Television Cartoon Shows
One fun aspect of Marvel’s “What If…?” is that some actors from the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s live-action films return to voice their characters in animation. Other roles are recast, and the identity of the replacement actor can be a bit of a guessing game, especially when a character only says three words.
Vin Diesel voices Groot in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, but Fred Tatasciore plays the anthropomorphic tree in “What If…?” Season 2, Episode 1 — “What If… Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?” Tatasciore is a prolific voiceover artist with hundreds of credits across movies, TV shows, and video games. And Groot isn’t his first time within the MCU, as he voiced various characters, including Drax and Volstagg, in “What If…?” Season 1.
After portraying several characters across his career, it isn’t surprising that Tatasciore can pull off a pretty convincing Groot. Plus, he only says, “I am Groot,” in the episode, so it’s natural if audiences didn’t realize there was a change. Perhaps this won’t be the last time the voice actor plays the role, depending on how certain news stories play out.
Disturbing allegations may spell the end of Vin Diesel voicing Groot in the MCU
On December 21, sexual battery allegations against Vin Diesel came to light. A lawsuit was filed, and the story remains ongoing as of this writing. But depending on how everything shakes out, Diesel’s time in the MCU and his career as an actor in general could come to a screeching halt.
However, the Groot recasting for “What If…?” Season 2 is unrelated to the accusations. “What If… Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?” came out a day after the Diesel news story broke, meaning Tatasciore would’ve recorded his lines well before then. After all, several characters featured on “What If…?” have different actors. A good example is Lake Bell voicing Black Widow across many episodes, taking over for Scarlett Johansson. Executive producer Brad Winderbaum explained some MCU actors didn’t return for “What If…?” so the animated series could stand on its own merits and not wholly rely on famous voices.
No matter what happens with the Vin Diesel lawsuit, Groot may not have much presence in the franchise from now on. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” wrapped up many of those characters’ arcs. There’s a chance live-action Groot could appear in a team-up project like “Avengers: Secret Wars” down the line, and if Marvel doesn’t want Diesel back, Fred Tatasciore has already proven to be adept in the role.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
News Related