Mantis From Guardians Of The Galaxy | 7 Crucial Facts
I’m still in complete ecstasy over Guardians Of The Galaxy director James Gunn dropping some news and that teaser image on us last week! (Check it out here if you missed it!)
Out of all the news that he dropped, it was the announcement that Mantis would be joining the roster of characters to the sequel. Mantis? Who the hell is Mantis?
Don’t worry, you’re not the only one asking that question! That’s why I’m on hand to give you some insight into the character and just what we might be able to expect of her showing up in the movie!
Her First Appearance
Mantis first appeared in issue #112 of the Avengers but it would be two more issues before we really got to see her in action. She stands alongside the Swordsman (key character in her personal story) against the Avengers before he would reclaim his honour and unite with the team. Mantis would go on to become an ally of the Avengers, later a fragment of herself (yeah she’s one of those characters) would later join the West Coast Avengers.
She would later go on to join the Guardians of the Galaxy acting as a counsellor to the ship’s crew. Her green skin as seen above would occur later in her history as a side effect of her pregnancy and space travel.
She Talks To Plants
Mantis possesses and exhibits several powers since her first appearance. She has a low-level form of empathy, can astrally project herself to any world that possesses plant-life, rapid healing and she uses chlorokinesis.
Being able to control and communicate with plant life could be integral to her role in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 particularly with tiny Groot still somewhat incapacitated. Will she restore him or act as translator? We’ll have to wait and see! It’s also important to note that this ability can also be used against Groot not to mention she’s displayed pyrokinesis.
She also shown some form of super-strength, telepathy and even pre-cognition. Mantis is more than a force to be reckoned with and that’s before you even get into a fist fight with her! Spoilers… don’t!
She Is A Grandmistress of Martial Arts
Yeah she can seriously kick some ass! After reaching the pinnacle of her studies in martial arts, she was abandoned in the ‘real world’ and had her memories wiped so she could learn more about the world – all of this happened while Mantis was living on Earth, more precisely in Vietnam.
Her prowess with martial arts is so refined she has learned how to manipulate and control her own body, dulling pain, slowing blood loss and even increasing healing through meditation. More importantly she has an acute awareness of a body’s weakness and uses her skills to detect these in her foes, taking them down quickly and expertly.
Take note that James Gunn has said Star Lord would be the only human member of the team, so whether those character elements feature in her back story is not yet known!
She’s The Celestial Madonna
In what is perhaps her biggest storyline to date, the Mantis was revealed to be the Celestial Madonna. A being of legend, she is also known as the Goddess of Life and the mother of the Celestial Messiah, regarded to be the most important being in the Universe.
Her revelation as the Celestial Madonna put a target on her back. After escaping an attack, she left Earth and Marvel Comics… more on that later though!
She Fell In Love With The Vision
Yeah she did! So much so that she lost interest in long time companion the Swordsman! It was a one-sided affair though but it lasted some time.
When the MCU come together/collide, will this play out? Could we see a Scarlet Witch, Vision and Mantis love triangle?
She Appeared In DC Comics
Remember when I said that Mantis left Earth and Marvel Comics? Well after the Celestial Madonna arc, a pregnant Mantis turned into pure energy and vanished. She would follow her creator, writer Steve Englehart, moved to DC Comics, appearing on Earth One and under the name Willow.
Her appearance and experience in the DC Comics Universe is even listed under the official Marvel universe guide:
…she was aided by a league of justice-serving heroes against a mechanical construct which sought to prevent her child’s birth.
When Englehart moved to Eclipse Comics and Image Comics, she followed before finally returning to Marvel.
Star-Lord Turned Her Powers On The Team
[This Could Be A Possible Spoiler]
This could probably be how we see Mantis join the team and it would certainly show a darker side to our Star-Lord. When the team started to fall about, Star-Lord had Mantis use her telepathy to implant suggestive thoughts into the other members minds, bringing the team back together.
It worked but it was only a temporary solution and it fractured the relationship between Mantis and Star-Lord and she refused his request a second time. Needless to say when the other members found out, it didn’t end well.
Mantis will be portrayed by Pom Klementieff in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2. The movie is scheduled for release April 2017.
Editor-in-Chief, part-time super villain and hoarder of cats. If you can’t find me writing, I’m probably in the kitchen!
