James Gunn Shares Adorably Sad Detail About Baby Groot in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’
Are you sitting down? You might want to be seated when you read this. You should also be warned of potential spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, so if you’re the sort of Marvel fan who likes to go in knowing as little as possible (how do you live without the internet??), you might not want to read on. But if you’re curious to learn more about Baby Groot, James Gunn has revealed something very interesting, and a little sad?
A few days back, Gunn took to Facebook for one of his regular Q&A sessions — you might have noticed a few articles about how he’s tired of being asked when we’ll see the first trailer, which is understandable since Kevin Feige already hinted that the trailer will premiere with Doctor Strange (and that’s just common sense, anyway). But there’s something that you might have missed if you didn’t read Gunn’s Q&A, which addressed some of his “REALLY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.”
In addition to re-confirming that Vin Diesel is still doing Groot’s voice despite the character’s baby-size, Gunn revealed this little piece of info (emphasis mine):
- Is baby Groot the same as Groot, or Groot’s son?
It’s complicated.
- Does he have Groot’s memories?
No.
- Does baby Groot stay baby Groot for all of Guardians Vol. 2?
Haha look at that cute thing my cat is doing.
- You're avoiding the question.
I know. What's your next question?
When Marvel debuted the first Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 footage and trailer at Comic-Con, Kevin Feige was asked the same question. His response, via Collider:
He remembers. He’s not mentally a baby, he is still Groot… I sort of equate it to Spock circa the end of Search for Spock and The Voyage Home.
…Which would mean that Baby Groot does retain Groot’s memories, but they’re fragmented and come back to him in bits and pieces. There’s an essential part of him that remembers because at his core, he is still Groot.
But Gunn’s response runs counter to Feige’s own — it’s also more simple and direct, and doesn’t provide any further explanation. Maybe Baby Groot doesn’t have Groot’s memories at the beginning of the film, but they come back to him along the way? Either way, it’s kind of heartbreaking to think that the teeny-tiny version of Groot has no recollection of all those wonderful moments from the first film — or his years of adventures with Rocket Raccoon. That’s so…sad.
Anyhow, enjoy your cry for the day!
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters on May 5, 2017.
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