Guardians of the Galaxy writer/director, James Gunn, reacts to a cloud that looks just everyone’s favorite bipedal tree, Groot. Fresh off his foray into the DC Extended Universe with The Suicide Squad and HBO Max’s upcoming spin-off series Peacemaker, Gunn is now back working with Marvel Studios on the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) and the long-awaited third entry in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. That film is set to wrap up the character arcs of Drax (Dave Dave Bautista), Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Rocket Racoon (voice of Bradley Cooper), and Groot (voice of Vin Diesel).

Off all the Guardians to be introduced back in 2014, it’s not a stretch to say that Rocket’s personal bodyguard/houseplant, Groot, has become the most popular; capturing audiences’ hearts with his seemingly innocent nature and limited vocabulary. Following the original’s utterance of “we are Groot” and subsequent sacrifice in that first film, Baby Groot became a pop culture phenomenon comparable to The Mandalorian’s Baby Yoda. In Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, Baby Groot grew into a pubescent teenager, leading fans to wonder what the next iteration of Groot will look like in Thor: Love and Thunder and then in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

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Gunn recently shared a non-canonical version of Groot on Twitter. The video shows storm clouds that look a lot like an adult Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy. Some people see deities in their food, James Gunn sees Groot in the "darkened skies above." Check out the post below:

When Groot is seen next in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, voice actor, Vin Diesel, has hinted that he’ll be fully grown, calling that iteration “Alpha Groot.” Whether this means Groot will be larger than his predecessor remains to be seen. However, given everything the character has been through in the MCU, one can assume he’ll be stronger. Anticipation for the final installment in Gunn’s trilogy is building rapidly, with the director showing off a stack of storyboards on social media and cast members sharing their reactions to reading the script. Gillan described her experience reading it with Klementieff as “so emotional” and said there were “floods of tears.”

Gunn has teased at least one major death in his film entry in the Guardian of the Galaxy franchise. While Bautista has already said that the film will be his last time playing Drax, many rumors point to the movie exploring some of Rocket’s origin story and setting up his eventual death. Other reports allude to Nebula and Gamora playing a huge role in the film as it explores their relationship. That said, all of the Guardians except for the youngest seem like fair game—it seems unlikely Gunn would make audiences endure two Groot deaths in one franchise. Hopefully, whether fans see him on the big screen or in the sky, Groot will continue to exist for quite some time. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is due to hit theaters on May 5, 2023.

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Source: James Gunn