15 Greatest Heroic Sacrifices In Comic Book Movies
4. Groot - Guardians Of The Galaxy
In hindsight, fans might falsely claim that the exceptional dancing Baby Groot opening of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 was the moment the character reached peak appeal, but the damage was already done before the final credits even rolled on the first movie.
Even before he was a potted dancing twig, Groot earned the hearts of his fans in the emotional scene that saw him save his team-mates (his family, as implied by that sorrowful "We Are Groot" final line) at the cost of his own life.
What really made it was the second reveal of the chinks in Rocket Raccoon's armour, which transformed our perception of him from a wise-cracking street tough into the vulnerable wretch he was, whose only meaningful relationship was ending. His desperation is still difficult to watch.
And even though Groot was "reborn", the subsequent revelations that he has none of the full-sized Groot's memories still means the old guy was killed off in the first movie, which makes Rocket's self-imposed isolation from the group on Vol 2 all the more tragic.