Warning: Spoilers for Heroes Reborn #4
Rocket Raccoon and Groot have gone on a lot of adventures together, but in Heroes Reborn they are doing something they have never done before — raising a child. Not just any child either, a new God-tier hero called Starbrand. Indicated by a glowing star-shaped glyph marking, the Star Brand gives the wielder infinite, unlimited powers. Anything the bearer can imagine, they can do — maybe not the best power for a young child to have. Especially one who has been raised by this even darker version of Rocket.
In Heroes Reborn #4, the story of how Rocket and Groot found her is told in the backup tale, Born in the Stars, by writer Jason Aaron, penciler Ed McGuinness, inker Mark Morales, and colorist Matthew Wilson. The pair discover a baby with a strange marking on her hand floating through space. Paranoid as ever, Rocket fears that she is a trap — perhaps a 40-year-old Skrull just waiting for an idiot to pass by and try to rescue her. Groot’s kind heart wins, however, as he reaches out to save the baby, and Rocket allows her to come aboard the ship.
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Flash forward and Rocket has just been brutally murdered by Doctor Spectrum, leaving Groot as the sole parental figure for Starbrand. It is made quite clear which of the two she is most like, as she exclaims that she wants nothing more than to hunt down Rocket’s murderer, even if his dying words were for her to stay hidden until the time is right. In his final breaths Rocket explains that since the moment he found her floating in space, he know she was going to save the whole galaxy one day, and that she will know when.
At the moment Starbrand is letting her emotions get the better of her, demanding that Groot take her to Earth so she can hunt down Doctor Spectrum and get revenge for the death of Rocket. Having been raised by the peaceful Groot with a giant heart, and Rocket, his opposite — a blood-thirsty, dark and twisted bounty-hunter — makes for a very interesting character. Starbrand is likely to have the combined personality of them both, although she is expressing her Rocket-inspired side more at the moment.
When Heroes Reborn ends, the Marvel Comics Universe is sure to go back to normal, at least for the most part. However, quite often new characters from alternate universes remain, at least in some way, which is sure to be what happens with Starbrand. This is a great way to age up the child, allowing her to play a more critical role in the universe without it taking years to do so. A very similar thing was done with Hope Summers as she jumped through time with Cable. Starbrand is sure to have distant memories of Groot and Rocket raising her in an alternate universe, ensuring that she has personality traits from them both. Heroes Reborn #4 is available online and in stores now.
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