Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a movie that was specifically made by James Gunn with the intention of revealing the backstory of Rocket Racoon, but there is one notable question that the blockbuster doesn't answer: how did Rocket first meet Groot? The two characters are already friends when we meet them in Guardians of the Galaxy, and the origin story featured in Vol. 3 doesn't cover that part of the diminutive hero's history. Thankfully, Gunn isn't just letting that stone go unturned, revealing key details about Rocket and Groot meeting while discussing a short film that never got made.
The filmmaker has explained everything on his personal Threads account. Gunn was asked by a fan if he could discuss the history of Tibius Lark – a name you can see listed among Groot's known associates after he is arrested in Guardians of the Galaxy – and the writer/director responded by delivering a three-post answer. He started by saying that there was a short film he wrote about Rocket and Groot prior to the release of his first Marvel blockbuster and noted that it featured the characters locked up together in a prison:
I wrote a short film explaining the origin of how Rocket & Groot met. It was even storyboarded & location scouted & we did test footage for it (it was seen at SDCC in the 'trailer' we cut together after 12 days of shooting). But I didn’t have time to do it as Vol 1 amped iup [sic]. In it Tibius Lark, Groot, and Rocket were all imprisoned in a a deep well in the ground. Tibius was on the verge of dying. He explained to Rocket he had been caring for Groot for years.
Continuing, James Gunn noted that the relationship between Tibius and Groot predated them being locked up together, and Tibius made Rocket swear to be his tree friend's protector:
He was a former zookeeper in a shitty galactic-side zoo. He explained he had saved Groot, who was on exhibit there, & that Groot was a loyal friend. He asked Rocket to please take care of him, & 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.
Following the revelation in the short film that Tibius Lark is a robot, Rocket would have put his mechanical genius to work to help him escape from the prison along with Groot:
The guards above ground heard something rumbling & 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, & he shot all the guards & they escaped & were together until they met the Guardians. That’s who Tibius Lark was.
Based on James Gunn's description of Rocket being on Groot's shoulder, and having witnessed Groot's growth cycle from Guardians of the Galaxy to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, one can surmise that there wasn't a great deal of time between the described prison break and their meet-up with their future teammates – but clearly there was enough time for the two buds to form a permanent friendship and partnership.
A big part of the reason why the Guardians of the Galaxy movies are so good is because of the depth of thought that James Gunn put into the creation of the characters, and this unproduced description of how Rocket and Groot first met is a perfect example. He really cares about making them all real, and that has made his trilogy one of the best intra-Marvel Cinematic Universe franchises.
Fans can revisit Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (not to mention the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special) with a Disney+ subscription, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is available for digital purchase at online outlets including Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu, and Apple. For those curious about everything that is in the works from the MCU, check out our Upcoming Marvel Movies and Upcoming Marvel TV guides, and take a look back at the past with our ranking of every Marvel movie and our Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline.
