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.
Lending a Limb
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.
Bad Buds
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.
Arboreal Allies
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.