Who Is Lylla In Guardians of the Galaxy 3? Marvel Character & Comics Changes Explained

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the beloved MCU team’s last ride together, and a special person from Rocket’s past plays an important role. After many difficult journeys, the film follows the Guardians on one final dangerous mission to protect Rocket from his past. It's a long-awaited look into this character’s backstory, and Rocket's childhood friends will play a big part in it.
Rocket has made a family out of the Guardians, but Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 looks at his original family. It’s been explained how Rocket was tested on as a kid, but he wasn’t the only one with his friends Teefs, Floor and Lylla being introduced. Voiced by MCU alum Linda Cardellini, Lylla’s appearance makes Gunn's trilogy closer all the more impactful.
Lylla's Marvel Comics History Explained

Lylla the Otter was first introduced in The Incredible Hulk #271, alongside what was only Rocket’s second appearance. She was a resident of Halfworld, home to many artificially-engineered, anthropomorphic animals. Her parents owned Mayhem Mekaniks, the biggest toy-making company on Halfworld to which Lylla was the heiress. However, things went south after her parents were murdered by business rival Judson Jakes.
With Jakes controlling the company, a toy war broke out with rival Lord Dyvyne also wanting to take over. Having become Jakes’ ward, Lylla needed help, and she got it in the form of Rocket Raccoon. As the defender of Halfworld, Rocket teamed up with Lylla to take down her two rivals, and in the process, the two fell in love. When all was said and done and Lylla was free, she and Rocket left the planet together to start a new adventure.
Lylla Powers Explained

As a child of Halfworld, Lylla was genetically enhanced in her past. An anthropomorphized mammalian like Rocket, she possesses intelligence far beyond the rest of her kind. Lylla is said to be trained in hand-to-hand combat and can also wield a firearm if need be. Quite the strong fighter, Lyllais capable of defending herself..
The daughter of savvy business owners, Lylla is highly intelligent. As an otter, Lylla is naturally a strong swimmer. With worlds shown in the Guardians of the Galaxy films being so vast and unpredictable, Lylla’s aquatic strength is bound to come in handy somewhere.
Lylla Comics Changes Explained

In what has been shown in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailers so far, Rocket and his childhood friends look to have been locked up in their youth. This is already a big difference from Lylla’s upbringing on Halfworld with her parents. The film will likely stray away from her family’s toy making background and focus more on Lylla as a product of the High Evolutionary instead. It’s unlikely that Judson Jakes or Lord Dyvyne will even make appearances.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is going to follow Rocket’s past with the High Evolutionary, a scientist of Counter-Earth. Each iteration of Counter-Earth has involved the planet being an almost near-duplicate of Earth. The planet hasn’t been explored thoroughly in the MCU just yet, but it’s possible that the film will do away with Halfworld and fuse some elements of the planet into Counter-Earth instead.
Lylla's Role In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Explained

With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 set to introduce a more in-depth look at Rocket’s past, Lylla should be playing quite an important role in the film. Since meeting him in the first film, it’s well-known that Rocket had a tragic past of being experimented on. It has caused him to be insecure and untrusting, which is why his joining the Guardians was such a big step. However, it’s clear that he truly cared for his childhood friends, and the reappearance of Lylla could trigger a moment of vulnerability in Rocket.
Lylla will definitely have appearances in the form of flashbacks, but she may make appearances in the present day too. In the first film, Lylla was shown to be one of Rocket’s associates before he became partners with Groot. It’s unknown whether one of them left the partnership with bad blood or if it was an amicable split. Nonetheless, she may be tempted to team up with Rocket once again in the Guardians’ battle against the High Evolutionary, making her not just one of Rocket’s loved ones but an asset to the team.
Will Lylla Return In The MCU?

Lylla’s return to the MCU is likely dependent on Rocket’s fate in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. With this iteration of the Guardians confirmed to be coming to an end and it being actors like Gamora’s Zoe Saldana and Drax’s Dave Bautista’s final appearances, it’s possible that Rocket may get to step up within the Guardians and take his childhood friends with him. However, if the Rocket death theories turn out to be true, Lylla still has a chance to join the future Guardians as an honor to her soulmate’s legacy.
While it’s unknown the exact role Lylla the Otter will be playing in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, her impact on Rocket is already undeniable. It's clear that Rocket’s loved ones mean a lot to him, and seeing the link-up between his current family and his original family will be the ultimate homage to his character. Although there will likely be some changes from Lylla’s comic book origins, her MCU debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will no doubt be emotionally heart-warming and potentially even set her up for a bigger future.
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