We’ve got some very bad news about Groot from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’

Groot, that fiercely loyal tree-thing from Guardians of the Galaxy, was undoubtedly the break-out star from the 2014 sci-fi comedy. I mean, he literally sacrificed himself to save the rest of the team:

Plus, the Vin Diesel-voiced character has some amazing dance moves:

But the film’s director has just announced some really, really tragic news. It turns out that at the end of the first film, Groot wasn’t resurrected or regrown like many of us had thought; instead, he was violently slaughtered and that mini-Groot who replaced him is, in fact, his son.

On Twitter, Ali Slate was having a chat with Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn about who should be saved between a baby Groot or a Porg from Star Wars.

Ali said: “You can grow Groot back, as evidenced in your film. Once you kill a porg, it’s gone.”

But, breaking hearts everywhere, Gunn replied: “First Groot is dead. Baby Groot is his son.”

People were, well, shocked!

Ash Crossan said: “Really? I thought he was kind of a clone…. like Barbra Streisand’s dogs. I AM LEARNING.”

RIP Groot. You will be forever missed. WE ARE ALL GROOT!

In other Galaxy-related news, James Gunn has said he is planning an ‘epic conclusion’ to his trilogy. Gunn told Variety: “I think we’re going to come to an epic conclusion of who the Guardians are why and why they were bought together and I can’t wait to tell that story to the people.” Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in 2020.

And, thanks to Twitter, Star Wars legend Mark Hamill might even make an appearance in the next film, as evidenced by this very intriguing exchange:  

(Image: Rex)