I Am Groot is Marvel’s latest Disney Plus series, featuring a collection of five short episodes about baby Groot. The animated series, created by Kristen Lepore, introduces the Guardians of the Galaxy character as he grows up across the universe.
Vin Diesel reprises his role as the creature of few words alongside Bradley Cooper as Rocket Racoon. However, despite its ties to the Guardians franchise, there is some debate as to whether or not the animated series is canon to the MCU.
James Gunn shared the disagreement during an Instagram Q&A (opens in a new tab) with his followers. He was asked if the show was set on Earth-616 or something else entirely. “Some people at Marvel seem to think it’s canonically MCU,” Gunn wrote. “I find it hard to see myself.”
Gunn has previously shared his doubts about the show’s place in the MCU. He was previously asked on Twitter how the series ties in with Guardians of the Galaxy. “They’re animated shorts, so they’re not necessarily part of the Guardians saga.” answered (opens in a new tab). “They’re canon to themselves, I think.”
However, one of the producers thinks it’s clear where the series fits into Marvel’s timeline. Producer Brad Winderbaum told ComicBook.com (opens in a new tab) the show was canon, explaining, “It’s a narrow window, right? It actually takes place between the end of Guardians 2 and before the tag scene in Guardians 2. So it’s in this narrow window that Groot [is] in that kind of post-childhood stage of development.
Lepore also told the publication that he consulted with Gunn during the process of creating I Am Groot. “I had excellent meetings with James at various points in the process,” she explained. “And the biggest one was our initial pitch meeting, where we basically talked about this amazing character that he created just to make sure we could make baby Groot the way we’re supposed to.”
I Am Groot is available on Disney Plus on August 10. There are also plenty more Marvel movies and shows on the way following Kevin Feige’s Multiverse Saga announcements at San Diego Comic-Con.
