Loki director Kate Herron explains why Rocket Raccoon was in early concept art for the Disney+ show but didn’t have a cameo. Even though Loki brought Tom Hiddleston back as the god of mischief, it was fairly limited when it came to including other known characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jaimie Alexander returned for a brief cameo as Lady Sif, while Chris Hemsworth had a voice cameo as Throg. Otherwise, Loki focused on introducing new characters, such as Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) and He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors).

Once Loki season one ended, a new behind-the-scenes look at the show arrived on Disney+. The latest edition of Marvel Studios Assembled focused on the MCU’s third Disney+ show. It provided new insights into the filmmaking and development process, as well as interviews with the cast and creators. One of the many details included was a piece of concept art from Loki’s TVA processing, which showed what looked to be a Rocket Raccoon Loki cameo that never happened. This left plenty of fans confused since Rocket is a CGI character who could’ve easily been included, but it appears the reason Rocket didn’t appear was a bit more complicated.

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During a recent interview with The Direct, director Kate Herron was asked about this piece of Loki concept art and the possibility of Rocket Raccoon appearing in the show at one point. Despite the concept art showing what looked to be a Rocket Raccoon variant, Herron indicates that the plan wasn’t for Rocket specifically to appear in Loki. Instead, the concept artists used him as an example of the fun cameos that could be had in the TVA, and Herron says that it wasn’t something that Marvel really considered. In fact, she suggested that the Rocket lookalike wasn’t even Rocket.

That scene, it wasn’t Rocket specifically. I think the illustrators drew him in as a fun idea because sometimes they’ll pitch stuff and then the studio will be like, ‘Yay or nay.’ I think it never got to the point, unfortunately, because of COVID.

Herron went on to explain in the interview that the plan was to fill the TVA processing lines with different characters and aliens. This had to change once COVID-19 hit, though, as Loki‘s production couldn’t get that many people in a small room in a safe and timely manner. This led to the other variants Loki sees when he enters the TVA being quite limited, although a Skrull was among them. Still, it is surprising that a character like Rocket Raccoon wasn’t included. He is a completely CGI creation, so Loki could’ve added him during post-production. Herron’s indifference on a Rocket cameo likely indicates that any such appearance wasn’t something she or Marvel felt the show needed.

Since Loki season one came and went without this potential Rocket Raccoon sighting, fans will have to wait for Loki season two to possibly see the god of mischief interact with the trash panda. Depending on when Loki could encounter a Rocket variant, the two could trade stories about their adventures with Thor. Loki season two’s production hopefully won’t take place in the middle of a pandemic, though, so perhaps that will mean Rocket and other MCU characters can cameo more freely.

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Source: The Direct

Key Release Dates
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)Release date: Sep 03, 2021
  • Eternals (2021)Release date: Nov 05, 2021
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
  • The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Release date: Jul 28, 2023
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Release date: May 05, 2023
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About The Author


Cooper Hood
(5625 Articles Published)

Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

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