Hailing from the Branch Worlds’ Planet X, Groot is part of a species called Groot, so his name is also the title of his taxonomic classification. From the time he was a sapling, Groot was destined to protect the rights of the downtrodden. He campaigned for the Undergrowth, anthropomorphic animals and fungi who helped maintain Planet X’s ecosystem by performing menial tasks. Groot’s noble campaign drew the rancor of the other Groots and he ended up leaving his home world.
He first visited Earth in 1960 where he met the scientist Leslie Evans, telling her (he could speak normally at the time) that he was the king of Planet X and intended to abduct humans for experiments. Proving himself impervious to human-made weapons, Groot sealed off Leslie’s hometown by using psychokinetically controlled trees. Leslie, however, had a trick up her sleeve with specially-bred termites that ate up his innards, seemingly killing him. Nevertheless, he survived and found himself in the monster collection of Taneleer Tivan (AKA the Collector), which was kept underneath Canada. After escaping with other creatures, Groot rampaged across New York City before being stopped by the Hulk, the Thing, Giant-Man, and Beast.
Groot’s abilities are all-natural and stem from the dendronic wood that makes up his entire body. The extraterrestrial bark he was born with makes him invulnerable to most projectiles and even fire. He can control all plant life via psychokinesis, absorbing it into his body and making himself stronger. He can also extend his limbs and shoot vines from them to wrap around objects and enemies. Should something destroy his body, he can regenerate as long as fragments (i.e. twigs, leaves, etc.) remain. As long as they are properly replanted, they will grow into new Groots that retain all of his memories.
At full height, he can reach 23 feet tall and weigh 8,000 pounds. Thanks to his super strength and knowledge of quasi-dimensional engineering, this Guardian is a formidable adversary for any Super Villain threatening the universe. Don’t let his lumbering gait fool you—he’s actually one of the cleverest of the Guardians. While he can only say “I Am Groot,” Groot can convey meaning by different sighs and breezes beneath his words, something that Maximus discovered and relayed to Rocket. The reason for these three words is due to a genetic disorder of Groot’s people that cause the larynx to tighten, severely limiting his speech. Telepaths like Jean Grey of the X-Men are able to look into his mind and realize the full, vast intelligence that lies within.
When it comes to foes, Groot doesn’t have particular arch rivals; his enemies are those that engage in conflict with the Guardians of the Galaxy.
As a member of the group, he has fought against the Negative Zone outlaw Blastaar, the Living Bomb-¬Burst, the reptilian Badoon, the semi-humanoid Shi’ar, and, of course, the Mad Titan known as Thanos.
Groot is best known for his place in the Guardians of the Galaxy, but he also once tried (and failed) to be a nanny for Luke Cage and Jessica Jones.
height
23' (variable)
weight
4.1 tons (variable)
gender
Male
eyes
Yellow
hair
None
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Other Aliases
Education
Place of Origin
Identity
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Group Affiliation
Sadly, Groot would be imprisoned in the Negative Zone and on Monster Island. He escaped once more, but found himself tracked and captured by the Howling Commandos, a group he would later join. After helping them defeat Merlin, he returned to space and got snatched by the Kree, but not before he left part of himself on Earth to grow into a new Groot. When the techno-organic Phalanx invaded Kree territory, Groot joined up with a ragtag group of Kree-held prisoners and went on a sabotage mission to Phalanx-occupied space. He became close to Rocket Raccoon right away. This group would later become the Guardians of the Galaxy, founded by Peter Quill to protect against future galactic threats. Groot ended up sacrificing himself in order to destroy one of their enemies, but Rocket kept a twig so that his buddy could regrow. The Guardians would care for the baby Groot until he could reach his full size again. By the time he was fully grown, Groot joined Rocket in a splinter hero group after they learned Quill had manipulated them.
During his hero work, Groot helped prevent a cybernetic monster from attacking the Spartoi’s Benthus Colony, as well as working with Maximus to stop the destruction of the Atillan, home of the Inhumans. By the time he’d joined the Guardians, Groot’s ambitions for galactic control had been replaced by a desire to do right. His stint on Earth with Leslie Evans might have just been a nightmare.
Later on, he returned home to Planet X only to be imprisoned on the Isle of Punishment for impersonating the planet’s monarch and 18 other offenses. It seemed word of his time with Leslie got back to the other Groots. His sentence was handed down by the true leader, King Groot XXCVII. However, Groot was given a full pardon after helping defeat a clown-based hit squad and preventing a forest fire from decimating the planet’s wood-skinned citizens.
Groot was separated from Rocket during an intergalactic road trip and helped save the universe from a cosmic storm by teaming up with Dawn Greenwood and the Silver Surfer in Groot #3. The hero assembled his own ragtag group of aliens to help rescue Rocket from Eris, Goddess of Discord. Unfortunately, Rocket got a little power hungry and established himself as Lord Rakzoon.
Later, a smaller-than-normal Groot is sucked into a wormhole and separated from the rest of the Guardians. Finding himself billions of miles away on an unknown planet, he must find his way back to them.