James Gunn Apologizes For Making 'Avengers: Infinity War' Fans Cry

Filmmaker James Gunn has been an integral component in bringing the Guardians of the Galaxy to the big screen, regularly sharing his encyclopedic knowledge of the characters and their role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with fans in revealing ways. After sharing some insight into a specific line of dialogue that Groot supposedly said in Avengers: Infinity War, Gunn apologized to his fans for the emotional impact it had on them.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Avengers: Infinity War

In the final moments of Infinity War, Thanos achieved his goal of obtaining all six Infinity Stones and snapped his fingers, eradicating half of the residents of the universe. The result was seeing many beloved characters slowly turn to ash, unaware of what was physically happening to them.

Gunn's reveal that Groot's final "I am Groot" should have translated to "Dad" left a big impact on his many followers.

When replying to a fan who detailed how this reveal amplified their sadness, Gunn shared, "I knew my answer to the spoiler question last night was touching and sad, but I really did not expect to wake up to so many tweets of people telling me they're crying. Sorry for that if you're at work or whatever. But it means a lot to me you love the characters as much as I do."

Out of context, the discovery that Groot said "Dad" might not be as impactful, but knowing that he said this to Rocket really creates a much more emotional reaction. The two were often depicted as partners in the films, though the end of Guardians of the Galaxy saw Rocket caring for the young version of Groot after the older Groot was killed. Clearly Groot had viewed their relationship as much more paternal than audiences had realized, with even Rocket possibly only discovering the emotional extent of their relationship in Groot's final moments.

Fans will have to wait until next May to see if Groot will ever get to see Rocket again.

Avengers: Infinity War is now playing in theaters.

Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel opens on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.

Did Gunn's comments leave an emotional impact on you? Let us know in the comments below!

[H/T Twitter, JamesGunn]