whole world of anthropomorphic animal versions of Marvel superheroes such as Captain Americat, Hulk-Bunny, and Goose Rider.
Rocket Raccoon
Speaking of household names, there's no more famous or beloved animal superhero than Rocket (once again, don't call him a raccoon) of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Though he started as more of a classic space swashbuckler when he was created by Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen in the '70s, he's since become a movie star with an irascible attitude and a heart of gold. And with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 digging into Rocket's gut wrenching MCU origins, he's sealed his place as the top animal superhero.
Rocket Raccoon is a big part of some of the best Guardians of the Galaxy stories of all time.
