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(Note: This post contains a small spoiler of one of the post-credits scenes of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.”)

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” has a great cast, but there’s one clear star: Baby Groot.

Voiced by Vin Diesel, the tiny version of the bounty-hunting plant creature and partner of Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) is super cute, and Groot has most of the best comedy moments in the movie.

Baby Groot resulted from Groot’s heroic sacrifice toward the end of the first “Guardians of the Galaxy.” During that movie, the tree creature used his ability to grow branches to encircle the other Guardians and protect them as the ship they were aboard crashed. Everyone survived, but Groot’s body was destroyed — all except a small twig clipping, which Rocket grew in a pot into a new Groot.

Also Read: All 46 Marvel Movies Ranked From Worst to Best, Including 'Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2' (Photos)

But is the new Baby Groot the same person as the original Groot? It seems the answer is, somewhat definitively, no.

Baby Groot still seems to be very much Groot in many respects. Physically, he has a lot of the same characteristics, such as the shape of his face. His personality seems to be similar, and there’s the fact that he still communicates by saying only “I am Groot.”

But “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” director James Gunn seems to have confirmed the fact the pair are not the same person. During a conversation on Twitter nearly, he said it in plain terms: the original Groot is dead.

First Groot is dead. Baby Groot is his son.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) February 27, 2018

Gunn statements on Twitter closer to the release of the movie were a little more ambiguous, but did let on that Groot changed significantly from who he was in the first movie. Answering fan questions about the new movie on Twitter, Gunn said that Baby Groot doesn’t have the same memories the original Groot did.

Also Read: 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' Post-Credits Scene Explained: Who is 'Adam'?

Baby Groot does not have Groot’s memories. #GotGvol2 https://t.co/nBbQ1Dw43r

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 6, 2017

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige’s statements on the state of Groot differ a bit from Gunn’s, though. Feige said at San Diego International Comic-Con in 2016 that Groot might be a baby physically, but he isn’t one mentally. (Contrary to Gunn, Feige also stated Baby Groot has Original Groot’s memories.) If we go by Gunn’s latest assertion, though, the two Groots are two different characters.

It follows then that Baby Groot is actually growing up during the movies. after regenerating also affects In “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” Baby Groot has all the childish inclinations his name suggests.

We also see him growing up to be something of a teenager in one of the movie’s post-credits scenes, with all the stereotypical annoyance with authority and messiness that goes with that age. So while Groot has some of the same characteristics, with the same dedication to his friends and general confusion about objects, colors and people as the original Groot, he’s also a different, developing person.

Also Read: A Complete Timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Photos)

And that suggests we might see some other interesting changes in Groot’s character next time the Guardians show up. The team’s next appearance seems likely to be in 2018, when “Avengers: Infinity War” kicks off.

By then, Groot may well be back to fully grown — while the first two “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies are set back in 2014, the Guardians will catch up to the present of the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline when all the current MCU story lines converge in “Infinity War.”

All 12 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' Main Characters, Ranked (Photos)

(Some spoilers ahead.) Just about everybody who's anybody from "Guardians of the Galaxy" returns for the sequel, and almost all of them get meaty emotional arcs this time out. Plus, of course, we've got some major newcomers as well. Here's every main character in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," from the least to most Baby Groot.
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12. Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki)
The high priestess of the Sovereign plays the role of a minor villain for a bit, but she doesn't really get to dive into the role for most of the movie. Hopefully Ayesha will have a chance for more fully fleshed out villainy when her post-credits scene bears fruit.
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11. Kraglin (Sean Gunn)
It's hard not to love poor Kraglin, even if he does accidentally do some betrayal. Loyal to Yondu to a fault, he's the heart for the Ravagers, and his post-credits scene adds hope that he'll continue to hang around with the Guardians in the future, hilariously messing stuff up.
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10. Drax (Dave Bautista)
Now that he's been able to deal with some of the pain of his family's murder, Drax gets to have a little fun as he leaps, laughing hysterically, into battle. His pairing with Mantis yields some great jokes, but ultimately it feels like he doesn't have enough to do in this story.
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9. Taserface (Chris Sullivan)
None of the Ravagers are particularly smart or capable, but Taserface is at least committed. He named himself, apparently, after the idea of getting shot, and then electrically shocked, by a brand-name stun gun. That's some commitment, and Taserface's bumbling villainy makes everything to do with the Ravagers that much more fun.
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8. Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper)
Rocket has to work through some stuff this time around. While pairing him up with Yondu for the pair of them to deal with their baggage works well, we could do with more Rocket wise-cracking and tomfoolery.
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7. Yondu (Michael Rooker)
With both a major emotional arc and a few great moments of extreme violence, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" really becomes Yondu's movie toward the end. Between that and his Mary Poppins line, Yondu comes into his own in "Guardians 2."
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6. Gamora (Zoe Saldana)
It feels like, for at least half the movie, Gamora's the only person with her head on straight. Pitting her against Nebula with more backstory applied to their relationship is pretty interesting, even though it's handled at high speed. Plus, she picks up and fires a huge gun that falls off a spaceship, so major points for being a badass.
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5. Mantis (Pom Klementieff)
It's crazy how many funny lines Mantis gets, especially as she's interacting with Drax. It feels like "Guardians" is still figuring out how best to use Mantis as part of the team, but at least so far she's a fun, funny addition.
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4. Peter 'Star Lord' Quill (Chris Pratt)
It's nice that Quill finally starts to figure out his family history in "Vol. 2." The personal level of his story draws a lot out of his character we didn't see the first time around. And he's pretty on-point with his '80s pop culture references. All in all, Quill is a lot of fun and provides a lot of emotional grounding for the movie.
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3. Nebula (Karen Gillan)
In the first "Guardians," Nebula was a cool character who was underfeatured. That problem is largely fixed in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," and her smoldering rage makes her seem extremely dangerous at all times. She's great as something more than a henchman, even if her character arc feels like it's on fast-forward.
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2. Ego the Living Planet (Kurt Russell)
Kurt Russell pours on the '80s charm as Ego and never lets up. You can't blame Quill for considering spending the rest of his life doing whatever Ego says. Who wouldn't want to hang out and play catch with Snake Plissken on a magic planet?
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1. Baby Groot (Vin Diesel)
Too adorable to kill, Baby Groot is a scene-stealer who walks off with the movie in two key moments. Director James Gunn knows that watching Groot wander around a battlefield is cooler than the actual battle. That's how great he is.
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Obviously Baby Groot is the best — but how does everyone else stack up?

(Some spoilers ahead.) Just about everybody who's anybody from "Guardians of the Galaxy" returns for the sequel, and almost all of them get meaty emotional arcs this time out. Plus, of course, we've got some major newcomers as well. Here's every main character in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," from the least to most Baby Groot.

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