James Gunn and Marvel Disagreed on I AM GROOT and Whether the Series Is Canon or Not

Marvel’s upcoming animated series I Am Groot looks like a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the first episode of it. The series is a collection of five short episodes about baby Groot’s wild adventures and the hijinks he gets into. Vin Diesel reprises his role as Groot, and Bradley Cooper is back as Rocket Racoon.

I assumed the series was MCU canon, but this seems to be something that James Gunn and Marvel disagree on. During a Instagram Q&A, Gunn was asked whether the show was set in Earth-616 or another universe. He replied, "Some folks at Marvel seem to think it's canonically MCU. I find that hard to see myself." 

Gunn previously shared his doubts about the show’s place in the MCU and its link to the Guardians of the Galaxy, saying: "They are animated shorts so not necessarily part of the Guardians saga. They're canon to themselves, I'd think."

However, producers of the series think that it’s clear that the series is canon. Producer Brad Winderbaum explained to CB: "It’s a narrow window, right? It takes place actually between the end of Guardians 2 and before the tag scene in Guardians 2. So, it’s in this narrow window where Groot [is] in that kind of post toddler stage of development."

The series was created by Kristen Lepore, and she shared that she even consulted with Gunn throughout the process of creating I Am Groot saying: "I had great meetings with James at several points in the process. And the most pivotal one being our initial kickoff meeting, where we basically just discussed this amazing character that he created just to make sure we could do baby Groot the way we're supposed to."

So, while Gunn and producers may seem to disagree on where I Am Groot stands in the MCU, the creators and producers of the show say it is, so it must be. I wonder where Kevin Feige stands on the matter. Regardless, it looks like it’s gonna entertain fans! The series will premiere on Disney+ on August 10th. Watch the trailer here!