Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special!Groot looks to be quite a bit older in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, but how old is Groot exactly? The walking and talking tree-looking alien has seen his appearance change drastically over the years after adult Groot died in Guardians of the Galaxy. After being a baby and adolescent in subsequent appearances, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special raises more questions about his age, leaving audiences to figure out exactly how old Groot is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at this time.

It is known that The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special takes place after the events of Thor: Love and Thunder in the MCU timeline. Kraglin mentions that Groot is still "just a kid" despite his much bigger frame compared to Thor 4 and other recent appearances in his teen Groot form. The best explanation is that The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special takes place in Christmas 2025, meaning over a year has passed since Groot's last appearance. Based on what can be deduced about his species' aging, it is possible that Groot is around 14-18 years old in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

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How Fast Does Groot Age?

Teenage Groot playing videos games in Infinity War

Marvel has not explicitly revealed how fast Groot ages in the MCU, but looking at his past appearances and the MCU timeline provides some clues. This new Groot was born in 2014 and was still considered Baby Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 a few months later. The movie's post-credits scene revealed his adolescent form, which is the term James Gunn prefers over designating Groot as a teen. An adolescent is defined as being between 10-19 years old, but Gunn's preference could mean he is a pre-teen. Since this scene takes place four years after Guardians of the Galaxy 2, that means Groot ages between 2-3 years annually.

Since Groot's body is so much bigger in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, it can be determined that a significant amount of time has passed between Thor: Love and Thunder and the Disney+ Special Presentation. Groot does age rapidly compared to humans, but Gunn previously explained that Groot's growth rate could be longer or shorter at different points in his life. It appears aging into adulthood could take longer than his baby aging based on how old Groot appears to be by The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special post-credits.

Why Groot Looks So Weird In The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special

Groot looking down and smiling in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Regardless of how old Groot is in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, his new form is weird. He has a body closer to the adult Groot from the original movie, but his face still looks very young - especially confirmed to his original adult look. It is possible that Groot is a classic baby face and will look young until he is much older and his face catches up to the rest of his body's transformation. This could mean that Groot is closer to the older side of the 14-18 age range presented before, as his body is filling out as he matures.

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