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Credit: Marvel StudiosGuardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special has a lot of fun moments, but no one expected Groot to be muscular and stocky in the special.
Over the years, fans have grown up seeing the cast of the Guardians of the Galaxy slowly change. Nebula still looks mostly the same, but Drax finally wears a shirt. Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill/Star-Lord is letting his hair grow out, which is what has happened over the years.
On the other hand, Groot was dealt a lethal blow in the first movie, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), leaving his son, Groot, to grow up after his death. Baby Groot was a fun period that was replaced by teenage Groot, and now Gunn has confirmed we are in the Young Adult Groot phase.
Related: Review: ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special’
After the release of the Special, Gunn went to Twitter and was answering questions when he confirmed the difference between this Groot and his father:
Well, YA Groot, or Swoll Groot, as we call him, is getting bigger, outward as well as upward. As you can see by now he has a different, stockier physiology (and a more outgoing personality) than his father did. #GuardiansoftheGalaxyHolidaySpecial
Well, YA Groot, or Swoll Groot, as we call him, is getting bigger, outward as well as upward. As you can see by now he has a different, stockier physiology (and a more outgoing personality) than his father did. #GuardiansoftheGalaxyHolidaySpecial https://t.co/AKPFBBFjzu
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 25, 2022
This version of Groot will likely appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) when the crew finds Zoe Saldana’s Gamora again. Bradley Cooper’s Rocket will also get a larger focus as the movie will have him meet his creator, Higher Evolutionary. Sadly, this adventure might be the last one for several characters as the MCU continues to expand and some of the cast is done playing their characters.
Gunn won’t be doing another one as he is now busy working on DC’s future while finishing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 leading the director away from any future MCU projects. Cooper and Dave Bautista have shared that this could be their final outing, and fans are bracing themselves for a more emotional movie.
Do you like the new version of Groot? Let us know what you think!