Guardians of the Galaxy actor and Rocket Raccoon's on-set stand-in Sean Gunn said he has retired from the motion capture role.
Speaking on the Brandon Davis Show, Gunn – brother of Guardians of the Galaxy director and DC Studios boss James Gunn – points to the physical toll from playing Rocket Raccoon, which often involved crouching and kneeling down for hours on end while wearing an uncomfortable motion capture suit.
"Everyone thinks it's my knees but it's really my feet and my ankles because I'm in a catcher's crouch and I'm pivoting a lot on my points of contact and the ground… over the years, it had a little bit of effect on my physiology," Gunn said.
"My knees are fine. Since I turned 50 a couple of years ago, I think I'm retired from playing Rocket. Not that they've called but if they did, I don't think I could do the motion reference anymore for Rocket."
If this is the end for this iteration of the character, it brings to a close one of the more fully-formed CGI achievements in Marvel and movie history.
Rocket Raccoon, voiced by Bradley Cooper, remained a key member of the Guardians of the Galaxy through to the very end of the trilogy, leading a new Guardians lineup that included Gunn's other MCU character Kraglin, Cosmo the dog, and Will Poulter's Adam.
Over in the DCU, Gunn is now portraying Weasel and G.I. Robot in animated series Creature Commandos. In live action, he has stepped into the shoes of Maxwell Lord in both Superman and Peacemaker season 2.
The Guardians are noticeably absent from the upcoming roster of superheroes that make up the Avengers: Doomsday cast.
The latest Avengers movie, set for release on December 18, sees Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom takes on some of the MCU's finest – with Avengers: Endgame's re-release on September 25 promising fresh footage from the upcoming Marvel movie.
For more, check out our complete guides on the Marvel timeline and how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
