Groot

"I am Groot!"

- Groot

Groot is a sentient, tree-like individual and frequent accomplice of intergalactic criminal Rocket Raccoon. Together, the pair travelled the galaxy picking up bounties until they met Star-Lord, Gamora and Drax on Xandar and subsequently were captured and put in the Kyln who then convinced them to assist him to sell the Orb for a massive profit. However as it was discovered that the Orb contained one of the Infinity Stones which was being sought out by Ronan the Accuser, Groot convinced his friends to risk everything to stop Ronan's plans to destroy Xandar and enslave the world. During the battle, Groot sacrificed his own life to save his new friends. However part of his destroyed body was planted by Rocket who regrew a new Groot, now called Baby Groot, as they joined the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Criminal Record
Groot is a hyper-intelligent, tree-like organism from the species Flora colossus native to the planet X. While he possesses human level intellect, Groot's robust and heavyweight physiology causes the organs of his acoustic generation to become stiff and inflexible, rendering the limits of his speech to the simple phrase, "I am Groot." Groot's extensive Nova Corps criminal record includes 3 counts of grievous bodily harm, 15 counts of escape from incarceration and 3 counts of mercenary activity.

Deals at the Hub
Groot was the frequent partner-in-crime of Rocket Raccoon. One of their adventures saw them travel to The Hub, where the duo rescued a family of sentient Scalluscs from the Stygian crime-lord Zade Scraggot, who was planning on harvesting the shells of the hapless snail-like creatures to use as tiles for his bathroom. Groot and Rocket had originally been hired by Sqqd'li, under the orders of his employer, the crime-lord Zade Scraggot, to acquire the Scalluscs for Scraggot, but upon learning the nature of their cargo and their intended fate, and that the Scalluscs could out-pay Scraggot, Groot and Rocket chose to rescue them from the crime-lord instead.

Skirmish with Star-Lord
"What the hell?" "Groot. He's been travelling recently as 89P13's personal houseplant/muscle."

- Garthan Saal and Rhomann Dey

Groot travelled to Xandar with Rocket seeking bounties to capture. It didn't take long for Rocket to locate Peter Quill, who had a 40,000 Unit bounty on his head. While Rocket excitedly informed Groot of the find, Groot distracted himself by drinking fountain water, much to Rocket's frustration. Rocket and Groot set about capturing Quill, while also fighting off Gamora, who was attempting to steal the Orb from Quill. In a prolonged fight, Gamora cut off Groot's arms, Quill defeated Gamora and Rocket shocked Quill to submission using his Laser Cannon. However, all four were soon arrested by the Nova Corps and brought to the Kyln.

The Kyln
"I’ll split the profit between the three of us." "I am Groot." "Four of us. Asleep for the danger, awake for the money, as per frickin’ usual!"

- Gamora, Groot and Rocket Raccoon

The four were taken away by the Nova Corps and held for a time as Denarian Garthan Saal was briefed on their crimes by Rhomann Dey. With his arm's almost grown back by this point, Groot posed for his picture and tried to get a look at the Nova Corpsmen assessing him. Once the four arrived at the Kyln, they soon established themselves as a team not to be messed with when Groot pushed his fingers inside the nose of the biggest inmate in the prison, causing him considerable pain. Groot, Rocket Raccoon and Peter Quill were forced to sleep in a large room with most of the other inmates; however, Groot was so comfortable there that he slept through an incident where Gamora was nearly assassinated by Drax the Destroyer, only to be saved by Quill.

Escape from the Kyln
"Prisoner, drop the device immediately and retreat to your cell, or we will open fire." "I am Groot!"

- Watchtower Guard and Groot

Afterwards, Groot and Rocket joined forces with Peter Quill, Gamora, and Drax to make their escape, becoming the Guardians of the Galaxy. One of Groot's actions was particularly frustrating to Rocket when, as Rocket was discussing the escape plan to Quill and Gamora, Groot initiated the escape attempt without warning. During the escape, he aided the other Guardians by extending himself and allowing them to climb him.

Meeting the Collector
"What is that thing there?" "I am Groot." "I never thought I'd meet a Groot. Sir, you must allow me to pay you now so that I may own your carcass. At the moment of your death, of course."

- Collector and Groot

When the Guardians traveled to Knowhere and met some begging children, Groot grew a flower out of his hand and gave it to a little girl. They gambled and drank in the Boot of Jemiah, and Groot got in a fight with Drax after he insulted Rocket, though Quill calmed them down before they could kill each other. They visited Taneleer Tivan, who was very interested in Groot and requested to study his carcass when he died, to which Groot agreed. Tivan revealed that the Orb contained an Infinity Stone, which prompted his assistant Carina to grab it in an attempt to escape from slavery. This caused a massive explosion which devastated the museum, but the Guardians managed to escape unscathed.

Skirmish on Knowhere
"I am Groot." "Save them? How?" "I am Groot." "I know they're the only friends that we ever had, but there's an army of Ravagers around them. And there's only two of us!"

- Groot and Rocket Raccoon

When Ronan the Accuser arrived after Drax drew him out with a transmission, Gamora attempted to escape with the Orb. Her adoptive sister Nebula chased after her with a group of Sakaarans. Quill and Rocket went to aid her, with Rocket telling Groot to stay behind as he was too big to fit in one of the aircrafts. Groot revived Drax after he was defeated by Ronan in single combat. Rocket returned and told them that Quill and Gamora had been captured by the Ravagers and that Ronan had the Orb. He berated Drax for putting them in danger, making mocking remarks about the deaths of Drax's wife and daughter, which shocked Groot. Rocket said that he did not care how mean it was, as Drax's thirst for revenge was no excuse for getting them all killed. Rocket urged Groot that they should get to the other side of the universe in case there was the slightest chance Ronan would not find them. Groot insisted that they rescue Quill and Gamora, as they were the only friends they had ever had. Drax agreed and Rocket reluctantly gave in.

Forming a Team
"I am Groot." "They are ungrateful!"

- Groot and Rocket Raccoon

The three flew the Milano to the Eclector and threatened to blow it up with the Hadron Enforcer if the Ravagers did not hand over Quill and Gamora, but Quill let them know just in time that they had come to terms with the Ravagers. Quill and Gamora criticised the others for almost blowing them up, leading Groot to call them ungrateful. When Rocket belittled Quill for not having a plan, Groot stuck up for Quill. Quill thanked him and told the others that Groot was the only one of them who had a clue, before Groot began eating a leaf that had sprouted from his shoulder. The Guardians and the Ravagers came up with a battle plan and traveled to Xandar.

Battle of Xandar
"Where did you learn to do that?" "I'm pretty sure the answer is "I am Groot.""

- Drax the Destroyer and Star-Lord

Along with the Ravagers and the Nova Corps, the Guardians helped to defend Xandar from Ronan's army. The Guardians infiltrated the Dark Aster and Groot guided them through the darkness by creating bio-luminous spores. He aided Quill and Drax in a battle against Korath the Pursuer and a group of Sakaarans, grabbing several Sakaarans at once with his tendrils and slamming them repeatedly into the walls.

Saving Friends
"We are Groot."

- Groot, making his sacrifice

During the battle with Ronan, the Dark Aster was badly damaged when Rocket crashed the Milano into it and it began to fall out of the sky. Groot sacrificed himself by forming his body into a protective crash sphere to save the other Guardians, allowing them to survive a crash from low orbit, but shattering him in the process. Rocket begged him not to do it, and Groot wiped a tear away from Rocket's face and said "We are Groot". Rocket was devastated by the loss of his friend.

Regrowth
Rocket retrieved and planted a pre-arranged cutting from his body, which slowly began to grow into a new body. Having grown a bit bigger, Groot began to dance to "" by The Jackson 5 behind Drax, freezing whenever Drax looked his way.

Personality
Groot is usually very gentle and warm, displaying kindness towards innocent life. His child-like personality often causes him to be distracted and simple-minded, such as by water fountain that he kept drinking from in public while Rocket was trying to talk to him and then trying to deny it. He tends to not listen to plans and goes off to tackle threats on his own, such as when he wandered off from Rocket to remove a power source in the Kyln without listening to the full plan and missing the fact that it needed to be taken last. During intense or serious situations, Groot is sometimes smiling gleeful, such as when he and Rocket where trying to abduct Peter Quill on Xandar or after impaling several Sakaarans on his vines and angrily thrashing them around a hallway for several seconds. He is loyal to Rocket and the other Guardians, and was even willing to die to protect them, as shown in the Battle of Xandar. However, he can also be merciless and savagely brutal towards his enemies, especially if they threaten his friends.

Powers

 * Superhuman Strength: Groot is capable of great feats of strength, from breaking sturdy metal items to fighting other super strong opponents to lifting and flailing around ten armored warriors with comparative ease.
 * Enhanced Speed: Despite his large size, Groot is remarkably quick and limber. He was able to quickly grab Rocket and escape Collector's Museum, dodging the explosion caused by an Infinity Stone.
 * Superhuman Durability: The skin of Groot is composed entirely of a dense and durable wood, thus allowing him to easily sustain large amounts of damage from firearms, melee weapons and explosions. He can easily hold against several blows of Gamora's sword, various shots of the Kyln Drones, multiple punches from Drax, and Sakaarans' attacks.
 * Elasticity: Groot can extend any part of his body to make himself longer. He can make himself taller and extend his fingers and arms.
 * Flower Generation: Groot is able to grow flowers out of his palm.
 * Body Manipulation: Groot has the ability to change his physical form, and shape his body in various ways. He can also manipulate his body to form organic constructs that he uses as tools or weapons.
 * Branch Shield: Groot can coat his arms in a shell seemingly composed entirely of twigs. The resulting shield is bulletproof. To save the Guardians when the Dark Aster fell, Groot shaped his whole body into a massive sphere. The sphere was able to save the lives of the Guardians, although it was completely destroyed along with Groot's body.
 * Vine Tentacles: Groot is able to create and manipulate many vine-like appendages to interact with objects or people. While attempting to capture Star-Lord, he used several of these appendages to hold Gamora. He also used them to try to stifle Drax, but they were quickly destroyed.
 * Twig Spikes: Groot can briefly grow rows of sharp twigs. He used one of these spikes to pierce Drax's chest, giving him a hole to breathe through.
 * Light Generation: Groot is able to emit spores that provide light. He uses this in order for he and the Guardians to see in the Dark Aster.
 * Regenerative Healing Factor: Groot's biology is made up entirely of plant-like tissues, granting him highly developed regenerative abilities. He can regrow lost limbs in a few hours. In combat, Groot's advanced regeneration gives him the ability to survive almost any attack. His body can immediately heal sustained damage, which, in combination with his rapid growth, makes him extremely difficult to kill.
 * Rebirth: Should he be destroyed, he can be "reborn" from a tiny twig of himself. After placing him in a pot and watering him regularly, he can rapidly grow himself back.
 * Longevity: Groot's species are capable of living for centuries.

Abilities

 * Combatant: Groot is able to fight multiple Sakaarans at once with ease.

Allies

 * Guardians of the Galaxy - Teammates
 * Peter Quill/Star-Lord - Leader
 * Drax the Destroyer
 * Rocket Raccoon - Partner and Best Friend
 * Gamora
 * Mantis
 * Nova Corps
 * Garthan Saal †
 * Rhomann Dey
 * Irani Rael
 * Tibius Lark - Associate

Enemies

 * Ronan the Accuser †
 * Thanos
 * Nebula
 * Korath the Pursuer †

Trivia

 * In the comics, Groot is the monarch of his X|home planet and his full title is "His Divine Majesty King Groot the 23rd, Monarch of Planet X, custodian of the branch worlds, ruler of all the shades", and the first alien to visit Earth as depicted in the mainstream Marvel Universe chronology.
 * Groot first appeared in Tales to Astonish 13, cover-dated November, 1960, and was written by Stan Lee and drawn by the legendary Jack Kirby-- a full year before the duo officially started the Marvel Universe with the release of Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961. In this first appearance, he was fully capable of human speech.
 * Sixth only to Thor, Patsy Walker, Jeffrey Mace, Captain America and the original Human Torch, Groot is one of the oldest Marvel superheroes to be depicted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
 * Groot's nickname as “” by Peter Quill is an allusion to a classic children’s book by.
 * Groot is the only member of the Guardians of the Galaxy to never interact directly with Ronan in the film.
 * In the first official trailer of "Guardians of the Galaxy", Groot was referenced in the Nova Corps database as a "humanoid plant inhabitant of Taluhnia".
 * In the comics Groot can speak perfect English, unlike his movie counterpart.
 * His best friend is Rocket Raccoon.

Behind the Scenes

 * James Gunn provided the motion capture for Groot when he dances in the pre-credits scene.
 * Vin Diesel recorded the line "I am Groot" multiple times for the film, using different intonations, inflections and moods to portray Groot. He even repeated the process in multiple languages so that his voice would be the one used in most translations of the film.
 * Many viewers have drawn similarities between the film's portrayal of Groot and the titular character from the 1999 film , mainly due to both characters being portrayed by Vin Diesel and their supposed sacrifices in the films' climaxes, before revealing their survivals at the end of the movie.