The initial view that regeneration can be a continuum in terms of regulatory mechanisms is gradually changing and recent evidence points towards the presence of discrete regulatory steps and intermediate phases. Furthermore, regeneration presents an excellent example of a process generating order and pattern, i.e., a self-organization process. Hence, it is likely that the process traverses a set of intermediate phases before reaching an endpoint. Although some progress has been made in deciphering the identity of these intermediate phases, a lot more work is needed to derive a comprehensive and complete picture. Here, we discuss the intermediate developmental phases in plant regeneration and compare with the possible intermediate developmental phases in animal regeneration.