James Gunn Reveals What Groot Said to Rocket at the End of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

Avengers: Infinity War was full of pulse-pounding action and absolute moments of heartbreak. The gut-wrenching film made its debut at the end of April, and its box office success cannot be stopped despite its angsty end. And, thanks to James Gunn, the movie’s final moments just got a whole lot harder to watch.

So, obviously, major spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War lie below!

The end of the third Avengers film gives its protagonist what he’s been working towards, and that means bad things for the rest of the universe. Thanos makes good on his promise to snap half the universe from existence after completing the Infinity Gauntlet, and heroes like Spider-Man and Black Panther are turned to ash. In fact, all of the Guardians of the Galaxy are snapped save for Rocket, and James Gunn just told fans what Groot’s final words to the furry hero were.

Over on Twitter, the director of Guardians of the Galaxy answered a fan’s heartbreaking question about that final moment. When asked what Groot’s last line in Avengers: Infinity War was, Gunn said he called the following out to Rocket before turning to ash: “Dad.”

Are you crying? We’re crying. It’s OK; just let it out.

As fans will recall, Groot’s end came upon the Wakandan field where Earth made its first — and final — stand against Thanos. Rocket and Groot came to join the fray when Thor arrived with his new weapon Stormbreaker. However, no one was a match for Thanos when he appeared with the Time Stone in hand. The Mad Titan procured the Mind Stone in the end, giving him the power to wield the Infinity Gauntlet, and Groot was just one of the billions he killed.

Hearing Groot refer to Rocket as dad is tragic for all sorts of reasons, and it makes fans see his actions in Avengers: Infinity War in a different light. When the character shows up in the film, he’s dwelling in teenage adolescence and reveling in his moodiness. He sasses Star-Lord and even gives Rocket the side-eye on occasion, but he still loves his family deep down in his roots. And, now, it looks like Rocket is left on Earth to grieve the loss of his friends, his family, and his son.

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.

Is your heart broken now that you’ve learned Groot‘s final words to Rocket? Did you get emotional watching Avengers: Infinity War? Sound off in comments below!