WHEEZEY

Real Name: Unrevealed (Wheezey may be his full name, his first or last name, a nickname (perhaps he had a respiratory condition, or an alias)

Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (race unidentified)

Occupation: Unrevealed...unspecified (possibly illicit) work for Funtzel

Group Membership: Funtzel's agents

Affiliations: Funtzel;
    he encountered Rocket (Raccoon), but was not specifically an ally nor an enemy

Enemies: Blackjack O'Hare (while Blackjack was posing as a procyonine (raccoonoid))

Known Relatives: Unidentified family members

Aliases: "Old Lfarg" (insulting name from Rocket)

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    last seen on unidentified planet;
    previously active on Rigel VII;
    possibly previously based out of one or both of Funtzel's known bases:

First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy: Infinite Comic#2 (May, 2013);
    (identified) Rocket Raccoon II#2-4 (October-December, 2014)

Powers/Abilities: Wheezey presumably had some abilities in Funtzel's employ (likely involving at least some criminal acts), but he did not demonstrate any in his limited appearances. 

    His skin appears to very loose and saggy.

    He did like to imbibe some intoxicating beverages, which predisposed him to speak about things of which he should likely have remained silent.

Height: Unrevealed (Rocket is supposed to be 4' tall (although he seemed smaller in this story), and Wheezey seemed to be at close to twice that, so at least 6' and perhaps close to 8')
Weight: Unrevealed (perhaps 220-400 lbs.)
Eyes: Apparently purple or gray (there was not a clearly shown pupil and iris, so he may have lacked one or the other, or had white irides, or just a different eye structure)
Hair: Apparently light gray or possibly white (or even light purple);something of "Mohawk" style; he was generally seen in poorly lit locations.

History:
(Rocket Raccoon II#1 (fb) - BTS / Rocket Raccoon II#4 (fb) - BTS) - After Rocket thwarted Blackjack O'Hare's paid contract to assassinate Princess Amalya, O'Hare plotted revenge.

(Rocket Raccoon II#1 (fb) - BTS / Rocket Raccoon II#4 (fb) - BTS) - Posing as a procyonine being like Rocket, who believed himself the last of his kind, Blackjack O'Hare committed various murders/assassinations, framing Rocket as the culprit.

(Rocket Raccoon II#3 (fb - BTS)) - Wheezey was an agent of Funtzel, who ran both an intergalactic towing company and a number of illegal operations.

(Guardians of the Galaxy: Infinite Comic#2 (fb) - BTS) - While on Rigel VII, Funtzel observed a procyonine biped (see comments). 

(Guardians of the Galaxy: Infinite Comic#2) - In the bar of an unidentified planet, as Rocket bragged about an encounter with Ronan the Accuser, Wheezy accused Rocket of lying. Later, as Rocket flirted with an uninterested extraterrestrial woman, a somewhat drunken Wheezey approached the table, noting that he never thought he would see another one like him. 

    When Rocket replied that there was no one else like him, Wheezey retorted that he had seen one just like him on Rigel VII. Rocket mockingly told Wheezey that the joke was on him as he had never been to Rigel VII, Wheezey replied, “and there you are…another one.” Staggering out of the bar, Wheezey repeated "Rigel VII."

(Guardians of the Galaxy: Infinite Comic#2 - BTS) - As Rocket seethed, a cloaked figure (presumably Blackjack costumed to mimic Rocket) observed silently. 

(Guardians of the Galaxy: Infinite Comic#2) - As Wheezey stumbled down the street, whistling, he heard a sound, and turned and looked just before Rocket tackled him and asked what he meant "just like him." Wheezey clarified that "the other one" walked on two legs, walking and talking just like him but was a different color. 

    When Rocket demanded to know exactly where this happened, Wheezey tried to calm Rocket, telling him that he was just a guy with family and that there was no reason to point his weapon at him. He further noted that he should not even be talking to Rocket. Rocket reiterated his demands, and Wheezey admitted that he tended to talk when he drank, but that he should not talk given the people he worked for. 

    Increasingly irate, Rocket demanded to know for whom he worked, and the sweating Wheezey looked around him as he noted he was sorry that he said anything. As Wheezey said, "I didn't know it was a..." the cloaked figure fired a shot from above a nearby building, blasting a large hole through Wheezey's chest and leaving him quite apparently dead. 

(Guardians of the Galaxy: Infinite Comic#2 - BTS) - Spotting the cloaked figure atop the building, Rocket could only see glowing eyes, and by the time he rushed to the top of the building, the being was gone.

(Rocket Raccoon II#3 (fb) - BTS) - Rocket apparently learned the identity of the man who now had a hole for a chest (Wheezey) and for whom he worked (Funtzel). Rocket then arranged a convoluted plot to bring him into contact with Funtzel in hopes of learning the identity of the being impersonating him and framing him for various murders. 

(Rocket Raccoon II#1 - BTS) - While attending a fight in the Bonavaglia Arena on the planet Nivlent, Rocket was identified and security soon showed to arrest Rocket for crimes on multiple worlds, including on planets 894, Drumpo, Bloxid, Arvadia, and Thordalio.

    Rocket allowed himself to be arrested in hopes that he could discover the true culprit.

(Rocket Raccoon II#2 - BTS) - Rocket (aided by Groot) broke Macho Gomez out of the Devin-9 prison. 

(Rocket Raccoon II#3 - BTS) - Macho transported Rocket and Groot to Sendak, and they traveled to Funtzel's local base, where Funtzel told Rocket he didn't know anything about this mysterious racc-being, even when Rocket offered a few "gilos" to help his memory. 

    After Rocket argued that Funtzel wasn't the sort to have allowed one of his men (Wheezey) to have been killed without consequences, they were confronted by the "other one."

(Rocket Raccoon II#4 - BTS) - Blackjack revealed his true identity, stripping off his procyonine costume. 

Comments: Created by Brian Michael Bendis, Yves Bigerel, and Ming Doyle.

    I've been trying to gather research on the extent of this plot, which presumably started in either Free Comic Book Day: Rocket Raccoon (2014), which involved Rigel VI, or Guardian of the Galaxy: Infinite Comic I#2, which involved Rigel VII. Per Rocket Raccoon II#4, it was on Rigel VII that Blackjack slew Funtzel's agent Wheezey, who had just told Rocket that he had seen Rocket (or someone like Rocket).

    In Rocket Raccoon II#1, Rocket is charged with violations on planets 894, Drumpo, Bloxid, Arvadia, and Thordalio (presumably in chronological order, as they were clearly not listed in alphabetical order; but perhaps there was another reason for the order). Given the timing of this announcement and Rocket's assertion of his innocence, it seems LIKELY that these were all worlds on which Blackjack O'Hare had framed Rocket.
    Then again, Rocket kills with minimal, if any, provocation, so perhaps he was wanted on some or all of those worlds for unrelated crimes.

    In Rocket Raccoon II#3, Rocket notes that he saw Wheezey die on Rigel Seven. That's in contradiction with the original story, in which Wheezey tells Rocket he had seen someone just like Rocket on Rigel Seven, after which Rocket notes that he had never been to Rigel Seven. I think Rocket Raccoon II#3 is in error based on the weight of evidence.

    Oddly, when Rocket tackles Wheezey and starts demanding answers, Wheezey notes that his encounter with the other procyonine being was "so long ago, I thought I imagined it...but there you are." That makes me wonder how long ago Blackjack started impersonating Rocket, so I rechecked the original story with Rocket foiling Blackjack's contract, and it is described as three years ago. Assuming that is Marvel Time, that's certainly long enough for Wheezey to wonder about whether the event had actually happened or not. Regardless, the story that started it was by Bendis, and the story that explained it was by Skottie Young. 
    Or, perhaps Wheezey saw Captain Sale...or some other procyonine being.

    Captain Sale was another procyonine alien that appeared after Rocket had learned of Blackjack O'Hare's involvement and defeated him, although Sale was not identified or shown again until the final issue, #11. Sale will get a profile eventually.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Wheezey should be distinguished from:

• Any other "Wheezey," "Wheezey," Weezie," or Louise characters (such as comic writer Louise Simonson (nee Jones) and television character Louise Jefferson) 

Appearances:
Guardians of the Galaxy: Infinite Comic#2 (May, 2013) - Brian Michael Bendis & Yves Bigerel (writers), Ming Doyle (penciler), Sana Amanat (editor)
Rocket Raccoon II#1-4 (September-December, 2014) - Skottie Young (writer & artist), Devin Lewis (assistant editor), Sana Amanat (editor), Nick Lowe (senior editor)

First posted: 08/13/2022
Last updated: 08/13/2022

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters