How Guardians Of The Galaxy Game’s Groot Is Different From The MCU’s

The version of Groot portrayed by Vin Diesel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe differs from the one seen in Eidos-Montréal’s Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy video game. In addition to having completely unique experiences in their lives, the two Groots have a different level of understanding of the world around them. Though they may share similar feelings to their respective Rockets, their bonds, history, and individual characteristics remain distinct and separate.

[Warning: Major spoilers for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy are below.]

Groot is one of the Marvel characters who has seen drastic changes made to his backstory over time. Originally, Groot was a villainous character, and his species were sent to Earth to abduct humans and conduct research. Since that time, Groot has undergone several transformations to become one of the most recognizable Marvel characters as a Guardian of the Galaxy, joining the team in Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning’s now definitive run on the Guardians of the Galaxy comic.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game gives better insight into where Groot originated from compared to the MCU. In both the MCU and in Marvel’s GOTG, Groot is from a planet designated as Planet X. However, in Marvel’s GOTG, it’s revealed that Planet X was once known as Taluhnia, and the language that most of the characters call “Groot” is actually Taluhnisan. The only characters to properly identify Groot’s language and home planet are Groot, Mantis, and Rocket in Marvel’s GOTG, but these elements of the character’s backstory are unseen in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy films.

Groot Has A Different Relationship With Rocket In Marvel’s GOTG

One of the more subtle differences between Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy’s Groot and the MCU’s Groot is their relationship to Rocket. Rocket refers to Groot as his muscle in the Guardians of the Galaxy 2014 movie, whereas Rocket and Groot treat each other as equals in the GOTGvideo game. A lot of this information is only available by speaking with both Rocket and Groot after grabbing their collectibles in Marvel’sGuardians of the Galaxy. As each story is told, it becomes very clear that Rocket and Groot are an inseparable duo who care deeply for one another, but the stories in Marvel’s GOTG reveal a new depth in their history.

Long before the beginning of the game, an intoxicated Rocket met Groot in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy after stealing a transport ship and baby Groot from the Collector. After Rocket freed Groot, the two remained side by side for more than a decade before joining theGuardians of the Galaxy. The MCU doesn’t dive into how or when Rocket and Groot met before attempting to capture Star-Lord for his bounty, and all that is shown is their expressive care for one another at a given moment.

Another reason why Groot’s relationship with Rocket is vastly different in the GOTG game than in the MCU is that there were creatures like Rocket on Planet X. Groot is the last of his kind in both cases, but only in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is it revealed that Groot’s planet had “maintenance mammals” that were servants to his people. Similar to one of the differences between Marvel’s GOTG Star-Lord and the MCU Star-Lord, the GOTG Groot is the son of a king. Groot had plans to be a caretaker for the forest and animals on his home planet, but his father wouldn’t allow it. Unlike Groot, other members of his species treated the servants terribly.

As the last surviving member of his planet, Groot is seen as a rare and collectible species. Naturally, this means that the Collector would be interested in acquiring Groot. While Groot met the Collector in both the MCU and Marvel’s GOTG, their experiences were drastically different. Groot met the Collector in Marvel’s GOTG after his homeworld was destroyed by the Chitauri. Somehow a splinter of Groot was able to survive, and one of the Collector’s drones found Groot’s splinter among the rubble. Groot’s planet was destroyed when Marvel’s GOTG’s Chitauri tested a doomsday device on Planet X and the other branch planets early on in the Galactic War. 

The Collector took Groot back to the emporium on Knowhere, planted the splinter, and before long Groot was taken by Rocket. While Rocket claims to have saved Groot from being in a cage, Groot looks at the Collector as the man who truly saved his life. In the MCU, Groot meets the Collector for the first time as an adult. When the Guardians bring the Power Stone to the Collector in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, the Collector tries to strike a deal with Groot that would allow the Collector to have his body once Groot dies. Although their experiences are different, the dynamic between Groot and the Collector shows how much of the MCU influences Square Enix’s Marvel games.

Marvel’s GOTG’s Groot Is Smarter Than MCU Groot

Another difference between the two Groots is that the Groot seen in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy appears to have at least an average level of intelligence. Groot is able to hold multiple conversations, respond thoughtfully, and understand the concern for all of the Guardians’ well-being. The MCU’s Groot appears to be confused in many situations without Rocket being there to guide him, and even then his intelligence is questionable. In the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, Groot immediately retrieves the core that Rocket needs to break the Guardians out of the Nova Corps prison. Rocket specifically said that the core would be the last item to grab for their escape, but Groot didn’t fully comprehend the plan.

Groot’s intelligence difference shows how Marvel’s GOTG embraces the MCU without copying it. Groot’s intelligence is further questioned in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 when Yondu and Rocket try to explain what Yondu’s prototype fin looks like. The language barrier presents a lot of confusion for Groot, which is further portrayed by the array of items Groot brings back before retrieving Yondu’s fin. It isn’t until the MCU Groot reaches a teenage stage that he begins to show consistent signs of understanding complex emotions, like disdain for being told to put down his video game or a sense of urgency when he helps create Stormbreaker for Thor in Avengers: Infinity War. Neither of these ideas are shown while Groot is either an adult or a baby.

Ultimately, the depiction of Groot in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is reflective of the many influences that informed Eidos-Montréal’s adaptation. The version of Groot seen in the game has some things in common with the MCU’s, but is different in a great many more ways, whether that be the depth of his origins, his relationship with Rocket Raccoon, or how perceptive he is as a character. Both versions have their own merits, but the Groot seen in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy benefits from a greater amount of backstory compared to the one seen in the MCU.

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