Baby groot wasn't meant to sell toys

>To be honest, when I was first working on the script for Vol. 2 I was planning on it being years after the first movie and for little Groot to be a grown Groot. But there was something missing. First of all, I thought there was a lot of development the group needed to go through as a group – and it would be a shame for the audience to miss it. And, secondly, for whatever reason, Groot just wasn’t working. It was then I came upon the idea of having Vol. 2 take place very shortly after the first film and for Groot to still be Baby Groot, with quite a lot to learn. Even though I had already long-ago-decided on the other characters involved, this change opened up the whole movie for me and it suddenly all came together. I fell in love with the script for Vol. 2, and I felt like we were creating something very special.

>When I approached Marvel Studios with my idea for Vol. 2 I was afraid of the involvement of Ego the Living Planet – a rather, uh, broad character in the 616 universe of Marvel Comics. I was afraid of the inclusion of Mantis and Ayesha, and more prominent roles for Nebula and Yondu. But I was even more afraid of approaching them with the concept that Baby Groot, and not Groot, would be a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Yes, perhaps it seems like a hole-in-one idea now, but Groot was the most popular character in the first film, and sometimes when something works studios are more than a little reluctant to change.

>To my happy surprise, my partners at Marvel were more than supportive about the big swings in the story of Vol. 2. They seemed to instinctively know, like I did, that what matters in the Guardians franchise is to keep giving people the unexpected…

>All that said, I’m not an idiot. I knew if Baby Groot worked, the world would want Baby Groot toys and figures and plushies. But that certainly didn’t seem like a certainty when I was alone in my office conceiving of a story, and it most definitely was not the driving force of the decision. I, like so many of you through the trailer alone, had fallen in love with the little dude – even though at that point he was only in my head.

Gunn seems alright.

I hate them calling and marketing him as Baby Groot.

Just call him Groot.

He's more naive and childish than the Groot of the first film, I think I heard somewhere they make it ambiguous whether it's the same Groot we've seen or of its more like his offspring

>more prominent roles for Nebula
This is all I really hope for. I'm so worried that it'll get cut like all the other side characters that I want more of.

I just don't like it personally. I liked Groot's character in the first one and wanted to see more of him. Even if it wasn't Gunn's intention, calling him "Baby Groot" in the trailer, and most likely future merchandise just feels like pandering to the masses that liked him in the flower pot in the last 5 minutes of the last movie.

Well she made it onto a poster before Mantis did. Probably a good sign right?

Also given Gunn's comments it sounds like we might be seeing a very different team by the time Infinity War rolls around. If the rest of the MU keeps going in real time then it will have been 4-5 years since their last appearance.

Wait, baby Groot isn't just Groot reborn? He's his son and Groot died?

Or are they talking about Groot just getting more social interaction?

To me it depends on how they use it.

If its just a nickname for his state, like Brundlefly or Norristhing, then I'm cool with it.

He's Groot reborn, he's just a baby now. He has to relearn.

So same basic personality, loss of all memories?

Aside from acting a bit more childish if the trailer is anything to go by, yeah.

Yeah I'm not watching a fucking "super hero movie" that has a fucking baby in it, sorry, this is pure Disney shit, not Marvel

>But I was even more afraid of approaching them with the concept that Baby Groot, and not Groot, would be a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
>All that said, I’m not an idiot. I knew if Baby Groot worked, the world would want Baby Groot toys and figures and plushies.
Does not compute. Therefore it must be true.
GotG is going to become a big seller. It will turn to shit with Vol. 3.

Oh, of course he's going to say that shit. Admitting that he kept Groot as a baby so Disney could get that mascot money they love so much would be in poor form.

You don't know what you're talking about, if Disney says it it's true, they're an American staple and honestly I never cared about comic book stuff till Disney owned it and they made it so much better

He didn't consider just maybe having Groot grow up fast as part of his treeman biology or whatever?

...

>Admitting that he kept Groot as a baby so Disney could get that mascot money

Rocket and Groot already were the mascots of the franchine.

When Groot develops gender identity disorder and becomes Greet.

Baby Groot was obviously kept because he's beloved by the fanbase. Why even lie about this shit?

As long as the movie is fun, it's fine, but why the lies?

>baby Groot wasn't meant to sell toys

Bullshit. The sole reason everyone even changes costume every film is solely to sell more toys.

It will be interesting to see how little Groot interacts with the other crew members. Since we only see him talking with Rocket. Do they treat him like a kid or like he's still 'big' Groot?
>TFW Baby Groot merch buying will be nuts come the movie.

Does he change his race too?

Yeah. Oak to ash.

True. I should have said even MORE mascot money.

Baby Groot also stops the Guardians being OP as shit so they can't just auto-win ever fight will a full powered Groot.

So GotG 2 won't be LELSORANDUMB after all? It will be kiddy shit?

BRAVO FEIGE

>Wait, baby Groot isn't just Groot reborn? He's his son and Groot died?
A part of the old Groot did die. The baby Groot isn't 100% new, but enough of the old Groot was lost as such that you wouldn't want him to die again. The whole point is to not cheapen his sacrifice, he did die, in a sense, and that no one in his crew would want him to go through it again. So we wouldn't start to think Groot is expendable.

kek

Tiny Groot is ripped straight from the comics. Granted, he was cutesied up for mass market appeal.

I'm all for baby Groot. Sure, it's doubling down on the cute offbeat mascot idea that the first movie had, but Groot would be a difficult character to show character development for. He's the team's Chewbacca. Having a reborn character learning to be themselves again is an interesting concept and it also limits Groot as a deus ex plot device.

>It's a Marvel rep lies to out faces episode
I like Gunn, but nobody is falling for this.

why does groot look so terrible though like honestly he just stands out worse than scrappy doo

This is coming from a director who wrote and entire movie just to shit on Scrappy, mind you.

I too hate Groot's movie design, the pieces of wood connect awkwardly and he has this creepy expressionless face with puppy dog eyes. I always appreciated how the comics mostly kept him pretty monstrous looking, recognizing his origins as a monster of the week while betraying his noble heart inside.

Eh, I like it. Keeps Groot from being the most powerful muscle when Drax and Gamora are there as well. Seriously, Groot stole the show with how powerful he is.

I had some serious wood for her when I first saw her.

>its not about the toys

maybe for you, jim, but maybe you should think why the execs loved the idea

Can you read? He said adult Groot wasn't working for him in the early drafts.