James Gunn Responded Hilariously To This Guardians Of The Galaxy Reference In Hawkeye

"Hawkeye," the latest in Marvel's lineup of Disney+ series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), is a long overdue deep dive into the life and times of its titular hero. As one of two Avengers without superpowers (and the only Avenger whose MCU version is seriously underpowered compared to his comic book version), Hawkeye's rich storyline has long been relegated to the background amid the sprawling galactic drama of the Infinity Saga.

Among the best elements of the show, for fans, are the subtle easter eggs placed throughout. Viewers have been tearing each episode apart frame-by-frame to divine how "Hawkeye" might be connected to the rest of the MCU in unexpected ways, and they've come up with some seriously compelling ideas.

Sometimes, though, easter eggs are just a bit of fun, as appears to be the case when Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) tracks down the suit he wore when he took down New York's criminal underworld as the murderous vigilante Ronin. The suit has made its way to a group of live-action role-players in Central Park, and when Clint checks the group's Instagram account, we can see the "followed by" in the account's bio, which includes the usernames "drstrange," "darby," and "iamgr00t."

When Twitter user @moviepollz tweeted a screenshot of the moment, pondering who the "iamgr00t" account might belong to, "Guardians of the Galaxy" writer and director James Gunn had a witty take.

When a screenshot from "Hawkeye" was posted to twitter in which Hawkeye looks at an Instagram page that is followed by an account named "iamgr00t," Twitter user @moviepolls mused, "Someone on Earth has the Instagram username iamgr00t so people on Earth not only know who Groot is, but they know his saying. Wonder how that came to be."

James Gunn quote tweeted that question with a characteristic bit of humor, writing, "That's probably the IG account of the MCU version of Rob de Groot, [Dave Bautista's] stunt double." Attached to the "Peacemaker" showrunner's tweet was a photo of Bautista alongside de Groot, who genuinely does look like a dead ringer for the former pro wrestler, down to the shiny bald head and matching neck tattoos.

The "The Suicide Squad" director clarified that the MCU version of Bautista's stunt double is quite different from his real-world variant, quipping, "Unlike the real Rob, the MCU version is a total dick, has a posh British accent & a full, luscious head of hair." However, Gunn did ultimately acknowledge that the "iamgr00t" username is "a cool easter egg."

So, if Groot has Instagram, how does he use it? His fingers won't work on a smartphone display because they are made of wood. The being made of wood thing is kind of his whole deal. Maybe Gunn can answer that question in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."