Since Avengers: Infinity War came out, James Gunn has taken to twitter to answer fan questions about the film and specifically the Guardians’ role in it, what its like to direct those characters, and more. A fan, @TheMoonBearMan on twitter, had a really interesting question that I think a lot of people overlooked: what were Groot’s last words? 

SPOILER ALERT

In the film, Groot is part of the half of the universe that is wiped out by Thanos. He disintegrates along with all of the others, while Rocket watches in horror. But before he goes, he says something to Rocket that, to us, is just “I Am Groot.” 

But, for every “I Am Groot,” in the MCU, there’s actually a hidden meaning, a real line that’s being thought if not heard. There’s actually even a version of every script with the Groot-speak translated, so voice actor Vin Diesel and the other actors know how to emote and react to the line. And as per the usual, this line had a secret meaning, too. Just in case, you might wanna grab some tissues. 

So, what was Groot saying to Rocket as he disintegrated out of existence?

“Dad.”

That’s right, the moody teenage tree called for Rocket as his father as he was dying and scared…and if that’s not enough to bring a tear to your eye, then you’re a stronger man than I am. 

It’ll be interesting to see what the implications of this are in the next Guardians film, which is set to debut in 2020. Obviously, Rocket and Groot’s relationship changed since Groot was reborn, morphing from partners in crime to child and parent, or at least care-taker. 

Family dynamics and the struggle of certain relationships has been one of the surprise hallmarks of Gunn’s Guardians film. The first movie was very much about Peter’s relationship with his mother, and Gamora’s relationship with her father, and Vol 2 was obviously about Quill and his dad, Ego, and Yondu.