A number of actors have played their respective characters throughout the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Of course, there are other MCU stars that have been replaced on occasion. Now one such MCU actor has just been replaced by Marvel Studios.
In the world of movies, changes are almost inevitable – especially in an interconnected universe such as the MCU. Marvel Studios has been known to replace some of its actors for a variety of reasons – whether it be creative differences, scheduling conflicts or other unforeseen circumstances. It is currently unclear which reason the latest change falls under.
Actor Vin Diesel has been the voice of Groot ever since 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. This included this year’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 and the second season of the animated spin-off series I Am Groot. And, considering the character’s range of dialogue, it can be surprising that Vin Diesel reprised his role for these different iterations.
Nevertheless, it looks like he finally handed the role off to someone else. Groot appeared in the first episode of the Disney Plus series What If…? Season 2, albeit with a different actor credited for portraying the voice. This marks the first time that actor Vin Diesel has been replaced as the voice of Groot for the MCU.
Fred Tatisciore has been credited as the voice actor, stepping into the shoes previously filled by Vin Diesel. It marks an unprecedented change as it’s the first instance where Diesel has not lent his voice to the character.
Although it might not have been surprising to see Groot recast for the animated series, it is strange considering that Vin Diesel did return for Marvel’s other animated series, I Am Groot. Additionally, with a number of other live-action Guardians of the Galaxy stars returning to voice their respective roles in the animated series, it’s unknown why Vin Diesel didn’t do the same.
On that note, it wasn’t exactly a leading role. Perhaps Diesel was fine with reprising the role for his own animated series, but there was no point in coming back for a quick spot on What If…?. And while many of his co-stars did return for the animated offering, there are plenty of other MCU stars that have been replaced with soundalikes to make the series work.
Fans can currently stream the new season of What If…? on Disney Plus.