Ironically enough, while 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy had plenty of screentime for Marvel’s big bad Thanos (along with the introduction of an Infinity Stone), many fans couldn’t shake the feeling that the film was incredibly far removed from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Given that they’re called the Guardians of the Galaxy, and given that the film is a tonal entity in and of itself, it wasn’t a one hundred percent deal that they would be crossing over with the Avengers in the next film. Luckily for us, a few months back, actor Vin Diesel all but confirmed that the team would be joining Tony Stark, Cap, and the rest in the big teamup flick Avengers: Infinity War.

Given the long list of quirky characters in both the Avengers and the Guardians, fans would have a lot to look forward to in terms of interactions between these big personalities. As of right now, imagining Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark go verbal fisticuffs with Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord is only the stuff fan fiction, but these aren’t the only two fans are looking to go head to head. Imagine one angry green monster throwing down with one giant tree, and you’ve taken fan fiction to a whole new level.

Well, from the sounds of it, we won’t have to imagine that for very long.

Speaking with Screen Junkies at Sao Paulo’s Comic Con Experience convention, Diesel — who is the voice of Groot and Baby Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, respectively — answered the call of fandom, and pretty much confirmed that Hulk and Groot would duke it out in the future.

“I know somewhere in the universe you’re going to see Groot and Hulk battle,” said Diesel. “You can write it [down] somewhere. You’re going to see that poster, Groot vs. Hulk.”

Of course, Guardians of the Galaxy fans know that the first film left Groot a little worse for wear (read: dead), and he has since re-grown into the highly marketable Baby Groot. The idea of seeing Baby Groot take on Hulk isn’t quite as satisfying as seeing a fully grown Groot fight Hulk, so this does bring into question: how quickly will Baby Groot grow?

Well, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has pretty much set the precedent that each film takes place in real time. In essence, they take place around the time the films are released — meaning that the gap in the release between Avengers and Iron Man 3 is how long it’s been in the actual timeline. Barring any Doctor Strange-esque timeline anomalies, that would seem to imply that should the Guardians show up in Avengers: Infinity War, it will have taken place about a year after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. While I can’t imagine Groot growing to full size by then, he’ll likely be a decent size — and given his abilities, he could still prove a more than formidable foe for the Jolly Green Giant. Of course, it’s also possible that Guardians 2 takes place much sooner after the first one than the standard timeline would indicate, but we’ll have to wait and see if this issue is ever addressed.

What do you think of Diesel’s comments? Are you excited to see Hulk and Groot take each other on? Let us know your thoughts down below!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters on May 5, 2017.

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SOURCE: Screen Junkies (via CBR)