He’s the most beloved member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, particularly when in baby form, even though we have to have his words deciphered for us via a sarcastic trash panda every time he speaks. He’s got action figures, plushies, and even his own Bop-It game, but he can only ever say three words.
Just what is it about Groot that melts our hearts even while he makes no sense at all? Those kind eyes might seem as though they’re to blame for our love, but many are well-aware that Groot hasn’t always been one of the good guys. In fact, like his teammate Gamora, he has a pretty dark and confusing past that make us wonder just how he switched teams in the first place.
His weaknesses and abilities appear to make him the same as your average tree, yet he’s somehow able to do things that a tree would never be able to do. He doesn’t seem to be all that beneficial to have around sometimes, but at others, he’s so mighty that even the most fearsome foes have trouble taking him on.
The fact that he not only entered battle as a baby, but was even at the infant stage in the first place is perplexing to fans who’ve followed his story and never witnessed the phenomenon, something we’re pretty much chalking up to that cuteness factor again.
Here are 20 Things That Make No Sense About Groot.
We Have No Idea How He Reproduces
Was Groot originally planted by someone and mutated? Was he one of many growing trees named Groot on his planet? Spoiler alert for fans who haven’t read the comics: yes he was.
Did he just skip to the sapling phase, and if so, why does he go through the phases of childhood and adolescence in the first place? If he’s humanoid, it makes sense, but how human is he?
Understanding Groot’s species and how it reproduces would provide some pretty keen enlightenment for all of the movie’s viewers. Unfortunately, we just have to keep making guesses since the writers don’t stick to the comic script and don’t give us very detailed explanations, if any.
He Breaks Off His Own Parts
Groot seems to have the ability to snap off his own parts at will, using them as weapons, stretching them as needed, and generally making up the rules of his own body as he goes along.
Does he heal or do they just grow back?
How much can he possibly grow in any given direction? No matter what, Groot’s limbs seem much more functional than a typical tree’s, prompting us to wonder not just about his genetic makeup and capabilities but his origins and extent of his powers altogether.
Also, is this why baby Groot felt like it was okay to steal a toe? Maybe he thought it would just grow back. That leads us to just how violent this new baby Groot seems to be.
Why Baby Groot Is So Savage
Baby Groot seems much more savage than his adult form was in the first film, which may be because he’s being raised by Rocket and the rest of the Guardians, enjoying violent missions long before he’s truly old enough to be on them.
He’s much more destructive than full-grown Groot, which makes us wonder about his future.
We can reasonably infer that the previous incarnation of Groot grew up without the Guardians and possibly without technology, so the variance in formative years could lead us to a much different personality in this form of Groot. We can already see him act much more viciously in battle than previously.
How Fast Does Groot Grow?
It seems like Groot stayed a sapling for a long time, beginning in his pot at the end of the first film and remaining a child or toddler-like sapling throughout the second. Yet suddenly he was a teen at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy 2, which he remains until Avengers: Infinity War.
What is his life cycle? How much time passed from Yondu’s funeral to the moment when Quill nagged teen Groot about his room and video games?
Trees take ages and ages to grow, so is this an indication that much time has passed? Or does Groot grow at a more rapid pace due to his alien genes?
Since there’s no baby Groot in the comic we don’t have a reference point to figure this one out.
Is He A Teammate Or Mascot?
When Yondu Udonta’s crew stages a mutiny and all of the cackling hecklers cry, “Mascot! Mascot!” around the poor torment baby Groot, we have to wonder if they are right. No, he’s not their mascot, but he could be the mascot of the Guardians themselves.
Groot doesn’t do a whole lot to help the team, especially in baby tree form. What other team would drag a baby into battle?
We get that the Shoot ‘Em Up style is popular and many movies have taken to mixing in younglingswith violence but sometimes he’s a distraction at best. We can’t deny that there are moments when he comes in handy, but on the whole he doesn’t offer a whole lot.
How He Takes On Gamora
A walking, talking tree versus Thanos’s trusted assassin. It doesn’t sound like an even match yet somehow Groot managed to take on Gamora and win in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Yeah, he had help, but she’s supposed to be the most dangerous woman in the universe.
You’d she’d make easy work of him in minutes. This makes zero sense.
That leads to a whole other list of why Gamora makes no sense. She has a lot of close calls and bad luck for someone who was not only hand-picked but hand-taught by Thanos. Given how indomitable Thanos is, why is Gamora not more threatening in the films?
He Destroyed Iron Man, Captain America, And Rocket
Can yourecall the time Groot went off and destroyed not only Captain America, The Hulk and Iron Man, but also his own best buddy Rocket, whom the others had called for assistance in handling his friend?
This sounds so far from the Groot we all know and love, yet it happened in Rocket Raccoon #9 after the Avenhers attempted to utilize Groot’s regeneration powers and their plan backfired, reverting Groot back to his former villainous self.
When Groot finally had some sense knocked into him as he saw the destruction of his best friend at his own hand, he turned into a giant tree of life to repent.
He shouldn’t be able to say “We Are Groot”
We spend the entire film listening to Groot only say, “I am Groot,” no matter what sentiment he wishes to express, and then we’re thrown that extra letter, that teeny tiny first plural subject, that throws everything off and makes zero sense.
It was strange to make him say, “We are Groot,” when we know he can’t do it.
Groot can only say three words due to his hardened larynx, which is a weirdly random rule to begin with, but all this does is lead to more confusion for the audience.
Can Groot really speak more words? Did he just learn the word “we”? It may create a heartwarming moment to connect with, which has its own merits, but that doesn’t mean that it makes a lick of sense.
He’s A 125-Foot Monster In The Comics
Could you imagine Groot not only as a 125-foot alien, but also a monster wreaking havoc? That just doesn’t translate well to the movies.
As a member of the Floral Colossus born on Planet X, Groot was thought to be the last of his own kind for a while. Superheroes were thankful for it, since he pretty much gave everyone a hard time.
He was a rampaging beast for over four decades before becoming a hero.
Even without the dark history, Groot still looks much more menacing in the comic. Why not translate that to film? Like the rest of his scrappy teammates, Groot doesn’t look like your standard superhero, which is why the Guardians are so beloved.
Groot’s Vocabulary Makes No Sense
It’s clear to readers of the comic books that while Groot’s words are limited in his day-to-day speech as his vocal tightening limits his range of speech, the nuances in his vocal patterns appear to make him an eloquent philosopher. To moviegoers, however, this is never addressed, creating much more speculation, rather than giving any explanation for why he speaks this way.
Viewers may wonder: is Groot a simpleton? Can he just not speak English? If so, why doesn’t he just speak his own native language and have Rocket translate?
It would take one line about Groot’s species and its unfortunate vocal degeneration during the aging process to clear this up yet it remains missing from both movies.
He Threatened To Kidnap An Entire Earth Village
Groot’s been around since 1960, so he’s had some intense history that doesn’t really mesh well with his character today. When Groot made his first trip to Earth, it wasn’t as one of the good guys.
Not only did his mission include the idea to kidnap a bunch of Earthlings in a town to take them home, but he also planned to experiment on them!
Once he was defeated, Groot became a ward of S.H.I.E.L.D. and joined Nick Fury’s Howling Commandos long before he was a Guardian of the Galaxy.
Groot has gone up against Blastaar, the Badoon, the Shi’ar, and the Inhumans, among other beings, since he joined Team Good Guys, so maybe all is forgiven.
Baby Groot Should Not Exist
In the comics, when Groot experiences some sort of defeat and comes back, he’s already fully aged. Longtime readers were astounded to witness his return as a sapling, which added to the movie’s dramatic effect but made no sense.
Think of other heroes who regenerate: do The Phoenix or The Doctor return as infants? That would take quite a long timeline to develop their stories and, while the adventures of an immortal being as a child are obviously entertaining, they aren’t very practical, especially if the child is returning to his original team.
The decision is therefore easily explained for its entertainment value but it still remains a weird, nonsensical plot choice.
He Got Stronger By Absorbing Wood
Water? Absolutely, roots on up. Sunlight? Yep, it makes photosynthesis possible.
Groot getting his powers by sucking in more wood sounds ridiculous. Wood absorbing wood? This makes no sense. Marvel could at least manage a bit of grafting.
During his early years, Groot often resorted to absorbing wood in order to strengthen himself, much to the disbelief of readers.
To be fair, the modern form of Groot does not seem to have this ability to absorb wood in order to strengthen his own powers, which appear to be efficient enough on their own to take on most foes. However, it’s still unclear how and why he is so strong to begin with, not to mention how his weakness can still be used against him if he is such a powerful being. He can also apparently control trees.
His Weakness Is Termites
We’re meant to believe that Groot transcends the laws of nature by absorbing wood, acting as a monster with consciousness and generally behaving in manners that do not apply to trees as we know them. Yet Groot’s weakness is actually termites.
Does this mean he’s really no different than a garden-variety tree?
When Groot attempted to kidnap a bunch of Earthlings in order to perform experiments on them, it was not the Hulk or a huge explosion that got the best of the creature but termites, a plot device orchestrated by Leslie Evans in order to deter him from his evil plot. In fact, Groot seemed to be destroyed at one point, but it was the Living Colossus who finally took him out afterward.
The Hulk Needs A Stone To Withstand Groot’s Attack Thorns
Back when Groot was a mean old tree, he took on The Hulk and nearly beat the big green guy to a pulp.
There’s no way a tree could take on the most rampaging beast the world has ever seen, right? Well, he is an alien. Maybe it is possible, especially if Groot is the 125-foot monster in the comics.
Then Hulk slices Groot up into splinters after defending himself not with his fists, but a big rock. Still, he was nearly beaten by a tree.
In the end, it turned out that Hulk was fighting a replica, as is often the case in comics.
Who’s Toe Was That?
How did he remove this mysterious toe from its owner - if he did so himself - and where is that owner lumbering around?
Shouldn’t we hear someone screaming for their toe?
The randomness of it all creates hilarity in the moment but it does nothing to explain itself at all to us. We’re left to imagine the fate of its owner, who, let’s be fair, will only meet his end soon after Yondu takes the whole crew out anyway. Unless it’s Kraglin!
Speaking of this scene, why is Groot so terrible at following orders anyway? It just furthers the impression that Groot doesn’t understand English.
They’ll Never Speak Of The Toe
Yes, Groot’s thievery of someone’s random toe seems fairly out of character in the context of the film, even if it’s something we might expect in the comic books. The fact that they’ll “never speak of” the incident, however, is even more surprising given how Rocket is constantly bragging about the body parts that he pilfers.
Why is this so taboo? Is it because Rocket only likes to take prosthetic items and Groot, who may have been confused about the difference between real, live body parts and prosthetic ones, had to have injured someone in the process?
The friends have injured plenty of people (and worse) along their way, so that still doesn’t explain why Rocket made the comment about Groot, even if it is pretty funny.
Baby Groot Should Have A Better Vocabulary
Many are under the impression that Groot is only able to speak three words due to his poor use of the English language or congenital conditions of his own species, but we’ve already covered that his vocabulary should be more extensive.
Since Groot’s species suffers the hardening of the larynx as they age, why can’t Baby Groot say something besides “I am Groot”?
Prior to the damage, comics Groot was very articulate, often waxing on in multiple voice bubbles whether he was on the side of good or evil, so this makes no sense.
Baby Groot’s vernacular is most likely attributed to the very reason he exists: his cute factor. While we appreciate it and will dance with the little cutie all day long, we can’t really make sense of it.
Vin Diesel Was His Voice
What is the point of this? It’s like George Clooney voicing a dog on South Park– you can’t even tell it’s him and he got paid for saying the same three (to four) words over and over again.
Fans argue that Diesel was able to add various nuances to the three syllables he was allowed to speak (four syllables, if you’re counting until the end of the first film), proving that his acting skills were up to the challenge, but this really seems like something someone in-house could have easily done, especially with the editing department available.
It could have saved the studio from paying another top-billed actor and working around his schedule but hey, do it your way, Marvel, whether it makes sense or not.
He Was Modeled After Human Kids
Even after Groot transformed into baby Groot for the sequel, Vin Diesel returned to voice the tree-like creature yet again.
Director James Gunn says that very little editing was done in order to modify Vin Diesel’s voice. In Entertainment Weekly, he revealed that ““I mean, there’s a tiny amount of processing that we do on a few of our characters, but it’s very little. It’s mostly just Vin’s voice. He’s able to, you know, speak in a much higher register than he normally does.”
Essentially Groot is a baby with a grown-up actor’s voice as well as an alien tree species, but concept artist Anthony Francisco also used his own kids as inspiration for Groot. Make sense out of that one.
