‘Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3’ Will Use Rocket and Groot as One Playable Character

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 will let players control both Rocket and Groot as a single playable character.

Earlier this evening, Marvel Games released the first trailer for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 – The Black Order, the first new Ultimate Alliance game in a decade. The new game pits heroes of the Marvel Universe against a variety of threats ranging from galactic dangers like Thanos and the Black Order to street-level villains like the Kingpin.

One of the first big roster reveals for the game was that the Guardians of the Galaxy will be playable for the first time in the franchise. While all five members of the team’s core cast appeared in the trailer, it seems that two of them will be “combined” into one playable unit.

It seems that Rocket Raccoon and Groot will act as a single playable character in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3. At one point in the trailer, we see Rocket riding on Groot’s back as the pair team up with Spider-Man, Drax, and Starlord while fighting Sandman in what appears to be a boss fight of some kind. The screenshot below clearly shows Rocket and Groot highlighted in green as a single character, which would be a first for the Ultimate Alliance franchise.

Rocket appears to have a major role in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, as he’s featured in multiple scenes in the first trailer. Interestingly, not every scene has Rocket riding on top of Groot, so there’s a possibility that Rocket might be playable separate from Groot at times.

Rocket Raccoon and Groot first teamed up during Annihilation Conquest – Starlord, which served as the prequel to the Guardians of the Galaxy comic series that inspired the games. Rocket and Groot have been inseparable since, which makes a lot of sense because raccoons love trees.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 – The Black Order will be released in 2019 exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.