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    Groot

    Character » Groot appears in 852 issues.

    Groot is an extraterrestrial, sentient tree-like creature, and the monarch of Planet X. He is a founding member of Star-Lord's Guardians of the Galaxy, and is known for his longtime friendship with Rocket Raccoon.

    Short summary describing this character.

    Groot last edited by SlamAdams on 07/21/23 01:32PM View full history

    Origin

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    Groot is an alien known by the Kree as a Floral Colossus. He originated from "Planet X" and it was thought that his species had been extinct. Groot was first seen when he landed on Earth with his spaceship and threatened humanity as one of the Marvel Monsters in the Marvel Age of Monsters. It was his purpose to conquer planet Earth. He used some trees from Earth to become his soldiers. Groot was, however, soon defeated by a clever human which used termites on him. Groot fell to the ground and seemingly perished. He was not heard from for many years after his initial encounter with humanity.

    Creation

    Groot was created by Dick Ayers, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Tales To Astonish 13 (1960). Groot has changed from a (perhaps misunderstood) menace to the Earth to a friendly guardian who protects the innocents. In his first appearances he can speak, but eventually he could only say the words "I am Groot".

    Major Story Arcs

    Revival: Versus the Hulk

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    Eventually, Groot resurfaced when his body was taken by the Collector, a cosmic creature that collected different rare species from the universe. It was he that revived Groot once more. Groot was freed from captivity when the Mole Man used his powers to free the collected creatures from the Collector. This included Groot. Groot roamed the earth for some time and fought against the Incredible Hulk , along with a number of other Marvel Monsters. He was, however, soon defeated and faded into obscurity, not being heard from in a long time.

    The Howling Commandos

    Groot was eventually seen again when he was recruited/apprehended by the Howling Commandos, a division of SHIELD that was a team composed of monster-like heroes. Despite his ability to hide in plain sight by looking like a tree, he was caught because he did not smell like a tree. Groot helped the monster team on a handful of missions. Eventually, Groot was freed from SHIELD custody and returned to Kree space.

    Annihilation Conquest: Becoming a Guardian

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    Some years later, Groot started changing his ways and became a force for good. He joined a team of space superheroes, led by Peter Quill, AKA Starlord. The group went to the planet known as Hala for an apparent suicide-mission to stop a mass-assimilation weapon being developed by the Phalanx Covenant. During this mission, Groot was blown up and seemingly killed, though he was pleased with this outcome as he had surveyed the situation and deemed an honorable death. This was not to be a permanent death, however, as part of Groot survived and caught up to the rest of his team. The twig-size Groot perched on Rocket Raccoon's shoulder for a time in a reversal of roles, as Groot's shoulder or outstretched hand had been Rocket's preferred Gatling gun perch throughout the story up until then. Groot requested moisture and was spat upon by Rocket. Ignoble, but it helped.

    Guardians of the Galaxy

    Groot and his best friend, Rocket Raccoon
    Groot and his best friend, Rocket Raccoon

    Later, restored to full size, Groot again allowed himself to be used for suicide-tactics. He infiltrated a phalanx base and grew his limbs outwards into the base's command center before allowing himself to be blown up; taking the phalanx structure with him. Before he went off to die again, however, Rocket Raccoon had broken off a twig of him in the hopes that they would be able to grow him back again. After this mission, Rocket dutifully watered the Groot twig and in time he does return once more, now to join Starlord's new revamp of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

    Much of Groot's dialogue is merely him saying "I am Groot!" again and again, which, strangely, allows him to function as comic relief. In Guardians of the Galaxy #17, Lord Maximus reveals that while it may sound as if Groot is only able to say "I am Groot!" when in actuality he is saying quite a bit more. He can only say the same phrase because of the condition of his larynx--to truly understand him "you must listen to the sigh of breeze beneath it. The nuance of meaning." Groot is also extremely intelligent with extensive knowledge of quasi-dimensional engineering. With his knowledge, he and Maximus were able to stop Attilan from being consumed by the Fault. After saving Attilan, the team had to face the Fault itself. Adam Warlock was able to stop its expansion by overlapping the timeline with an unused future. But the future he used was the future in which he became the Magus. As the Magus, he immediately attacked the team. Groot tried to help, but the Magus was far too powerful and blew apart one of Groot's arms when he tried to attack.

    In battle with the Magus, many team members were killed, including Groot's friend Mantis. In the end, Starlord was able to revert the Magus back into Adam, but was forced to end his life. The Fault had been stopped from expanding and the Magus defeated, but the cost of the battle was very high. Following the disbanding of the Guardians after the war with the cancerverse, Groot was forced to return to Planet X where it was revealed he was not the true monarch of the planet but one of the younger members of his race. In pretending he was ruler, he was sent into exile to rot on an island far off the planet.

    Planet X

    Rocket and Groot
    Rocket and Groot

    On Planet X, Groot was exiled to a far off island where he was being guarded by "The Cyborg Punishment Birds" (Robotic woodpeckers.) Until his good friend, Rocket Racoon, staged a rescue. During this rescue attempt, the robotic woodpeckers can no longer guarantee Groot's containment, so they unleash the most feared weapon on Planet X, FLAME. Groot is set ablaze right in front of Rocket Raccoon's eyes. It is revealed that Groot did not die because after all of the adventures with the GOG (Guardians of the Galaxy), he has become very good at creating smaller versions of himself or "cuttings". After this, our dynamic duo are rescued by The Undergrowth Resistance of Planet X--a rebel group of small plants, small animals, and fungi trying to win back rights from their Giant Tree Overlords. Groot had been one of their supporters before he joined the GOG.

    Groot then accompanies Rocket to his home planet, Halfworld Asylum for the criminally insane. After Rocket Racoon gains his memories back, the asylum is sent into chaos by Barry Bauman, The Star Thief. Groot pulls Rocket out of a holographic hallucination. It turns out that earlier, Groot had taken the precaution of releasing a cutting of himself upon his initial capture in case of trouble. Groot also uses his Dendronic powers, which allow him to communicate through any trees--even holographic ones. Groot then leads a group of wooden clown security guards, which he has germinated for control, on an assault of the ship's support systems as a distraction for Rocket Racoon. After everything on Halfworld is settled, Groot stays with Rocket Racoon to try and restart the Guardians of the Galaxy.

    Mojo TV

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    Shortly after leaving Halfworld, Rocket and Groot investigated a space pirating operation and after stopping it, found out that they were swept into the interdimensional TV producer Mojo's latest Reality TV idea. Using real life crimes that Rocket Raccoon and Groot would fight, but instead of being the heroes, if an innocent was caught in the crossfire, they would be killed in the process. Now Rocket and Groot seek to stop Mojo but, if their show gets cancelled they will die in the process. As Rocket and Groot moved from one setting to another, Mojo started advertising action figures with a collection pack that allows buyers to assemble their own 12" Groot figure after collecting all five. The demand was so high, Mojo stood to make a fortune until the Timely Inc. Mail Device decided to take his own action in stopping everything and held a very large plasma rifle at Mojo's face. It allowed the reality system to stop just enough for Rocket Raccoon and Groot to leave their fictional landscape and head straight towards Mojo's base.

    Groot Solo

    Groot eventually received his very own ongoing series, in which Groot and Rocket explore the far reaches of the galaxy during their time of with the Guardians of the Galaxy.

    Powers

    Groot is a sentient flora colossus from the Planet X. He has super strength due to his enormous size and was mostly used as a heavy assault trooper by the Guardians of the Galaxy.

    Groot has shown the ability to create multiple miniature copies of himself known as cuttings that retain all his memories and can be used to resurrect himself if he is destroyed. Cuttings can also germinate other plant life forms so Groot can control them.

    Groot can also speak through trees of all forms and has even spoken to Rocket Raccoon through holographic trees that were not even real but just made up in Rocket's head.

    In his first appearances, Groot could speak normally, but later he mostly only says " I am Groot". However, he says this with various inflections, having different meanings.

    Groot has a genius-level intellect.

    Other Media

    Television

    Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
    Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
    • The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes - Groot (and the rest of the Guardians) appeared in the episode "Michael Korvac." Groot was voiced by Troy Baker.
    • Ultimate Spider-Man - Groot and the Guardians appeared in the episode "Guardians of the Galaxy," with Groot voiced by the late Michael Clarke Duncan.
    • Avengers Assemble - Groot appears in the episode "Guardians and Space Knights," where he battles the Hulk. He reappears with the rest of the Guardians in their attempt to steal the Infinity Stones from the Avengers but are ultimately defeated. He later reappears in the fourth season with Rocket, who are trapped on Battleworld in the West. Rocket and Groot both help Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, Loki, Vision, and Wasp defeat the Kree abusers. Rocket and Groot decide to stay in the West, which would be the last time they appear in the show. He was voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan via archived audio recordings. The same technique was used when Groot guest-starred in the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. animated series.
    • Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers - Groot appears alongside the rest of the Guardians, voiced by Masato Funaki.
    • Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Groot appears as a main character, voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.
    • Rocket & Groot - Groot appears along with his buddy Rocket in a series of animated shorts, where the two attempt hair-brained schemes to earn money for a new spaceship.
    • I Am Groot - Baby Groot appears in a series of shorts that are canon to the MCU.
    • Marvel's Spider-Man - Groot appears in the two-part episode "Amazing Friends," where Spider-Man and Ironheart must chase him down after he arrives on Earth with an urgent message from Star-Lord. He was voiced by Connor Andrade.

    Video Games

    Disney Infinity 2.0
    Disney Infinity 2.0
    MVC: Infinite
    MVC: Infinite
    • Groot can be summoned as an assist character for Rocket in Marvel Heroes.
    • Groot appears in Lego Marvel Super Heroes.
    • Groot is a playable character in Marvel Avengers Alliance.
    • Groot is a playable character in Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.
    • Groot is a playable character in Marvel Puzzle Quest.
    • Groot appears as a playable character in Marvel Contest of Champions.
    • Groot appears as a playable character in Marvel Future Fight.
    • Groot is one of the central characters in Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, voiced by Adam Harrington.
    • Groot appears as an assist character for Rocket Raccoon in Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, with Kevin Michael Richardson reprising his role.
    • Groot appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, voiced by Stefan Ashton Frank.
    • Groot appears as a playable character in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, with Adam Harrington reprising his role.
    • Groot was added to the Fortnite battle royale game in 2020.
    • Groot appears in Guardians of the Galaxy, voiced by Robert Montcalm.

    Film

    Groot in the films
    Groot in the films
    • Guardians of the Galaxy - Groot appears in the 2014 film, directed by James Gunn. He is voiced and motion-captured by Vin Diesel. During the climax of the film, Groot is killed after sacrificing himself to save the lives of his teammates during the final battle with .
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Vin Diesel reprises his role as Baby Groot, the son of the original Groot, in the sequel.
    • Avengers: Infinity War - Baby Groot, now grown into a teenage form, appears in the third Avengers movie, once again voiced by Diesel. He and Rocket accompany Thor on a journey to Nidavellir in order to find a weapon powerful enough to kill Thanos, and Groot ultimately provides the wood needed to form the handle for Stormbreaker, Thor's new axe. When Thanos completes the Infinity Gauntlet and uses it to wipe out half of all the universe's sentient life, Groot is one of the many heroes who perishes.
    • Avengers: Endgame - Vin Diesel reprises his role again in the fourth Avengers film. After Groot and the other deceased heroes are resurrected by the Hulk's use of the Infinity Stones, they take part in the final battle against Thanos' army at the ruins of Avengers Compound. Groot reunites with Rocket and fights off the invading aliens. At the end of the film, Groot, Thor and the rest of the Guardians depart Earth to find Gamora.
    • Groot appears in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. He is visibly older and buffer. He conspires with the other Guardians to life Quill's spirits by approximating a Christmas celebration like the ones Quill used to have back on Earth. Vin Diesel returns to voice him.
    • Groot appears in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the third installment in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and director James Gunn's final MCU film. Vin Diesel reprises the voice once again. Groot displays some new abilities, including a "kaiju" form where he stretches his vines to make himself look bigger. He also smuggles a number of guns under his bark. By the end of the movie, Groot speaks a line in English. As confirmed by James Gunn, the secret to Grootspeak is emotionally connecting to Groot, signifying that the audience is now part of Groot's language inner circle.

    Merchandise

    Marvel Legends
    Marvel Legends
    • Groot received a bobblehead in Funko's Pop! line.
    • Groot was featured as part of a Marvel Legends box set featuring the comic versions of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
    • Hasbro released a large number of Groot products for the Guardians of the Galaxy movie line. Groot was the subject of his own Build-a-Figure Marvel Legends wave. The Groot Build-a-Figure was later rereleased as a Toys R Us exclusive to coincide with the release of the second film.
    • Groot was featured in Diamond Collectibles' Marvel Select line.
    • Hot Toys released a Groot figure inspired by his appearance from the movie. The company would subsequently release Groot figures for the second Guardians movie and Avengers: Infinity War.
    • Groot was included in Lego's Guardians of the Galaxy movie line, as well as the company's lines for the sequel and Avengers: Infinity War.
    • Kotobukiya released a statue of Rocket and Groot.
    • Baby Groot was heavily featured in the toylines for Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 and Avengers: Infinity War from Hasbro.
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