Rocket almost carried pieces of Groot with him throughout Avengers: Endgame in the form of a bracelet. As unlikely as it seemed several years ago, the talking raccoon and anthropomorphic tree from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise have become two of the most beloved characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Initially, Groot was the muscle for Rocket as they went on adventures, but that dynamic changed after Groot sacrificed himself.
More recently, Rocket has served as a father figure to the new Groot that grew from a baby in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to an adolescent for Avengers: Infinity War. By the end of the movie though, Rocket could do nothing as he watched Groot turn to dust. The heartbreaking goodbye was made all the sadder by James Gunn confirming the meaning of what Groot said in that moment. Over the course of Avengers: Endgame then, audiences are repeatedly reminded of the characters who were lost to The Snap.
Now, the release of The Art of Avengers: Endgame reveals one way that Rocket was going to remember Groot throughout the movie. As revealed by artist Jackson Sze, he experimented with giving Rocket a bracelet made out of leftover Groot twigs. The bracelet can be seen in the concept art below. But, since Groot was snapped at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, how would this work? Sze had his own ideas:
I did a really subtle thing where on Rocket’s arm I did a tiny Groot bracelet just for Rocket to remember him by - not that he’s ever going to forget. I know that Groot turned into ash after Infinity War, but I imagined that he might have left some twigs around. It was just something that Rocket wears. It was a little touch that didn’t get very far.
Although this idea was incorporated into Avengers: Endgame, it is an intriguing concept to play with. Since Rocket was largely paired with Thor during the movie, the bracelet could’ve been Rocket’s way to visualize the loss that everyone - and not just the god of thunder - experienced. This Groot bracelet could even have been achieved with Thor’s help. Groot lent some of himself to be the handle for Stormbreaker (which didn’t disappear along with Groot), so Rocket would’ve been able to snap off a few twigs from it to make this bracelet.
Rocket didn’t have to go to these lengths to remember Groot though and has now been reunited with his friend at the end of Avengers: Endgame. The two will be featured in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and how their stories continue is something that many fans are eager to see. Writer-director James Gunn has already teased that Rocket will play a big part in the film but has not touched on Groot. Since they are traditionally paired together, there’s a fair chance that Groot will be given plenty to do - in whatever form he is in during the film.
MORE: Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Will Be Set A Decade After Vol. 2 (At Least)
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