Following the release of its exclusive D23 footage, it seems that anticipation for the Russo Brothers' Avengers: Infinity War has never been higher. With just a few more films standing in between now and the massive ensemble project fans have been wondering how and when all of the MCU's major characters will assemble to battle Thanos and his forces. And for the Guardians of the Galaxy, the big question is how old Groot will be by the time they crossover into the Avengers franchise. And now James Gunn has revealed a bit more into how the tree-like alien ages.
James Gunn is always very generous with his time and constant interactions with fans, mostly through his various social media accounts. When repeatedly asked about Groot's aging, Gunn took to Facebook to clear things up a bit, saying:
In terms of how fast Groot grows overall, I can tell you this: Baby Groot appears two months after the Infant Groot we see at the end of Vol. 1. The post-credits scene with Adolescent Groot and Peter Quill is YEARS after the ending of Vol. 2. I won't say exactly how many years at this time, but be clear that it took him a fair amount of time just to go from Baby Groot to Adolescent Groot. (As a side note, I'll point out that Peter Quill can obviously understand what 'I am Groot' means in the post-credits scene, so somehow he's learned to understand him in the same way Rocket has.
Well, this certainly does help clear things up a bit. Because in addition to trying to understand how Groot ages, there is also the overall timeline of the Guardians that has to be taken into account. Let's break it all down.
To start, it's become clear that while Groot ages faster than humans, it still takes years for him to progress into a larger creature capable of kicking serious ass. Vin Diesel previously revealed that the Groot that we were introduced to in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie wasn't a fully grown adult, but around college aged. So smart money says that the Groot who eventually interacts with the Avengers in Infinity War will still be fairly immature, likely causing plenty of comedic moments in the high stakes film.
James Gunn also addresses the overall timeline of the Guardians of the Galaxy, which will be important regarding Groot's appearance in Avengers: Infinity War. Guardians 2 is set back in 2014, just a few months after the events of the first film; this explains why Groot is still a baby. And the pre-teen version of Groot seen in the sequel's post-credits scene is apparently a few years after, meaning we may see something similar to that from when he shows up in the next Avengers film. They only have four years to catch up to the timeline of the MCU, so Groot just may not have much time to grow into a more fully grown version of himself.
Avengers: Infinity War will arrive in theaters on May 4, 2018, complete with a newly aged Groot. In the meantime, check out our 2017 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
