We will all remember that there was not a dry eye in the house when the loyal tree-like being uttered the immortal words; “WE are Groot” before sacrificing himself for Rocket and the rest of his friends in the final act of 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Therefore, there was great relief to see his off-shoot – Baby Groot – dancing to I Want You Back right at the end.
There has been some debate ever since over whether baby – and later rebellious teen – Groot is the reincarnation of the original, or more like the next generation. Someone posed this question to James Gunn on Twitter; “I have a question about Groot I’ve been wondering about. Does current Groot have all the memories of the original Groot, just with the temperament of a teen, or is he 1000% his own Tree-man?”
Gunn bluntly replied; “No memories. Son of OG Groot.” So, to reiterate, the original Groot is well and truly RIP. Thankfully, his baby son provided plenty of entertainment in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), and his teen version popped up in Infinity War – obsessed with a games console and constantly answering back to Peter and Rocket.
Groot briefly appears in the new Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which is ramping up excitement for the long-awaited release of the final movie in the Guardians trilogy next year. This is certainly an odd time for James Gunn – who has Marvel promoting duties ahead of him, while simultaneously taking over the entire DCEU. It definitely feels like Superman and Batman will be banned words once the Guardians 3 press tour begins in earnest.
If you can’t get enough of Groot – and who can blame you – there are a series of shorts on Disney Plus based around Baby Groot, including his First Steps and one called The Little Guy.
While we wait for Vol. 3 to hit cinemas, check out our guide to Marvel’s Phase 5.