It’s almost time to grab your tissues and your Marvel-loving besties for a trip to theaters to see the final installment of one of the greatest superhero groups as we know them — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to debut on May 5, with the preface that audiences will have a lot to get emotional about. 

In a new clip from the film, released by Collider, fans get a unique peek into one of the most heartbreaking storylines introduced into the Marvel franchise — that of Rocket Raccoon’s backstory. The clip, while uplifting in a sense, certainly packs a punch because of everything it implies, and James Gunn ensured scenes were packaged that way for a particular reason. 

We’re not even going to pretend as if we walked away from that one without tears in our eyes, especially with the powerful yet sweet delivery of that last line, “It really is good to have friends.”

Collider spoke with Gunn ahead of the debut of the upcoming installment in the Guardians’ journey and said that fans could breathe easy with the promise that it was imperative to him to ensure the safety and kind treatment of animals.

“In fact, I was very, very careful about what we see in terms of animals being hurt because it is something I’m incredibly squeamish about, and people are squeamish about. So I think the difficult stuff to watch in the movie – and there is some difficult stuff at times – is because of the idea of what’s happening more than what you actually see. You don’t see very much, in terms of violence or harm to animals, but you do see these little animals, the results of which are not the most beautiful, but somehow they’re extraordinarily cute.”

The importance of the scene released today is that it gives us perspective into the idea that Gunn is leaving a lot to the imagination regarding the mistreatment of the animals. No one wants to sit in a theater and watch that, and we can’t say enough how happy we are that Gunn isn’t going to take us on that journey, but he’s worked masterfully to still ensure that we feel the weight of their journey.

Speaking of Lylla, Teefs, Floor, and Rocket — he says the peek we were given today is so beautiful because it represents something worth fighting for.

“They’re best friends… and I think it’s a really beautiful scene with them… where they talk about going outside into the sky, in the world, which they’ve never experienced.”

Gunn continued by saying that the villain in Vol. 3 is so unique because we’ve never seen anything like him before, including Thanos. People really hate the High Evolutionary and with good reason. He’s not just a bad guy, and he’s not just driven forward by evil and selfishness; he’s awful to animals. No matter what part of pop culture most suits you or what films and movies you love most — there’s never a realm for adoration or acceptance of a character that doesn’t treat animals well. They’re despicable in the most fundamental way, which hits home in Guardians Vol. 3. 

“I just kind of had this vision of this really horrible past for this little animal that was taken as an animal, a little innocent creature, and turned into something he wasn’t supposed to be, torn apart and put back together again, and that his life was incredibly painful and he was incredibly alone because there’s nothing else like him. And so that idea of Rocket was there from the beginning.”

While he’s got his three buddies as they strive to survive the High Evolutionary, and he’s found a family within the Guardians, Rocket has always longed for something that was never his: innocence and a sense of safety. If that doesn’t leave you feeling gutted, we’re not sure you’ve been paying attention.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5, and like we said before, you’ll want to bring your tissues and a lot of them. In fact, you might want to come prepared to float out of theaters on your favorite pool toy — we’re anticipating the floodgates opening for this one. 

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