GOTG 3 Star Pom Klementieff Shares A Taste Of Mantis' Big Change
"Guardians of the Galaxy," despite featuring a talking raccoon and sentient tree, has a reoccurring theme that stretches across the original movie and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." The theme in question? That family is the one that you choose, not the one given to you, and that family is so much more than just blood ties. The first "Guardians" movie features the half-human, half-Celestial Peter Quill AKA Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), the gun-loving Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), the exceptionally verbose Groot (Vin Diesel), the scarred veteran Drax (Dave Bautista), and the deadliest woman in the galaxy Gamora (Zoe Saldana).
In the second "Guardians" movie, this varied group is joined by Gamora's slightly murderous sister Nebula (Karen Gillan) and the caretaker of Ego (Kurt Russell), Mantis (Pom Klementieff). Mantis is even more awkward than Drax when it comes to social queues and relationships, and this is due to her having only ever spoken with Ego. Her unique abilities allow her to feel the emotions of others, as well as manipulate them. This ability is highlighted by her original role of inducing sleep in Ego, and when she overwhelms Thanos (Josh Brolin) in "Avengers: Infinity War." Considering Mantis' experiences thus far, having been cast out into the greater world when Ego's evil plan is revealed, it would make sense that Mantis can't remain naive for long. What might we expect from the character in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?"
Klementieff says that Mantis has learned much more about herself
Speaking with Screen Rant during the San Diego Comic-Con, Pom Klementieff spoke about her character's upcoming "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" arc and said, "She learned a lot more about herself, she's on a journey of self-discovery, and she feels more self-confident and more in her own power. You're gonna see more of that. She's gonna be like, 'Grr... More action, dude!'" This statement makes perfect sense from the standpoint of Mantis, mainly because she has had several wild experiences with Star-Lord and company and has not only come face to face with a Celestial hellbent on changing the universe to suit their whims, but also the genocidal Thanos. She even knows what it is like to be snapped out of existence.
Considering this and the above comments, Mantis is sure to have learned from the previous events, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say that her emphatic powers may be coming into their own. To even immobilize Thanos for the time that she did requires tremendous prowess, and not even the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) was able to stand against Thanos for that long. Either way, it appears Mantis will be getting much more development in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," and it will be interesting to see where James Gunn takes the character.