Sorry, But A Botanist Has Confirmed That The Original Groot Is Definitely Dead
Why does science have to be such a jerk?
If you haven’t already heard, we’re very sorry to inform you that Groot died at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1, and Baby Groot is actually his son. Director James Gunn confirmed it, so it’s canon. But just to add insult to injury, a scientist has come along and said that Groot is absolutely, definitely, indisputably dead.
A while back, James Gunn rudely took to Twitter and confirmed that Groot 100 percent died in the first Guardians of the Galaxy in order to save all of his friends.
People just didn’t quite realise he was dead because a tiny Groot came out of the wreckage, and we assumed that he… I dunno, became smaller?
The internet is like Groundhog Day every time I point out first Groot died. Baby Groot has a different personality, a different body, no memories of adult Groot & adult Groot’s sacrifice actually meant something. New round of news stories & collective gasping again & again. https://t.co/gvx7c0g2fF
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) February 27, 2018
A few of us probably took comfort in the idea that maybe, despite having complete authorial control of the films, Gunn was wrong. Perhaps he was simply doing a J.K. Rowling and saying so much bizarre shit that we could safely ignore him.
But this is where a rogue botanist by the name of James Wong swoops in to prove that Gunn has science and facts and knowledge and the rules of the universe behind him to justify this travesty. What a science jerk.
Baby Groot is the result of a form of asexual reproduction known as vegetative propagation.
Plants, unlike most animals, retain their stem cells through their lives. So cloning them is super easy.
Baby Groot is therefore a perfect genetic clone of Big Groot. pic.twitter.com/l5Dqaw4DCZ
— James Wong (@Botanygeek) May 7, 2018
So, sure — the science seems to check out to me. Groot is dead, long live the perfect genetic clone of Groot. However, this is where there’s a TWIST.
And finally, as we now know even Earth plants can process complex information about the world around them & retain it without the need for a centralised storage organ like animals need (ie a brain).
If Baby groot is a cutting, it is likely it retains Big Groot’s memories!? pic.twitter.com/1dpM4Dubl2
— James Wong (@Botanygeek) May 7, 2018
So — maybe Old Groot actually lives on in some ways? Or maybe it means absolutely nothing. Who knows? Could James Gunn be pranking us like a veritable Ashton Kutcher?
This a philosophical question of personal identity. I’d argue that he can’t be the same Groot because no two things can truly be identical: there’s only one Groot. As for being a bro, you know the botanic theory. But is Groot still Groot after? Gets messy. I’d argue it’s neither.
— James Clark Ross Ⓥ (@JamesClarkRoss) May 7, 2018
James Gunn even revealed another spoilerific horrifying moment from Infinity War which is, frankly, just too much. Why can’t we just be happy?
And if you are cross about this thread proposing a speculative hypothesis about fictional, alien exobiology….
Congrats! You are even more of a geek than me. ??? pic.twitter.com/XSECg3STDZ
— James Wong (@Botanygeek) May 7, 2018