Who Voices Lylla The Otter & Baby Rocket's Other Friends In Guardians 3?
Contains spoilers for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"
If there's one thing that "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" can claim victory over its predecessors for, it's the guaranteed tear-filled moments with which James Gunn's final outing is drizzled. Emotions are already high for fans given that this has long been confirmed as the last appearance of Gunn's Guardians. However, for added cinematic sniffles, the director decided to end things at the beginning by delving deeper into Rocket's torturous past and the friends he made there. The result is nothing but repeated bouts of heartbreak.
Revealing how the furriest member of the Guardians became what he is today, the flashbacks show a young Rocket (Sean Gunn) and his pals, who are just as adorable. But what kind of talent was tied together to bring Lylla (Linda Cardellini) the otter, Teefs (Asim Chaudhry) the walrus, and Floor (Mikaela Hoover) the rabbit to life? Here's the breakdown of the family Rocket had before he found a new one in the years that followed.
Mrs. Hawkeye actor Linda Cardellini brings Lylla to life
You otter know beforehand that if you think a baby Rocket (Noa Raskin) is going to tug at your heartstrings, wait until you meet his lady friend. Lylla is presented as being somewhat on the same wavelength as our favorite raccoon, which explains why sparks fly so quickly between the two. The extra treat is that she is played by Marvel Cinematic Universe alumna Linda Cardellini, who has been playing the wife of Hawkeye, aka Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), since her surprise debut in "Avengers: Age of Ultron."
In the comics, Lylla has much more to do and is just as capable as our rowdy raccoon, although she isn't experimented on like her live-action iteration. However, she does know Rocket, whom she calls on for assistance in maintaining control of the toy company she inherits after her parents are murdered. It's certainly a far cry from what we get in the MCU.
Even so, Cardellini's performance fleshes Lylla out as a character trying to make the best of a bad situation she and her pals are in. She's the shining light that keeps Rocket going and is eventually revealed to have played a massive part in him getting to be the hero we've seen him become.
Mikaela Hoover hops and crawls on the scene as Floor
Of all of Rocket's former friends, the one that looks to have been given the shortest straw in the High Evolutionary's (Chukwudi Iwuji) "advancements" is floppy-eared angel Floor. A rabbit that feels like one of his early efforts, Floor has been given extra, robotic limbs, making her appear spider-like and instantly manifesting flashbacks of Babyface from "Toy Story." The difference here, however, is that Floor is a much chattier individual and carries much more naive innocence than the rest of her cagemates.
She's brilliantly brought to life by Mikaela Hoover, another actor who's already played a different role in the MCU — and not just the MCU but a previous adventure with the Guardians. The first time they all get together, Hoover is on the ground helping Nova Prime (Glenn Close) as her assistant and is on standby during the attack on Xandar by Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace).
Hoover had a similar role in James Gunn's initial dabble in the DC Extended Universe, "The Suicide Squad," in which she played Camila, the assistant of Corto Maltesean President Silvio Luna (Juan Diego Botto). After Luna is killed by Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), she is then the assistant of his successor, Mateo Suarez (Joaquín Cosio), before he is killed by Starro.
Asim Chaudhry gives Teefs a bite
After a lovable otter and a spritely spider-rabbit, that just leaves darling dolt Teefs. Named after his huge tusks, Teefs is the walrus (coo coo ca choo) that rounds out this quartet of criminally cute characters, trundling along on caterpillar track wheels and just as intellectually quick. He is voiced by English comedian Asim Chaudhry, who has also previously dabbled in comic book adaptations.
Besides being one of Diana Prince's (Gal Gadot) co-workers at the Smithsonian in "Wonder Woman 1984," Chaudhry appeared in the massive Netflix hit and long-anticipated live-action series "The Sandman," based on Neil Gaiman's beloved series that took what felt like eons to make. Chaudhry played Abel, the constantly killed-off brother of Cain.
Before either of these roles, he also starred alongside the new Adam Warlock, Will Poulter, in the one-off interactive "Black Mirror" special, "Bandersnatch," which aired on the streaming service in 2018. Well, what do you know? It isn't such a big galaxy after all.
Lylla, Teefs, and Floor left a lasting impression on most moviegoers
Between their adorable looks, emotionally impactful story, and the stellar performances of those behind them, Lylla, Teefs, and Floor are undisputed stars coming out of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3." In fact, many moviegoers have taken to social media to express their love for the three critters as well as baby Rocket.
"Just thought about Lylla, Teefs, Floor and baby Rocket and I am tearing up on a Friday afternoon on my couch," @illestboyever wrote in a tweet. Retweeting a post by James Gunn that features a photo of him wearing a shirt with the names Lylla, Rocket, Teefs, and Floor on it, @mikedescano boldly declared "i would die for lylla floor teefs and rocket." Meanwhile, @Petey5Batts wishes they could give Lylla, Teefs, and Floor a big hug — a desire countless MCU fans felt following their "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" screenings.
As for @The_Diary9, they gave Gunn loads of credit for turning non-human characters into widely-adored fan favorites with relative ease. He did it previously with the giant tree person Groot (Vin Diesel), and it seems he's done it again with Lylla, Floor, and Teefs. This is especially evident in a tweet by @SamBeech1, who wrote, "I'be fallen into the Disney trap. I will buy any merch of Teefs, Floor and Lylla. What a trio." Hopefully, when Disney gets to work on the Lylla, Teefs, and Floor merch, it takes its time, seeing as @GabRazzetti and many others need some time to recover from their tear-jerking story.
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is currently playing exclusively in theaters.