In a new variant cover, Groot of the Guardians of the Galaxy delivers the best X-Men moment that MCU fans may never get to see. This April, Groot returns in a brand-new miniseries exploring his life before joining the Guardians, and to celebrate, the publisher is releasing a series of variant covers featuring him interacting with the stars of the Marvel Universe. The cover to Sins of Sinister #1: Dominion features an amazing crossover between the X-Men and Groot that will never happen in the MCU.
Marvel unveiled the cover, illustrated by Jan Bazaldua, along with the seven other variants on its website. Each cover will be illustrated by a member of the Marvel Stormbreakers Initiative, and pairs Groot with some of Marvel’s heaviest hitters. The cover to Sins of Sinister: Dominion #1 features a smiling Groot on the island of Krakoa. He is offering a single rose to Cyclops, while Jean Grey looks to the sky, seemingly unaware of Groot’s presence.
As a living tree, Groot fits right in on the living island of Krakoa. Much of the technology and habitats of the X-Men’s current home is plant-based, and this cover shows that Groot’s visit to the island could only add to its naturalistic beauty.
The MCU Will Never Go to Krakoa
When the Marvel Cinematic Universe took a number of B and C-list characters and turned them into household names, Groot was perhaps the most unlikely MCU success story. Predating the actual Marvel Age, Groot debuted as a one-off villain in 1960’s Tales to Astonish #13. He made a scant handful of appearances until the 2006-07 Annihilation event, which firmly centered the character in the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe. He joined the Guardians of the Galaxy, and he made the leap to live action with the rest of the team in their 2014 film. After a short hiatus, the Guardians will be returning to comics in a new ongoing series this spring, where they will face Grootfall. Groot will be getting a new miniseries as well, and to celebrate his return to glory, Marvel is featuring him on a series of variant covers–including one that gives MCU fans an unforgettable moment that will never be in the films.
This moment cannot be replicated in the movies for a number of reasons. After Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019, it became only a matter of time before the X-Men would enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Multiverse Saga has indeed introduced the X-Men to the MCU, but these have been from alternate timelines; four years later, fans are still waiting for the X-Men to fight alongside the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy. The X-Men’s corner of the Marvel Universe runs deeper and richer than any other part; the current Krakoa era has been successful because it taps into this 60-year history, at turns celebrating it as well as subverting it. Mutants in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have nowhere near the backstory and mythology built up yet to truly make Krakoa work on-screen–meaning this tantalizing glimpse of Groot and the X-Men will more than likely never happen.
Thus far, the closest fans will get to seeing the X-Men in the MCU will come when Deadpool 3 hits theaters in 2024; the film will see Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman reprise their roles as Deadpool and Wolverine, respectively. Exactly how they will be integrated remains a mystery, but it opens the door for the rest of the team to appear as well. When the X-Men do finally appear, it is unlikely they will be living on Krakoa, meaning this interaction between the team and the Guardians of the Galaxy’s Groot, will remain out of reach of MCU fans.
Sins of Sinister: Dominion #1 will be on sale April 26 from Marvel Comics.
Source: Marvel