The Marvel universe is a dense and rich place with multitudes of different characters and teams. These teams have shuffled their rosters so many times it can be tough to keep track of who’s currently on the team and who is off on their own. The Guardians of the Galaxy are no different. Within the confines of the MCU, the roster has been simple so far – with just the one film. Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot. However, with the sequel some faces will be added to our plucky galactic team of heroes. Today we’re going to look at Mantis, who makes her cinematic debut on May 5 in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Mantis, the DC Comics Character?
Source: DC Comics
Mantis made her comic book debut in The Avengers #112 (June 1973). She was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Don Heck. She’s had an interesting comic book life as she’s actually traveled from Marvel Comics, to DC Comics (as the character Willow) and then to Eclipse Comics (as the character Lorelei) and then back to Marvel. Weird, right?
Live Kree or Die Hard
Source: Marvel
Anyways, she’s half-Vietnamese and half-German and was left as a child a temple belonging to a sect of the Kree. The Kree feel she’s going to fulfil a prophecy and become the Celestial Madonna and eventually become the most important being in the universe. She is trained in martial arts, and can sense weaknesses in an opponent, with her vast knowledge of pressure points. She’s even knocked out Thor and beaten Captain America in a fight. Mantis is so in tune with her own body, she can control her heartbeat, and even how quickly she can heal or the degree at which she feels pain. She’s also an empath which means she can feel the emotions of others. In the comics, she can communicate with plants and a plant-like species known as the Cotati.
Mantis Cinematic Universe
For the upcoming movie, Mantis is portrayed by the actress Pom Klementieff. While little is known of her official role in the film, rumor has it that she’s been adopted (in a sense) by Star-Lord’s father, Ego. From the trailers it looks like she’ll maintain her empathic abilities in a very hilarious scene with Star-Lord, Drax, and Gamora. According to producer Kevin Feige, she’ll also have an interesting “relationship” with Drax in this film. She’ll be a welcome addition to the team, but whether or not she remains part of the Guardians by the time the final credit rolls, remains to be seen.
Are you guys excited for this sequel? Which new character are you most excited to see make their MCU debut? Do you expect Mantis to become a mainstay in the Guardians? Let’s talk about in the comments below!
