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The changes in Groot's appearance in the recently released The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special are pretty noticeable. Besides the cute little Christmasy tiara, he looks all grown and big in the 1-hour special.
Ever since Groot made his MCU in The Guardians of the Galaxy, the character has been a fan favorite. He is a tree-like alien who can only communicate by saying, "I am Groot." While he died saving the rest of the guardians in The Guardians of the Galaxy, Groot was replanted and has since returned to a whole new avatar.
Now that he is all grown up, many Marvel fans have been wondering about the character's changed appearance. Interestingly, director James Gunn has explained the difference between the older Groot and the new Groot.
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James Gunn reveals that the new Groot is the son of older Groot
Taking to Twitter to clear the air around Groot, Gunn described him as the offspring of the old Marvel character. The new one that is now in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is being called Ya Groot or Swoll Groot.
"Well, YA Groot, or Swoll Groot, as we call him, is getting bigger, outward as well as upward. As you can see by now he has a different, stockier physiology (and a more outgoing personality) than his father did. #GuardiansoftheGalaxyHolidaySpecial"
When Groot dies during the battle of Xandar to save his fellow guardians, a twig from his body is planted. Following which, Ya Groot, aka Swoll Groot, takes life.
Furthermore, as explained by Gunn, the new Groot is physically bigger than his father, and has a more extroverted personality.
How old is Groot's son in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special?
Now that the air has been cleared about the identity and the apparent changes in the character's new appearance, another question arises: What is the age of Ya Groot, aka Swoll Groot, in the recent 1-hour holiday special of The Guardians of the Galaxy?
Groot's age was never revealed in the new Marvel show, leaving the audience to their imagination. However, we can surely judge the approximate age of his son based on some facts. For instance, Marvel has revealed that Baby Groot was born in 2014. Since then, The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's post-credit scene revealed Groot as a teen. That being said, James Gunn previously revealed that while Groot ages quicker than humans, the species can change its growth rate depending on the time they are in life.
This means that Groot can quickly age when going into adulthood and can slow the growth rate once it reaches adolescence. That being said, it wouldn't be correct to put a number on the rate he ages annually to get into adolescence.
Coming back to the question of the character's current age. Since baby Groot is all grown up and big in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, his last appearance was as a teen. It's safe to say that Ya Groot, aka Swoll Groot, is somewhere between the 16-20 age range.
Not only Groot but the other Guardians are evolving too!
Apart from Groot, all the other guardians can be seen aging and evolving in the new Marvel show. Rocket and Nebula have grown closer since the two share a lot in common.
The show also brings forward Drax and Mantis as the main characters on the quest to find the best Christmas gift for Star-Lord. Before the show, Mantis' character was much sidelined, only showing her as shy and quiet all the time. However, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special breaks this barrier and puts forward a different Mantis on screen.
As for Drax, the destroyer was on a mission to avenge his family and kill Thanos. The character had nothing else on his mind. Now that Thanos is defeated, Drax is shown to be more relaxed, more open to conversations, and getting to know people better. The perfect example of this assumption is the conversation between Mantis and Drax, where the former reveals to the latter that she and Star-Lord are siblings.
