When Marvel Studios first announced plans for a Guardians of the Galaxy movie, plenty of people were convinced it was going to be the MCU's first flop.
Instead, the franchise - which spawned both a trilogy and "Special Presentation" - has found huge success, with the heroes also making key appearances in the last two Avengers movies.
Hoping to familiarise fans with the team before Guardians of the Galaxy was released in 2014, Marvel Studios considered releasing a series of One-Shots exploring their respective origin stories. A Rocket and Groot short at least came close to happening, with Gunn starting work on that before plans changed.
Now, Gunn has finally shed some light on what the short would entail, detailing Rocket and Groot's first meeting and finally revealing who "Tibius Lark" (a character referenced on Groot's rap sheet by the Nova Corps) was.
"Tibius Lark, Groot, and Rocket were all imprisoned in a deep well in the ground," the DC Studios co-CEO reveals. "Tibius was on the verge of dying. He explained to Rocket he had been caring for Groot for years."
"He was a former zookeeper in a shitty galactic-side zoo. He explained he had saved Groot, who was on exhibit there, [and] that Groot was a loyal friend. He asked Rocket to please take care of him, [and] then he died. As he died Rocket looked down in the dark cell & noticed he was a robot, the lower body of his body smashed open and mechanical."
Gunn added, "The guards above ground heard something rumbling [and] they turned & saw Rocket & Groot bursting up from the ground, Rocket on Groot’s shoulder, & in Rocket’s hands was a machine gun made from Tibius Lark’s body, [and] he shot all the guards & they escaped & were together until they met the Guardians."
This sounds fantastic, and it's a shame we never got to see it. Still, we now finally know how these two first met, a question which has plagued fans for nearly a decade.
Check out Gunn's comments in full below.
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Post by @jamesgunn
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