I Am Groot: James Gunn Explains How Baby Groot Knows About Original Groot’s Exploits

At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, Groot sacrificed himself to save the rest of the lovable space crew. Thankfully, the credits revealed that Baby Groot had formed from the original character, and he went on to become a fan favorite in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. This week, Marvel and Disney+ released a series of shorts that followed Baby Groot and his adorable adventures. I Am Groot sees the little tree getting into some trouble, having fun, and hanging out with his pal Rocket. In the past, fans have been confused as to whether or not Baby Groot was the same Groot seen in the first Guardians film. Today, director James Gunn took to Twtiter to explain exactly how Baby Groot works. 

“@JamesGunn after watching ‘I AM GROOT’ shorts I’m curious how does this new Groot’s memories work? He clearly remembers his older self’s sacrifice as one of the episodes indicates. Just curious,” @Spidey101597 asked. “He does not (in the same way I don’t remember what my father did – OG Groot is not his ‘self’). But I’m sure he’s been told the heroic stories thousands of times by his galactic parents,” Gunn explained. There you have it! In case you were confused, Baby Groot does not have the memories of the original Groot but surely knows about his heroic exploits. You can check out Gunn’s tweet below:

He does not (in the same way I don’t remember what my father did – OG Groot is not his “self”). But I’m sure he’s been told the heroic stories thousands of times by his galactic parents. #IamGroot https://t.co/ho4OAMlJDJ

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) August 12, 2022

There’s also been some debate about whether or not I Am Groot is considered MCU canon. Here’s what some of the show’s creators had to say about the question…

“It takes place actually between the end of Guardians 2 and before the tag scene in Guardians 2,” I Am Groot executive producer Brad Winderbaum told ComicBook.com ahead of the show’s release. “So it’s in this narrow window where grew in that kind of post toddler stage of development. And it was something that really excited James.”

“That opening sequence when he’s dancing and they’re all fighting and everything, incredible, very inspirational for the series,” I Am Groot director Kirsten Lepore told ComicBook.com. Lepore met with Gunn to work on the series, but Gunn himself seems to believe the shorts are not canon. Gunn said in an Instagram Q&A, “Some folks at Marvel seem to think it’s canonically MCU. I find that hard to see myself.” 

I Am Groot is streaming on Disney+.