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Is I Am Groot MCU Canon? James Gunn & Marvel Disagree
James Gunn and Marvel disagree on whether I Am Groot is canon to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The upcoming Disney+ animated show will mark the first time Marvel Studios releases a series of short films centering around a specific character's adventures in between the events of its feature films. Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper have already been confirmed to reprise their respective roles as Baby Groot and Rocket Raccoon from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
Producer Brad Winderbaum already confirmed that the show would occur between the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 and the first end credits scene of the same movie. The series will also explore five Groot-related escapades when he was a toddler before growing into Teenage Groot, who appeared in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Because of this, one would think that the series is canon to the MCU, without having much of an overall impact on the franchise itself, but James Gunn seems to disagree with the Marvel heads on whether it is.
In an Instagram Q&A, Gunn answered a question on I Am Groot's place in the MCU. The user wondered whether the series is set in the MCU's multiverse, either on Earth-314, 616, or even 199999. However, Gunn disagrees that it's set in any of these universes or canon to the MCU, stating that "Some folks at Marvel seem to think it's canonically MCU. I find that hard to see myself."
While Marvel believes that the show is set in the 616-MCU, Gunn had previously stated that he doesn't believe that the show is part of the Guardians of the Galaxy saga since it presents five animated shorts. Gunn thinks the series is canon to itself but not necessarily to his movies. But Marvel doesn't see it the same way since it does focus on a specific aspect of Baby Groot's life, post-Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol.2, as Winderbaum stated.
One could debate the series' importance in the broad spectrum of the MCU. Some could say that it's a small addition to the ever-expanding franchise, giving audiences more Baby Groot fun and expanding on the character from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 to deliver bite-sized shorts. Others may believe that the series isn't at all necessary to the MCU since one could skip it and be okay with Groot's main arc for Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3. Still, whether I Am Groot will be important to the MCU (or not) doesn't really matter, as it will surely charm audiences clamoring for more Baby Groot.
