Groot

Groot XXCVII is a Flora colossus from Planet X, a towering tree-like extraterrestrial who debuted in the Silver Age as a monstrous invader. A member of the Arbor Masters, he later became one of Marvel's most beloved cosmic heroes.

Few Modern Age characters have taken root quite like Groot, who burst onto the scene in 2008's Annihilation: Conquest #2 courtesy of Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Tom Raney, and has been growing ever since across an impressive 157 catalog appearances spanning nearly two decades. His cosmic adventures unfold most frequently in Guardians of the Galaxy and Annihilation: Conquest, where he shares the page with some of Marvel's most beloved space-faring personalities — Rocket Raccoon, Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, and Gamora among them — making for genuinely thrilling company. With two key collector issues to his name and a presence that stretches all the way from Annihilation to the Fantastic Four, Groot has proven himself one of the Modern Age's most enduring and beloved figures in Marvel's cosmic corner. If you haven't dug into his comics history yet, 157 appearances is a wonderfully deep forest to explore.