Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 Director Says That’s Not Teen Groot

After Groot made the ultimate sacrifice in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket picked up a twig from his fallen friend, planted it in a pot, and, during a post-credits scene, Baby Groot has sprouted and shook his money-maker to the tune of The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.”

And by the time the sequel starts, taking place a couple of months after the first movie, Baby Groot has grown out of his pot, dances up a storm during the opening sequence, wrestles miniature dinosaur-like creatures, munches on candy in the midst of an massive space battle, and looks cute as all hell. Although, he’s looks and acts more like a preschooler than a baby.

And when we get to the sequel’s post-credits scene featuring Groot, in which Peter scolds the moody humanoid tree creature for not cleaning up his messy room — roots strewn all about — many people assumed they were getting their first look at Teen Groot. However, while conducting a spoiler-filled Q&A this weekend, filmmaker James Gunn clarified that Groot is actually a tween (between childhood and teenage years) at that point.

“Another minor misconception is that people think that’s Teen Groot at the end of the movie,” Gunn explained. “And I understand why. It’s actually Adolescent Groot. I would call him ‘Tween Groot.’ Or, we call him ‘Adolescent Groot.’ He’s not quite a teenager yet.”

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Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is written and directed by James Gunn (Slither). The film marks the return of the original Guardians, including Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord; Zoe Saldana (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (Spectre) as Drax; Vin Diesel (Furious 7) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (Jumper) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (The Big Short) as Nebula; and Sean Gunn (Gilmore Girls) as Kraglin. New cast members include Pom Klementieff (Oldboy), Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby, Everest), Chris Sullivan (The Knick, The Drop) and Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight, The Thing).

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is now playing!