Mantis | |
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Marvel Cinematic Universe character | |
First appearance | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) |
Based on | |
Adapted by | James Gunn |
Portrayed by | Pom Klementieff |
In-universe information | |
Full name | Mantis |
Nickname | Mant |
Species | Insectoid–Celestial hybrid |
Occupation | |
Affiliation | Guardians of the Galaxy |
Weapon | Various alien firearms |
Family |
|
Home | Knowhere |
Mantis is a fictional character portrayed by Pom Klementieff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. She is a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy with empathic powers and is the paternal half-sister of its leader, Peter Quill. Introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), she is an alien ward of Ego with the power to control the emotions of people by touch. She is commonly depicted as having a naive and innocent personality.
As of 2024 [update] , the character has appeared in five films: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War , Avengers: Endgame , Thor: Love and Thunder , and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 , as well as The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special .
Mantis is raised by the living planet Ego (later revealed to also be her father) as a pet, due to her ability to use her powers to help him rest. In 2014, Mantis and Ego's human-form projection later encounter the Guardians of the Galaxy—Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, Groot, and Nebula—after the Guardians traveled to a nearby planet to escape the Sovereign, from whom Rocket had stolen Harbulary batteries during a battle. Ego's projection reveals that Ego is Quill's father, and they travel to the planet, Ego. Along the way, Mantis demonstrates her ability to detect people's emotions and feelings by touch. When Quill, Gamora, and Drax reach Ego, Mantis struggles with whether to tell Drax about Ego's evil plans, and ultimately joins the Guardians in their fight against Ego. She and the Guardians are saved by Kraglin, who arrives with a ship to allow them to escape.
In 2018, Mantis and the Guardians, onboard the Benatar, respond to a distress call and rescue Thor adrift in space. After the team splits up, she accompanies Quill, Gamora, and Drax to Knowhere to stop Thanos, but is neutralized by Thanos using the Reality Stone. Mantis then goes to Titan with Quill and Drax, where they team up with Tony Stark, Peter Parker, and Stephen Strange in another attempt to wrest the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos. Although Mantis is able to temporarily put Thanos to sleep, he breaks free of her control when Quill learns from Nebula that Gamora died and strikes him. Mantis falls unconscious after Thanos throws a moon at Titan, but is rescued by Parker. Shortly after, Mantis becomes the first on Titan to fall victim to the Blip. [2]
In 2023, Mantis is restored to life and is brought via Strange's portal to the ruins of the Avengers Compound in New York on Earth. She participates in the battle against an alternate Thanos. Later, Mantis and her reunited teammates attend Stark's funeral. They then pick Thor up from Norway and return to space in the Benatar. [3]
In 2024, Mantis and the Guardians, joined by Kraglin, embark on space adventures. In 2025, they go to the planet Indigarr and are joined by Thor's friend, Korg. As the planet is under attack by the Booskans, she and Quill seek out Thor's help, who defeats the army quickly and is gifted two Indigarrian goats, who annoy her. After learning of several killings of gods by a god butcher, they split up from Thor to help out.
Few months later, Mantis and the Guardians return to Knowhere where they buy it from the Collector and gain a new member to the team, Cosmo. Mantis helps in refurbishing Knowhere following the attack it endured. Knowing how depressed Quill is due to losing his love, Mantis wants to give him a meaningful Christmas and makes plans with Drax to bring Kevin Bacon as a gift for Quill. Mantis pilots their new ship, the Bowie, back to Earth and she and Drax land in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. They inadvertently make money as buskers posing for pictures on the Hollywood Walk of Fame awhile seeing various Avengers cosplayers. They also get drunk at a nightclub bar. A seller of star maps offers to tell them where to find Bacon's house, and Mantis uses her powers to take the map without paying and to take all the seller's money. They go to Bacon's house in Beverly Hills and capture him and steal Christmas decorations from a holiday store. Back on Knowhere, they hold a Christmas celebration and present Bacon to Quill. Later, Mantis reveals to Quill that Ego was also her father, making them half-siblings, which Quill says is the greatest Christmas gift ever.
In 2026, Mantis, along with the Guardians, witness Quill getting drunk and passing out. One night after this happens, an attack occurs by Adam, and Mantis gets her arm broken, but heals it with a medpack. However, Rocket is seriously injured, leaving the Guardians unable to tend to his wounds due to a kill switch embedded in him. Mantis accompanies the team to help Rocket in the Bowie and travels to the Orgoscope, headquarters of the High Evolutionary's company Orgocorp, in the hopes of finding an override code. Before they arrive, the Ravagers board their ship, along with alternate Gamora, who joins them to Orgoscope. Their next move takes them to Counter-Earth. After Quill, Nebula, and Groot leave to the High Evolutionary's ship, Mantis and Drax follow, meeting Nebula as the planet begins to explode. They hop onto the ship, where they discover hordes of imprisoned children in cages. The High Evolutionary arrives and knocks them out, throwing them in a chamber with Abilisks. Mantis is able to persuade the Abilisks to side with them, and the three escape the chamber before reuniting with the team and overpowering the High Evolutionary's army. Mantis assists in freeing the captive animals onboard and helping them get across Cosmo's telekinetic tunnel onto Knowhere. Once everyone is on Knowhere, the Guardians have a meeting and as others disband, Mantis decides to go a journey of self-discovery with the Abilisks, saying goodbye to the team.
In an alternative 2011, Mantis was among the numerous alien attendees of Thor's parties on Earth, until she and the attendees panicked when they were informed that Frigga was coming, and worked to clean up the mess on Earth. [4]
In May 2014, director James Gunn said that he had planned to introduce two major new characters in the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel, Mantis and Adam Warlock. [5] [6] Talks had begun with an actor Gunn had in mind to portray Mantis, [7] while he had decided to remove Warlock due to the film "getting too busy". [6] Gunn added that Warlock was "one character too many and I didn't want to lose Mantis and Mantis was more organically part of the movie anyway." [5] Klementieff was cast in October 2015. [8]
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 , Mantis is portrayed as a new member of the Guardians with empathic powers who lives with Ego. [9] [10] Executive producer Jonathan Schwartz said the character "has never really experienced social interaction", and learns about "social intricacies" from the other Guardians. [11] Klementieff added, "She was really lonely and by herself, so it's a completely new thing to meet these people and to discover new things", comparing this to a child making awkward mistakes in social situations. Mantis and Drax have an "interesting" relationship in the film due to both being "complete odd balls". [9] Steve Englehart, Mantis' co-creator, was disappointed with the character's portrayal, saying, "That character has nothing to do with Mantis ... I really don't know why you would take a character who is as distinctive as Mantis is and do a completely different character and still call her Mantis." [12]
Dave Bautista indicated that at one point Gunn wanted to do "a Drax and Mantis film" as a spinoff, but that the concept was not pursued by Marvel. [13] In September 2021, Gunn noted that for both Klementieff's Mantis and Karen Gillan's Nebula "their roles are both pretty huge" in the script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 . [14] Mantis and Drax also play a major role in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special , of which Klementieff said, "I get to be the weirdest I've ever been as Mantis". [15] Mantis also had a fight scene in the special, [16] which revealed that she had superhuman strength and fighting abilities not previously portrayed in the MCU.
Mantis has the power to sense the feelings and emotions of others whom she touches, and to influence their thoughts or cause them to fall asleep, essentially mind controlling them. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 she was introduced as being powerful enough to put the celestial Ego to sleep. In Avengers: Infinity War , she was able to lull Thanos into a stupor, although she struggled to maintain this state. In The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special , she was able to instantly cause Kevin Bacon to cease resisting and voluntarily accompany herself and Drax to Knowhere, keeping him in that state for an extended period of time. Her powers also extend to controlling memories of others, as seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 , where she was able to make Drax forget what he saw.
Mantis is also shown to have superhuman physical abilities, such as superhuman strength, durability, agility, and stamina, as she withstood damage that would otherwise be fatal to regular humans, such as being hit in the head by a meteor, surviving a huge fall effortlessly, and receiving a headbutt from Thanos. Her physical skills were later expanded upon in the Holiday Special , as she fights and defeats multiple police officers at once, armed with only a giant holiday candy cane decoration, using a combination of martial arts and her ability to put people to sleep.
Gamora is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in Strange Tales #180. Gamora is the adopted daughter of Thanos, and the last of her species. Her powers include superhuman strength and agility and an accelerated healing factor. She also is an elite combatant, being able to beat most of the opponents in the galaxy. She is a member of the superhero group known as the Infinity Watch. The character played a role in the 2007 crossover storyline "Annihilation: Conquest", becoming a member of the titular team in its spin-off comic, Guardians of the Galaxy, before becoming the supervillain Requiem in the 2018 crossover storylines "Infinity Countdown" and "Infinity Wars".
Drax the Destroyer is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in The Invincible Iron Man #55.
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Mantis is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Don Heck, the character first appeared in The Avengers #112. Mantis has been depicted as a member of the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, as the bride of Kang the Conqueror, and as the mother of Sequoia.
Nebula is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roger Stern and John Buscema, the character first appeared in The Avengers #257. Originally depicted as a supervillain, Nebula was later depicted as an antihero and member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Knowhere is a fictional location appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and in related media. It is depicted as the enormous severed head of an ancient celestial being and serves as an interdimensional crossroads and scientific observatory.
The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning formed the team from existing and previously unrelated characters created by a variety of writers and artists, with an initial roster of Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Phyla-Vell, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, and Adam Warlock.
Guardians of the Galaxy is a 2014 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 10th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by James Gunn, who wrote the screenplay with Nicole Perlman, it features an ensemble cast including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper as the titular Guardians, along with Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, and Benicio del Toro. In the film, Peter Quill (Pratt) and a group of extraterrestrial criminals go on the run after stealing a powerful artifact.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and the 15th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Written and directed by James Gunn, the film stars an ensemble cast featuring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sylvester Stallone, and Kurt Russell. In the film, the Guardians travel throughout the cosmos as they help Peter Quill (Pratt) learn more about his mysterious parentage.
Cosmo the Space-dog is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Cosmo, a telepathic Soviet space dog, is the security chief of the space station Knowhere and a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. The character was created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning as a reference to Laika and first appeared in Nova vol. 4 #8.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a 2023 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), and the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Written and directed by James Gunn, it features an ensemble cast including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Will Poulter, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Linda Cardellini, Nathan Fillion, and Sylvester Stallone. In the film, the other Guardians race to save the life of Rocket (Cooper) from his creator, the High Evolutionary (Iwuji), who is an alien scientist trying to perfect the universe.
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"Infinity Wars" is a 2018 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics as a follow-up to "Infinity Countdown."
Peter Jason Quill, also known by his alias Star-Lord, is a fictional character portrayed primarily by Chris Pratt in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Quill is initially depicted as a member of the mercenary group called the Ravagers who was abducted from Earth as a child by Yondu Udonta after his mother died. Quill becomes the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy after they assemble out of necessity to stop Ronan the Accuser from destroying Xandar. He discovers that he is a Celestial hybrid and that his father, Ego, created him as a means to terraform planets. Quill and the Guardians defeat Ego, and he develops a romantic relationship with Gamora. Quill participates in the conflict against Thanos, which results in Gamora's death and Quill becomes a victim of the Blip. He is resurrected by the Avengers and joins in the final battle against Thanos. Quill and the Guardians depart for space, eventually coming into conflict with and defeating the High Evolutionary. Quill leaves the Guardians to return to Earth, reuniting with his grandfather.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is an American television special written and directed by James Gunn for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy. It is the second Marvel Studios Special Presentation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films and television series of the franchise. The special was produced by Marvel Studios, and follows the Guardians of the Galaxy as they celebrate Christmas and search for a present for their leader, Peter Quill.
Drax the Destroyer, often referred to simply as Drax, is a fictional character portrayed by Dave Bautista in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Drax is depicted as an imposing yet dimwitted warrior who seeks vengeance against the man who killed his family, Ronan the Accuser. Drax joins the Guardians of the Galaxy in their battle against Ronan. He participates in the conflict against Thanos, falling victim to the Blip before being resurrected by the Avengers. Drax and the Guardians depart for space and come into conflict with the High Evolutionary before Drax retires to watch over the children of the newly established colony on Knowhere.
Gamora is a fictional character portrayed primarily by Zoe Saldaña in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Gamora is depicted as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, having escaped her previous life as an assassin after she was forcibly adopted by Thanos after he murdered half of her people, including her mother. For the next twenty years, she served Thanos as a cybernetically enhanced warrior until betraying him to join the Guardians. Over time she becomes romantically involved with Peter Quill, and develops a positive relationship with her adopted sister Nebula despite their rivalrous upbringing. She is eventually killed by Thanos when he sacrifices her to obtain the Soul Stone.
Groot is a fictional character voiced by Vin Diesel and portrayed in various forms and capacities via motion capture by Diesel, Krystian Godlewski, Sean Gunn, James Gunn and Terry Notary, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. A tree-like extraterrestrial humanoid known as a flora colossus, the character is a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy and a close associate of Rocket in particular. The initial incarnation of the character sacrifices himself to save his allies during the battle against Ronan the Accuser at the climax of the first film, leaving behind a sapling which grows into a new Groot, colloquially known as "Baby Groot" and differentiated offscreen by James Gunn as the original's "son". Raised by Rocket as an adoptive son, the new Groot gradually grows to a similar size as his predecessor over the course of his next several appearances. He participates in the conflicts against Ego and then Thanos, falling victim to the Blip before being resurrected five years later by the Avengers and participating in the final battle against Thanos before departing for space with the Guardians. After the Guardians defeat the High Evolutionary, Groot continues to serve on the team, now under the command of Rocket.
Nebula is a fictional character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, portrayed by Karen Gillan, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. She is depicted as a blue-skinned alien warrior who is both the adoptive daughter of Thanos, who killed her blood family before raising her, and the adoptive sister of Gamora, with whom she grew to share a bitter rivalry. Although she is first introduced as the secondary antagonist of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), subsequent films see her develop into an antihero and eventually a protagonist, who joins her sister as part of the Guardians of the Galaxy and becomes a member of the Avengers and then officially of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Aspects of this interpretation were later integrated into the comics version of the character.
Rocket Raccoon, commonly referred to simply as Rocket, is a fictional character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise voiced by Bradley Cooper and based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Rocket was based on movements from Sean Gunn and an actual raccoon named Oreo. Rocket is a hot-tempered mercenary and weapons expert who, along with his companion Groot, joins the Guardians of the Galaxy. They then come into conflict with Ronan the Accuser and Ego. Following the Blip, Rocket remains on Earth as a member of the Avengers. Five years later, Rocket and the Avengers quantum time travel to alternate universes to find the Infinity Stones. Following their success, Rocket joins the battle against an alternate Thanos, and rejoins the Guardians after their victory; departing for space. Later, he and the Guardians make their base on Knowhere before coming into conflict with Rocket's creator, the High Evolutionary. Rocket then assumes leadership of the Guardians of the Galaxy.