Warning: Spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to follow.
The first Guardians chapter has officially come to a close with the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; capping off their rollicking adventures by facing off against the High Evolutionary was no easy task, but we know now that the triumph of Peter Quill, Rocket, and the rest of the Guardians was written in the stars, and they each have the rest of their lives to bask in the aftermath.
Quill and Rocket may be the chief protagonists of this sub-franchise, and Vol. 3 went the distance in highlighting that, but the award for the most unsung MVP has to go to Groot; for all the memes that have come out of him only ever saying “I am Groot,” and the Grogu-esque fanbase he built up as Baby Groot, Vol. 3 especially proved that he’s one of the most dependable team members around, having bailed Quill out a handful of times whilst being one of the Guardians’ most abundant morale sources.
It was some top notch characterization by James Gunn and Vin Diesel, but that wasn’t the end of Groot’s surprises in Vol. 3; it also looks as though the creative team made good on the cheeky teaser Vin Diesel dropped back in 2020, namely the actor’s remark about how Vol. 3 was going to introduce “Alpha Groot.”
Obviously we couldn’t have known what Groot’s voice actor meant back then, but thanks to Vol. 3, where Groot not only transformed into a kaiju-adjacent beast in the middle of the film, but also wound up growing to the biggest he’s ever gotten in the mid-credits scene, we finally have a grasp on what Alpha Groot looks like, and we’re sure Rocket is more than happy to have such a powerhouse of a best friend at his side.
Of course, we doubt Alpha Groot will steal our hearts the way Baby Groot and Swole Groot did, but we’ll wait until we’ve been gifted more adventures featuring Rocket’s new Guardians team before making any final calls there.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently playing in theaters.
