Botanist Explains Biological Relationship Between Groots [Infinity War Spoilers]

The parentage of Groot has been a hotly contested matter for fans of Guardians of the Galaxy. Director James Gunn has previously gone on the record saying that the baby Groot that appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is actually the son of the original Groot who sacrificed his life to save his friends in the first film.

However — and this is a spoiler for Avengers: Infinity War — Gunn seemingly contradicted this assertion over the weekend when he revealed that Teen Groot's final line to Rocket before being wiped out by Thanos was "Dad," indicating that, at least on an emotional level, teen Groot viewed Rocket as his real father.

It looks like this matter is more complex than we originally thought. Who, exactly, is Groot's real father? Do we need to take this to the Maury Show?

Thankfully, another expert has decided to weigh in on Twitter. James Wong, a self-described "British-Malaysian botanist with a special interest in food & medicinal crops," took to the social media service to explain the fictional alien's real-world biology:

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

If it was indeed pollen in that scene, it would suggest there is a mysterious 'Lady Groot' character we have so far not seen.

However, as many (most?) plants are simultaneously male and female, it is highly likely that we all have our pronouns wrong here! pic.twitter.com/oHysGBS6RX

— James Wong (@Botanygeek) May 7, 2018

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

So is the matter settled now, or not?

About Jude Terror

A prophecy once said that in the comic book industry's darkest days, a hero would come to lead the people through a plague of overpriced floppies, incentive variant covers, #1 issue reboots, and super-mega-crossover events. Sadly, that prophecy was wrong. Oh, Jude Terror was right. For ten years. About everything. But nobody listened. And so, Jude Terror has moved on to a more important mission: turning Bleeding Cool into a pro wrestling dirt sheet!