The Marvel Cinematic Universe's favorite tiny tree is back, and he's sporting a leafy-chic look to promote his upcoming Disney+ series, I Am Groot.
On Disney+ Day 2021, a flurry of announcements regarding upcoming Marvel projects included a quick look at I Am Groot, which does not yet have a release date. Baby Groot appears standing next to his botanical logo, no bigger than he was at the beginning of 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, with clumps of greenery giving him a bushy hairdo, mustache, giant biceps to flex, and even some chest hair.
The cinematic version of Marvel's Groot character was introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy as a powerful but gentle walking tree whose only dialogue was repetitions of the phrase, "I am Groot" -- translated for the benefit of others by his companion Rocket Raccoon, the only one who could understand him. Groot sacrificed his life to save his friends, but a sapling from his remains sprouted at the end of the film and became Baby Groot, a new member of the Guardians' family.
When he was last seen in Avengers: Endgame, Groot had grown into a roughly human-sized adolescent. Although any further appearances in the main timeline of the MCU will no doubt keep him aging consistently, I Am Groot seems to exist in its own continuity, where he can stay small.
I Am Groot was first announced during the 2020 Disney Investors Day, with a tweet from the streamer's official account reading, "Everyone’s favorite little tree, Baby Groot, will star in a series of shorts on Disney+ featuring several new and unusual characters. I Am Groot, an Original Series from Marvel Studios, is coming to Disney+."
Fans eager for more Groot can also look forward to seeing him in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+ in 2022, as well as a probable appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder. The final chapter of the Guardians' movie trilogy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, arrives in theaters May 23, 2023
Actor Vin Diesel has provided the voice for all incarnations of the MCU's Groot so far, but it's unknown whether Diesel will reprise the role for the new series. However, writer and director of all three films James Gunn announced on Twitter that he will be an executive producer.
No release date has been set for I Am Groot.
Source: Disney+