Marvel Studios has been consistently releasing films every year since 2010, and 2017 will be no exception. The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues its expansion with Phase Three, which began last year with Captain America: Civil War and opened our third eye with Doctor Strange. The first Marvel film on the list for this year is the highly anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, with James Gunn back on the lead as director, followed by Spider-Man: Homecoming and Thor:Ragnarok. 

The second Guardians movie will bring back our favourite space misfits for more cosmic adventures, but they’re not alone. Joining the fun and chaos are the Ravagers, Nebula, Mantis, and Star-Lord’s father: Ego, the Living Planet, played by Kurt Russell. Although Guardians 2 will introduce new characters, the one fans are most excited to see is not exactly a new addition to the team, and that is baby Groot – so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Marvel released a batch of images from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 with plenty of baby Groot to enjoy.

These 13 images are not exactly new as they show moments previously seen in the trailer, such as baby Groot having a hard time following Rocket’s instructions, Drax and Quill chatting in the Milano, and Gamora, Quill, and Drax arriving to a planet that looks quite chaotic. Other images show Quill with his full helmet-mask and ready to fire his quad blasters. Of course, the fan-favourite pair of Rocket and Groot couldn’t be left behind and Marvel released an image of Rocket with baby Groot on his shoulder – as seen in the trailer.

[vn_gallery name="Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 HD Images" id="877255"]

The images are all about the Guardians and no one else – no Ravagers getting in trouble, no Yondu, no Mantis (even though we got a first look at her in the trailer), no Nebula, and definitely no Ego yet. It seems like Marvel is keeping that surprise for later, although San Diego Comic-Con attendees got the first look during Marvel Studios’ panel.

Plot details are still scarce but Guardians 2 will delve into Star-Lord’s backstory with the introduction of his father while the team deals with new threats such as the Ravagers and Ayesha (the golden High Priestess and leader of the Sovereign people, played by Elizabeth Debicki), as well as the struggle of keeping the team together despite the obstacles they might come across.

Although the film comes out in May, Marvel tends to begin the marketing game months ahead, so we can expect more images, toys, collectibles, and other types of merchandise in the coming weeks. It’s unlikely that a character as anticipated as Ego will make its debut in the shape of a toy – such as Ayesha a few days ago – so we can only hope that Marvel decides to share a glimpse at Kurt Russell’s character in a future trailer. In the meantime, all baby Groot images will be welcomed with open arms by fans worldwide.

Source: Marvel (via Collider)