Groot (Earth-199999)

Groot is the name of two Flora colossi associated with the Guardians of the Galaxy. The original Groot was a bounty hunter and best friend of Rocket, and gave his life in the 2014 battle of Xandar to protect the other Guardians in their formative moments. Rocket recovered a stick from Groot's remains and planted it in a flower pot, sprouting a new, baby Groot. Both incarnations of Groot speak/spoke almost entirely in different intonations of the phrase "I am Groot," which generally only Rocket is able to understand.

Biography

Groot (elder)

Bounty hunter

In mid-2014, Rocket and Groot took on a bounty on Paramatar, but Rocket soon became the object of a bounty himself. It turned out that the bounty had been put out by another bounty hunter who had grown tired of the two claiming all the bounties themselves. Groot intimidated the hunter into dropping the bounty, and the two went about their business. Around the same time, the two found themselves short on cash, barely able to land and dock at the Hub, and unable to afford refueling. They were approached by a Stygian named Sqqd'li, who offered them an "import" job on behalf of his boss, Zade Scraggot. Scraggot required a case that was being heavily guarded in the Hub's Uptown. The two successfully retrieved the case under much gunfire, claiming a couple of other confiscated devices along the way. Returning the case to Sqqd'li, they found that it contained a few live Scalluscs, the shells of which Scraggot sought to use for decoration. One of the Scalluscs begged Rocket and Groot to save its family, and the two realized the truth of the situation. Groot knocked out Sqqd'li, Rocket robbed him of the agreed-upon payment, and they took the Scalluscs with them to find their proper home. Scraggot didn't take kindly to this and soon tracked down the two, but they were able to fight him off and escape. They agreed to bring the Scalluscs back to their homeworld for payment.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Rocket and Groot soon found themselves on Xandar, attempting to claim a 40,000-unit bounty for the capture of a human named Peter Quill, posted by Yondu Udonta of the Ravagers. Unbeknownst to them, Quill was in possession of a mysterious artifact known as the Orb, and had a significant target on his back irrespective of the bounty as a result. As Rocket and Groot pursued him, Quill was attacked by Gamora, whom Rocket recognized as the adoptive daughter of Thanos. Gamora had been sent by Ronan the Accuser to claim the Orb as part of an arrangement between Thanos and Ronan, but in fact Gamora intended to betray them both and sell it to the Collector. Ronan aimed to hand the Orb off to Thanos in exchange for assistance in destroying the people of Xandar in his cultural crusade against them. As Gamora and Quill fought over the Orb, and Rocket and Groot attempted to secure their bounty, all four were apprehended by the Nova Corps and sent to the Kyln for imprisonment.

Not long after being incarcerated, Gamora was cornered by a group of prisoners determined to kill her for Ronan's many horrible crimes against the galaxy—Quill and Rocket fearfully observed as a hulking humanoid named Drax stopped the criminals from harming her, and demanded that he be the one to kill her instead to get revenge for Ronan killing his wife and daughter. In the confusion, Gamora gained the upper hand and explained that she was "no family to Ronan or Thanos." Quill intervened and convinced Drax that the best way to get revenge on Ronan was to wait for him to come back for Gamora and kill him then. Later, the four agreed to retrieve the Orb, escape the Kyln (using Rocket's expertise in the subject, having escaped 22 prior prisons), and sell it to Gamora's buyer and split the profits for one billion units each. Quill also made a deal with Drax to assist in their escape as a means of getting closer to Ronan. As Rocket concocted an escape plan, Groot unwittingly jumpstarted the process, forcing the five of them to fight their way out. They retrieved their belongings, but Quill noticed that his treasured Walkman and cassette tape belonging to his mother were nowhere to be found. He insisted the rest keep going and wait for him. He feigned giving the Orb to Gamora, but kept it himself in case they left without him. He was able to retrieve the Walkman from a guard enjoying his music, and joined the others in his ship the Milano for a safe escape. The militant, literally minded Drax was impressed by Quill's spirit. With that, the five made their way toward Gamora's buyer—Drax had no interest in money, and agreed to let the other four split the prize.

They arrived at Knowhere, the colossal severed head of a Celestial that had become a makeshift world and mining colony. They were to meet with a representative of her buyer, who was taking their time arriving. To pass the time, the five waited at a drinking and gambling establishment, where Drax, Rocket, and Groot entertained themselves and Quill spoke with Gamora privately. Rocket and Drax both became intoxicated Rocket threatened to blast him in the face with a large gun, fed up with being treated like a "rodent" or "vermin." Quill convinced him to hold off for one more night for the sake of a billion units, and Rocket begrudgingly agreed. For his part, Drax stomped away, annoyed at not getting his hands on Ronan yet. Moments later, they were approached by a Krylorian named Carina, who invited Gamora to meet with her master, the Collector.

The four arrived at the Collector's chambers, filled with an array of exhibits and displays of rare and fantastic items and creatures. Quill handed him the Orb, and the Collector explained to them at last what it was. He told them the history of the Infinity Stones: six small "ingots" formed out of the six singularities that created the universe. They wield immense power, capable of destroying civilizations in moments—but this power is also an extreme danger to its wielder, demanding one of great strength to avoid getting destroyed themselves. The Orb was simply a container to one of the Infinity Stones, the purple Power Stone. As the Collector arranged payment, Carina saw an opportunity to escape his enslavement and grabbed hold of the Power Stone. As the others fled, she set off a huge explosion, killing herself in the process. Gamora managed to get around the wreckage and reenclose the Stone in the Orb and take it back. She argued that they should give the Orb to the Nova Corps, who would be able to store it safely. Quill was reluctant to acquiesce to this plan, given that they were fugitives from the Nova Corps. He instead suggested selling it to a benevolent third party, disgusting Gamora with his lack of honor.

While the others were with the Collector, Drax forcefully took hold of a radio dispatch nearby and remotely challenged Ronan to battle him. As Quill and Gamora argued, Ronan’s fleet, including Gamora's adoptive sister Nebula, arrived on Knowhere, as did a group of Ravagers led by Yondu. Quill, Gamora, and Rocket commandeered and escaped in one-person flying pods—Groot was too big to fit, and Rocket said he’d come back for him. Meanwhile, Drax engaged Ronan, eager for his revenge. Ronan effortlessly defeated Drax in hand-to-hand combat, claiming no memory of killing his family and dumping his unconscious body ignobly in a vat of yellow liquid to drown. Groot recovered and revived him as Rocket landed back on the ground. Rocket chastised Drax for trying to take on Ronan’s army. Drax was deeply regretful, calling himself a fool for trying to use rage to cover up his loss. Rocket informed them that Ronan had claimed the Power Stone and the Ravagers had abducted Quill and Gamora. He told Groot that their only chance now that Ronan had the Power Stone was to get as far away as possible. Groot had more compassion, and he and Drax insisted that they try to save Quill and Gamora. By the time they arrived at the Ravager ship in the Milano, however, Quill had arrived at an arrangement with Yondu and the others to team up and steal the Power Stone from Ronan. Yondu had been inclined to kill Quill straight away, but Quill and Gamora convinced him to help them steal the Power Stone from Ronan, using Gamora’s inside knowledge to make an otherwise impossible task feasible. Yondu was impressed with Quill’s guts and agreed.

Upon hearing the plan, Rocket was concerned at the idea of giving the Power Stone to Yondu, who was liable to sell it to someone "even worse" than Ronan—Quill said they would figure it out when the time came. Quill and the others realized that assaulting Ronan and his forces amounted to a suicide mission, but with a rousing speech he galvanized their loyalty and will. Together they came up with a thorough plan to storm Ronan's Dark Aster mothership alongside the Ravagers, defeat him and retrieve the Power Stone, preventing him from reaching the surface of Xandar and using the Stone to destroy all life on the planet. Quill also sent a message to a Nova Corps officer who arrested him previously and asked for help from the people of Xandar in the coming battle. Quill's request was a success, as the leaders of Xandar rallied their forces for war and evacuated the people below.

Before long, the assembled forces arrived in the Xandarian atmosphere to counter Ronan's Kree forces, initiating a vast battle in the air. Quill, Gamora, Drax, and Groot boarded the Dark Aster via the Milano while Rocket continued to fight in the sky. Gamora ran into and battled her sister Nebula while the others fought through Ronan's forces at large. Gamora knocked Nebula through a hole in the ship—as she hung by her cybernetic hand, Gamora implored her to help them defeat Ronan, but Nebula refused, breaking off her hand and escaping in a smaller ship below. The four soon arrived at Ronan's throne room, where he stood with the Power Stone installed in his Cosmi-Rod. Quill fired at him with Rocket's powerful, self-made Hadron Enforcer, but the might of the Power Stone protected him. Moments later, Rocket crashed into the hall in the Milano, plowing directly into Ronan and causing the Dark Aster to begin plummeting to the surface. Amidst the rubble, Groot enveloped his friends in a thick ball of roots and branches, sacrificing himself to protect them in the crash. Rocket pleaded with him not to do it, but Groot simply responded, "We are Groot."

Thanks to Groot, the Guardians survived the crash. Ronan did as well, but Quill was able to outwit him and claim the Power Stone. Joining hands with the other Guardians, Quill used the Power Stone to vaporize Ronan once and for all. The Guardians were commended by the Nova Corps for protecting Xandar, and handed off the Power Stone (in a new, Orb-like container) to them for safe keeping.

Groot (younger)

As Rocket grieved his great friend, he recovered a stick from Groot's remains and planted it in a flower pot, causing a new "baby Groot" to grow in short order. The young Groot showed an immediate inclination toward music, dancing, and overall jovialty.

See also

• Groot of Earth-616