When it comes to new Marvel Studios releases, the first thing everyone wants to know is where it fits in the MCU timeline. Sometimes, there is a definite answer, and in others, like in the case of new animated shorts series I Am Groot, there isn’t. Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has added his comments about where the series fits in relation to the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and the rest of the MCU, and effectively, it doesn’t.
Gunn responded to a Twitter post following the announcement that I Am Groot will make its Disney+ debut on August 10, and with two other Guardians of the Galaxy projects and their appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder on the horizon, it is not surprising that fans want to know where the Groot-centric addition to the franchise fits. According to Gunn, there isn’t a simple answer to that as the show doesn’t necessarily fit into the overall Guardians story. He said:
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Over the weekend, a new poster for the series was released, confirming the premiere date of the fun show that will primarily feature everyone’s favorite leafy hero. In the promotional material, Groot has been seen as Baby Groot, a form that really only appeared during Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, hence prompting the question of whether this series took place before that movie. Of course, while this kind of short, but inconsequential, series clearly takes place when Groot is “Baby Groot”, it looks like each individual episode will happen somewhere in the rough time period of Guardians 2, and has no impact on any other Guardians stories.
“They are animated shorts, so not necessarily part of the Guardians saga.”
Marvel Studios is Taking Over Cinemas and Disney+ This Summer
While the Covid pandemic delayed many Marvel projects, like many others, this year, they are making up for it with a host of new shows and, of course, the release of Thor: Love and Thunder, which arrives on July 8. Following the release of Moon Knight in March, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness landed in cinemas in early May and has become the biggest movie of the year so far.
Before Thor hits cinemas, Ms. Marvel comes to Disney+ on June 8, bringing Kamala Khan into the MCU with a bright, fun series that introduces the young superhero before she joins Captain Marvel in The Marvels next summer. Following the conclusion of Ms. Marvel, I Am Groot will now arrive on August 10, and a week later follows She Hulk: Attorney At Law, another highly anticipated live-action series that will not only see the first on-screen appearance of the title character in the MCU, but also heralds the return of Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner/Smart Hulk and Tim Roth as The Abomination. While it is not known if there will be any other series to come before we get the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special in December, there are plenty more shows waiting in the wings for 2023.
