While Pom Klementieff’s Mantis has appeared in a number of Marvel titles at this point, starting with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, director James Gunn has called the Holiday Special her “true debut” in a tweet thanking early reviews on its day of release (November 25).
“Thanks to the early reviews loving the #GuardiansoftheGalaxyHolidaySpecial. I’m especially grateful for all the raves about @PomKlementieff’s performance as Mantis,” the director wrote. “This is Mantis’ true debut as her full-fledged self in the MCU, out of the background & out of the shadow of Ego.”
Indeed, this is the first time that Mantis’ character hasn’t been overshadowed by a universe-ending threat or an overbearing slave master who makes up an entire planet. While Mantis and Draz have been fan favorites, both of them do seem have taken the backseat in the Guardians group, with Peter Quill, Gamora, Rocket, and even Groot getting more screentime to flesh out their characters.
By comparison, Mantis has previously been there primarily as comic relief, riffing with Drax in an endearing way but that wasn’t often central to the plot. In the Holiday Special, without giving away any spoilers, Mantis steps up to the plate, given the room to shine outside of a dramatic, world-ending battle.
The Holiday Special sets up Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, according to a previous statement from Gunn, so this could mean that we can expect to see more of Mantis in future films, particularly with this glowing endorsement from the director.
(featured image: Netflix)
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Rachael Davies
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