Exclusive 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' art shows how the sequel's scene-stealing Baby Groot opening came to life

• Marvel released an official history of the MCU on Tuesday called "The Story of Marvel Studios."
• Insider exclusively reveals "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" artwork from the 512-page book.

Marvel Studios just released a massive collector's item any MCU fan will want to feast their eyes on.

"The Story of Marvel Studios," out now, contains previously unpublished behind-the-scenes photos, archival production material, and personal photos from cast and crew.

Insider is exclusively debuting two pieces of art from the two book set, featuring artwork from "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2."

The above artwork by Marvel artist Andy Park features the Guardians going up against the Abilisk at the start of the film.

One of the many cool items in the 512-page book is an early storyboard showing how the opening sequence of "GotG Vol. 2" came together as Baby Groot is introduced for the first time and navigates avoiding the giant Abilisk. As he starts the film's opening music, he begins dancing around, and running to various members of the Guardians.

Here's how it plays out in the final film:

You'll notice the bottom row of storyboard images show Baby Groot interacting with Star-Lord, something that doesn't occur in the final film's opening sequence.

Director James Gunn acted out the dance choreography for the young sapling.

We were mostly surprised to see the storyboard was by Jonathan Bach and not Gunn himself, who sketches out his scripts.

"The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe," written by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry, is the first fully authorized history of the MCU that's told by its producers, directors, writers, artists, cast, and crew in over 200 interviews.

The book also includes a foreword from Marvel Studios' president Kevin Feige, an afterword from Tony Stark himself, Robert Downey Jr., and a dedication to "Black Panther" actor Chadwick Boseman, who died in 2020 at the age of 43.

You can find a copy of it here.