James Gunn confirms Guardians of the Galaxy 3 fan theory about Groot
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 spoilers follow.
Guardians of the Galaxy's James Gunn has just weighed in on a theory about Groot in the moving epilogue to the space saga.
Voiced by Fast X's Vin Diesel, the talking humanoid tree is known for repeating the same sentence over and over. While it may not appear so, Groot's language is complex, with the Guardians being the only ones who can understand the true meaning of each of its seemingly identical one-liners. That was until Vol 3, when the audience, too, have been let in on Groot's real words.
In the final scenes, Groot can be heard saying "I love you, guys" as the Guardians part ways, possibly for good. Has the beloved tree learned to speak their language? Not quite.
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According to a widely-shared fan theory, this was the first instance in which viewers have been able to understand Groot, just like Star-Lord and the rest of the space gang do.
This wraps things with a bow in the Guardians trilogy, and has Gunn's seal of approval. In response to a fan sharing an article detailing the theory, the writer-director tweeted: "Yes that's exactly what it means."
The sweet reasoning behind this decision seems to be that fans have now been so profoundly impacted by the story and the characters, they are part of their extended, space-travelling family and won't need a Groot translator.
Spoiler….
Yes that’s exactly what it means.— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 6, 2023
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In short, being fluent in Groot is an emotional affair. This appears to be further confirmed in a scene happening earlier on in the threequel where Zoe Saldaña's Gamora suddenly understands the creature's words.
The third chapter features Avengers: Endgame's variant of Gamora, that is to say a different version of the character who joined the Guardians in Vol 1 and was killed by Thanos in Infinity War. As such, this Gamora has no recollections of her other variant's bond with the Guardians and can't work out what Groot is really saying.
As she helps them save Rocket in Vol 3, the Ravager leader becomes invested in the galaxy-wandering clique and establishes an affective relationship with them, ultimately realising she's able to understand Groot.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is in cinemas now. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 and Vol 2 and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special are streaming on Disney+.
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