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The Groosalugg, nicknamed Groo, was a half-demon warrior and champion of Pylea. His name meant "the brave, undefeated."[1]

History[]

Pylea[]

The Groosalugg was a native of Pylea, a dimension where humans were enslaved and called cows. He was part demon and part human; because of his appearance, he was banished to the Scum Pits of Ur. He entered every contest of skill and daring that he could in an attempt to die.[1]

Instead, Groo won every match, defeating creatures such as flame beasts and Drokken beasts. He once happened upon a herd of Bur beasts and was forced to stand perfectly still for eleven days and nights. He then earned a reputation for bravery and combat skill, and as such he wandered the countryside as an undefeated champion, becoming known as the Groosalugg.[1]

CordyGroo

The Groosalugg meets his princess, Cordelia.

A prophecy foretold that the Groosalugg would one day com-shuck (mate) with the entity that had "the curse." After the two had mated, the visions of the Cursed One would be passed on to him. Since Pylea was dominated by the Covenant of Trombli, monks loyal to Wolfram & Hart, this would put the instrument of the Powers That Be under the control of the Senior Partners.[2]

The Cursed One turned out to be Cordelia, who fell into a portal to Pylea and was crowned princess. She objected to perform the com-shuck, at first because she believed the Groosalugg to be more demon-like; however, she became attracted to him when they met and she saw that Groo was very handsome and nearly human.[1] Still, Cordelia did not want to consummate their relationship because she did not want to lose the visions.[2]

Groo ended up proving that he was a good man, not a tool of evil, and helped Cordelia and the rest of Angel Investigations to escape Pylea, albeit after being defeated by Angel in combat while the vampire was in his Van-Tal form. Groo was installed as monarch of Pylea, the first to preside over the freedom of the human former slaves.[2]

Los Angeles[]

AngelGroo

Upon arriving in L.A., Groo receives an Angel-style makeover from Cordelia.

Angel was close to declaring himself to Cordelia when Groo unexpectedly appeared in Los Angeles.[3] He explained that he had been deposed in a revolution on Pylea and decided to find Cordelia again. They rekindled their romance, and Cordelia went to find a mystical spell to allow her to have sex with Groo and retain her visions. Cordelia also gave Groo a makeover, but the clothes and hairstyle made him closely resemble Angel.[4]

Angel was jealous of Groo for many reasons, including that Cordelia chose Groo over him and that Groo was a formidable fighter and demon hunter. For a time, Angel was concerned that Groo would replace him, since he possessed the same combat skills while lacking most of Angel's vampire weaknesses; however, Wesley assured Angel that he remained their reason and drive for fighting the good fight in the first place. After the group defeated a root monster together, Angel gave Cordelia money and asked that she and Groo go on an extended holiday, unable to stand being witness to their relationship.[4]

When Cordelia and Groo returned, they found that some terrible things had happened in their absence;[5] the vampire hunter Holtz had kidnapped Angel's baby Connor, and Wesley had betrayed the team in an attempt to protect Connor from Angel due to a false prophecy.[6] Cordelia immediately began to pay more attention to Angel,[5][7] and Groo started to realize that Cordelia loved Angel instead. Groo mustered up the courage to tell Cordelia about it, and he then left the Hyperion Hotel.[8]

Fall of Los Angeles[]

During the Fall of Los Angeles, Groo resided in Silver Lake alongside Lorne, Lord of Silver Lake. When Angel visited Lorne, Groo offered the former vampire his services whenever he needed them. He rode what appeared to be a black horse with wings.[9]

Lorne eventually reassembled the Angel Investigations team to help Angel fight the other Demon Lords' champions, and Groo helped by breaking the chains of Angel's dragon, Cordelia, allowing it to join in the fight.[10] Later, Groo and his winged horse, also named Cordelia, slayed the dragon horde sent by Wolfram & Hart.[11] Groosalugg died as one of Illyria's victims when the Old One, enraged, attempted to unmake everything.[12]

Groosalugg was restored due to the time reversion by the Senior Partners. Angel later asked him to look after his dragon, since it was impractical for him to continue living in the restored Los Angeles. Upon learning the dragon's name, Groo expressed excitement at having "two Cordy's" to call his own.[13]

Sometime after, Spike requested Groo to assist him in Las Vegas. Groo traveled to the city on Cordelia the dragon, and he arrived just in time to save Spike from falling off of a building.[14]

Personality and traits[]

Groo was impish yet charming, charismatic yet disarming, manly and heroic yet innocent and bubbly. He had a positive attitude and was often misunderstood because he found it hard to express himself on Earth, which was so different to what he had known all his life. In battle, however, Groo acted fluently; his strong, determined, and knowledgeable combatant side contrasted with his soft natured, giddy personality under normal circumstances.[citation needed]

Despite his fierce warrior nature, he was surprisingly sensitive. When he realized Cordelia and Angel's growing attraction for one another, Groo nobly if sadly stepped aside for what he knew was the right thing to do.[8]

Initially, Groo possessed long black hair and dressed in what looked like Earth's medieval clothing.[1] Upon arriving in Los Angeles, he was given a makeover resembling Angel, both in wardrobe and hairstyle.[4] By the time of the Fall of Los Angeles, Groo had returned to his original appearance.[9]

According to Cordelia, Groo appeared to like to mix tuna fish with ice cream.[8] He also had a flair for interior decoration.[15]

Powers and abilities[]

  • Half-demon physiology: Due to his half-demon heritage, Groo possessed superhuman strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, agility, resistance, and regeneration. All of his enhanced powers were on a similar level to a vampire of Angel's experience and advanced age.[citation needed]
  • Master combatant: Groo was well-known in Pylea for his combat skills.[1] He was deadly in both armed and unarmed combat, managing to best Angel in single combat and only losing when Angel resorted to his Van-Tal form.[2]

Gallery[]

Behind the scenes[]

  • He was portrayed by Mark Lutz.
  • The original idea for Groo was for him to have metallic, cobalt-blue skin. Lutz had a makeup test that last "about an hour," but the idea was ultimately scrapped.[16]
  • Because the Groosalugg is physiologically incapable of reproducing with Pylean females,[1] this would imply that Pylean males are still capable of copulating with human females, making his human ancestor a woman.

Appearances[]

Canonical[]

Other[]

Angel (IDW series)

References[]

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