Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is praised by PETA for its “unwavering advocacy” for animal rights. “Through Rocket, James Gunn has put an appearance, a name, and an identity on the millions of vulnerable animals being cycled through laboratories as we speak,” complimented PETA senior VP Lisa Lange in a statement to the media.
Because it encourages viewers to view animals as individuals and argues against the idea that just because we can experiment on them, we should, PETA has named this the best animal rights movie of the year. The MCU has had great success with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which successfully concludes the saga of the ragtag space bandits (at least in this iteration of them).
As one of the best MCU films, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is “a triumphant, beautiful closer for a team we’re devastated to lose,” as we wrote in our review. And an unexpected supporter has spoken in, with PETA, the outspoken animal rights organization, adding its approval. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been recognized by PETA as an “animal rights masterpiece.” The organization claims that it takes viewers “on an emotional rollercoaster while exposing the evils of animal testing.”
This is largely because of Rocket’s past. The antagonist of the film, the High Evolutionary, who seeks to populate his “Counter-Earth” with purportedly “perfect” life forms, is shown to have created him. He is seen experimenting on various creatures, torturing and destroying them to further his goal. He kept Rocket, along with three other inventions, imprisoned in a dank and dark cage during his experiments.
To escape and enjoy their life on Counter-Earth, the four of them grew close friends. However, Rocket eventually learns that they were never intended for use other than for experimentation. And the High Evolutionary had instructed that they all be “incinerated” once he was finished with them.
You can draw comparisons between their story and the daily testing of millions of animals. The ‘Not a Number Award’ was given to James Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy 3 by PETA as a result.