"Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn cleared up the status of the original Groot . . .
and there's no easy way to say this, but he's DEAD. 100%.
Apparently, some fans thought Baby Groot in the second movie might be the original Groot . . . re-growing his body from a smaller, tree-like piece. Or that he was kind of a clone.
But that is NOT the case.
James Tweeted, quote, "First Groot is dead . . . Baby Groot is his son . . . That's why he has a different personality." He also said that Baby Groot has no memory of his father.
James also said the other Guardians are aware of this. Quote, "Would you think an infant was your dead grandfather? That little jerk has [no] clue what's going on."