When Does ‘I Am Groot’ Take Place in the MCU?
Disney+ traveled back in time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for I Am Groot. The latest Marvel Disney+ series thrusts one of the fans’ favorite characters into the spotlight — Baby Groot. But when exactly does I Am Groot take place in the MCU?
What is ‘I Am Groot’ about?
I Am Groot premiered on Aug. 10 on Disney+, and the MCU series debuted with five short episodes. Each segment chronicles a different adventure for the Flora colossus, whether big or small. And Vin Diesel returned to voice Groot in the show.
The episodes, which are all around 5-6 minutes long, are “Groot’s First Steps,” The Little Guy,” “Groot’s Pursuit,” “Groot Takes a Bath,” and “Magnum Opus.”
As is always the case with Baby Groot, each short features the character getting into trouble. From finding a tiny alien race to creating an explosive masterpiece, every story in I Am Groot is delightful and a fun break from the tense nature of the MCU.
Where does ‘I Am Groot’ fall on the MCU timeline?
As fans recall, Guardians of the Galaxy ended with Groot sacrificing his life for his friends. But at the end of the MCU film, the Guardians placed a root from Groot’s remains in a pot, and a sapling grew from it. And that’s how Baby Groot was born. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continued the Guardians’ adventures in the MCU, which included Baby Groot.
So taking in all of this information, where does I Am Groot fall on the MCU timeline? Thankfully, Marvel Studios Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation Brad Winderbaum has the answer.
“It’s a narrow window, right? It takes place actually between the end of Guardians 2 and before the tag scene in Guardians 2,” Winderbaum told ComicBook.com. “So, it’s in this narrow window where Groot [is] in that kind of post toddler stage of development. And it was something that really excited James [Gunn], and James also knew [I Am Groot creator] Kirsten [Lepore]’s work and was excited about working with her as well.”
I Am Groot Episodes 2 through 5 officially take place between the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 post-credits scene, which features Teenage Groot. However, episode 1 occurs before the events of the second film since Baby Groot is still in his pot.
Will there be more ‘I Am Groot’ episodes in the MCU?
Don’t worry, MCU fans — there are more I Am Groot episodes to come on Disney+. The streaming service announced that five additional shorts are currently in development at Marvel Studios. It’s unclear when I Am Groot Season 2 will premiere or if it will come before MCU: Phase 5.
During an interview with Collider, Kirsten Lepore teased the next five shorts in I Am Groot.
“All I can say is that they’re all super fun. I’m really excited about them,” she shared. “I think they’re just as great as the first batch, and I think people will really enjoy it, more and more Groot adventures.”
Also, Brad Winderbaum revealed that some ideas that didn’t make the cut for the first season would come to life in season 2. He said, “There were some fun ideas, Kirsten, I know you had that [are] going to be in the second batch of shorts, but we experimented a lot in the beginning.”
The first five episodes of I Am Groot are now streaming on Disney+.
