Guardians of the Galaxy: Why Groot’s Journey to Planet X Could Make for Marvel’s Best Story Yet

Sooner or later, it looks like the Guardians of the Galaxy are heading to Planet X. The planet is known as the home of Groot and, as Guardians star Vin Diesel tells ComicBook.com’s Brandon Davis, there’s an upcoming storyline involving it. Despite the Guardians having gone all over the galaxy — and probably many nearby ones, for that matter — going back to Planet X is something they’ve yet to do. In fact, it’s a plot thread that could help turn out one of the best pieces of storytelling Marvel Studios has ever done.

You probably think that’s hyperbole or some over-the-top suggestion — but just think about it for just a second. Even after the first Guardians of the Galaxy feature hit theaters, Groot became a fan-favorite after only saying three (technically four) words. The character’s actions already have him forever living in the hearts of many, and giving him an actual origin story would provide a whole new level of depth to the beloved Guardian.

In the Marvel source material, Planet X is home to the Flora colossi, a race of tree-like aliens. That’s right — somewhere out there in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the existence of Planet X implies there’s more than one Groot out there running along.

As has been explored by the various creators of Marvel Comics, Planet X has one of the most interesting structures in all of Marvel’s cosmic world. The planet is run by a group of Flora colossi known as “Arbor Masters,” massive tree-like beings that tower over the likes of Groot.

Within the Marvel Comics canon, there’s even a gut-wrenching explanation for why Groot can only say those three words we all know so well. In the acclaimed Guardians run by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning — right around the time the War of Kings event was going on — Maximus the Mad explains that voice boxes of Flora colossi rapidly harden, meaning they can only say “I am Groot.”

Naturally, that doesn’t appear to be the case in the MCU because even the youngest versions of Groot we’ve seen — Baby Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and the teen version in Infinity War and Endgame — can only say the words as well.

Regardless, traveling back to Planet X means that Marvel Studios is preparing to give Groot an adequate origin story. With that will come the missing character development of one of the MCU’s most loved characters. The second that missing link starts to get explored, it’ll be a goldmine for the Kevin Feige-led outfit.

The first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies are now streaming on Disney+ while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is due to hit theaters May 5, 2023. I Am Groot and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special have yet to receive release dates.

What members of the Guardians would you like to see spin-off shows of? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!