Guardians of the Galaxy's Groot Gets a New Look

The Guardians of the Galaxy have been through a lot across the pages of comic books recently. Drax is dead, Gamora is a villain of sorts and Rocket is just...gone. It leaves Peter Quill and Groot as the last remaining Guardians, but that's not the only change for the two heroes. Groot also has a brand new look.

Warning: This article contains spoilers from Guardians of the Galaxy #1.

Guardians of the Galaxy #1 largely deals with the fallout from Infinity Wars which saw Thanos killed and the universe folded into itself, the latter of which was largely corrected by the end of Infinity Wars #6. But while many of the universe's players come together on Thanos' ship and are given the startling news that the Mad Titan transferred his consciousness into someone else prior to his death, Quill and Groot are headed to Knowhere aboard the Ryder. It's there that readers are introduced to a whole new look for Groot.

He has a sweet mohawk now.

It's a pretty dramatic change for character whose regular appearance is, despite being woody and tree-like, very smooth and rounded in places. Gone is the high forehead that looks similar to part of a hollowed log. In its place are some major spikes to that mohawk, spikes that are complimented and accented by corresponding spikes over other parts of his body such as his shoulders and elbows. There's even a great part in the issue where Quill tells Groot to knock it off with the sawdust and it's shown that Groot is making these spiky alterations himself in the ultimate form of body modification.

The spiky new look isn't just for appearance, either. Groot is a little sassier, a little harder, personality-wise in an attitude that can really only be described as punk. It's an overall new direction for the character which lines up nicely with the fact that Guardians of the Galaxy #1 ultimately gives Quill and Groot a whole new team. When the Black Order attack what Groot referred to as the "Thanos Meeting" to collect the Mad Titan's body, Groot and Quill find themselves rescuing Cosmic Ghost Rider, Beta Ray Bill, and alternate universe versions of Gamora and Phyla-Vell -- a group that ends up their new team.

What do you think about Groot's new look? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Guardians of the Galaxy #1, written by Donny Cates with art by Geoff Shaw, is on sale now.