Groot has had quite the journey in the MCU, and the character continues to be explored, as the I Am Groot season 2 ending shows his major destiny.
With the I Am Groot ending, the Marvel Cinematic’s latest Phase 5 release changes everything Marvel fans thought they knew about Groot’s superpowers and role in the universe. Groot has had quite an eventful run at the start of the MCU’s Phase 5, which only recently began with the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The character appears in two projects so far, first as part of the new Guardians of the Galaxy team under Rocket Raccoon that was established in the first post-credits scene of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which should keep Vin Diesel in the MCU for the next few years, and the second in his solo series.
That solo series is Disney+’s I Am Groot season 2. The Marvel show is made up of 10 shorts across two seasons, with each episode chronicling the solo adventures of Baby Groot. I Am Groot includes many hilarious encounters with alien creatures and even appearances by Bradley Cooper’s Rocket and Jeffrey Wright’s The Watcher from Marvel’s What If…? The release of a new batch of I Am Groot episodes brought forth a major reveal, with season 2 ending changing everything that was known of Groot’s MCU role, making him and his powers more important to the Marvel franchise than ever expected.
I Am Groot Season 2’s Ending Makes Groot The Chosen One
Most episodes of I Am Groot are inconsequential to the trajectory of the MCU, simply telling funny stories with a heartwarming tone and the occasional engaging action for MCU viewers of all ages. However, some episodes of I Am Groot feature surprises in the form of other Marvel characters, and one such case in season 2 of the Disney+ animated series has led to a major reveal regarding Groot’s place in the MCU. I Am Groot season 2 features a special cameo, with Wright’s Uatu, aka The Watcher, following Baby Groot along his adventure in the season 2 finale, “Groot and the Great Prophecy.”
After a season that saw Groot take care of a baby alien bird as if it were his own, find a nose and finally smell things for the first time, fight a robot snowman he created, and crash an ice cream space truck over an Arishem-themed popsicle, I Am Groot season 2 elevated Groot’s role in the MCU by making him the Chosen One. “Groot and the Great Prophecy” sees The Watcher narrate an adventure that claims Baby Groot is one of the MCU’s bravest heroes and the one in charge of fulfilling a prophecy that will usher in a new age for the universe.
While The Watcher expects Baby Groot to fulfill his role in the prophecy like an epic hero, I Am Groot subverts the character’s expectations by having Groot traverse the ancient Drez-Lar temple in the most carefree manner possible. Groot stops to take a nap, defaces and pees on the wall with the sacred prophecy, and more, which irritates The Watcher. However, by the end of the episode, it is revealed that Baby Groot’s usual shenanigans are actually what make him the source of the prophecy, as the temple is destroyed without Groot doing what he was supposed to, but The Watcher realizes the prophecy works just the same.
Groot Is The Key To Saving The Universe
The Watcher’s prophecy spoke of the last seed of Drez-Lar, which, according to the legend recounted by Uatu, will emerge from the ancient temple visited by Baby Groot and “usher the universe into a glorious new age.” The Watcher initially thinks Groot is just the brave hero who needs to collect the seed so that the prophecy is fulfilled, but he could not be further from the truth. After Groot lets the last seed of Drez-Lar be engulfed by flames, Uatu believes that the prophecy is ruined, later realizing that the “last seed” was a metaphor, with Groot being the main focus of the prophecy all along.
I Am Groot season 2’s ending features The Watcher understanding that “the small vessel of great potential [that] would sprout” from the temple was Groot, not the seed. The animated series then makes it clear that by being the subject of the prophecy, it is Groot’s job to spread peace and joy throughout the galaxy. That description might explain why Baby Groot is dancing rather than fighting like the rest of his team at the start of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, as that sort of behavior is common for the character in I Am Groot and thus is part of his role in spreading happiness throughout the MCU.
I Am Groot Accidentally Confirmed The Truth of The Character
I Am Groot ends up connecting Baby Groot’s destiny to the MCU’s real-world state in a meta way. After a recent bout of criticism that started during Phase 4, the MCU is in dire need of the same “joy and happiness” that The Watcher claimed Baby Groot is destined to spread all over the universe. With Groot likely continuing in the MCU for years to come as part of the new Guardians of the Galaxy team, the character can fulfill the destiny that I Am Groot season 2 has given him while simultaneously presenting the fun some Marvel fans are searching for in the MCU’s most recent releases.
