James Gunn Confirms Groot in 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' Is Original Groot's Son

It has already been some time since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was released in theatres but some questions still keep fans thinking. Director James Gunn went out of his way to answer the question surrounding the Baby Groot we see in that film. After Groot’s noble sacrifice in the first Guardians‘ film, Rocket finds some twigs that start growing into a new version of his former friend. Many believed that he was simply reborn and retained many of his memories but acted like a child due to his age. It seems that this is a completely new Groot, as Gunn pointed to him actually being his son.

https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/968576621220331520

Besides the fact that this revelation is the result of a Twitter competition between killing a baby Groot or the Porgs from Star Wars: The Last Jedi, it is a rather interesting twist. The comics have played quite loose with the rules surrounding death. Many characters like Wolverine received big send-offs only to be revived a few years later. As such, it was only natural to assume that the return of Groot was simply him being reborn as a child.

Baby Groot being his son, however, makes sense given how he does not seem to retain any memories from his past. That means that Rocket also had to take over as a father figure and will have a completely different dynamic with this new Groot. We never got a moment of him reminiscing about the original in Vol. 2 but the film highlights his over-protectiveness. For example, it is quite evident in the opening sequence when he stops mid-fight to get a bug out of Groot’s mouth.

What are your thoughts on this? Would you have preferred for him to be a reincarnation of the original?