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The relationship between Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) is one of the primary subplots of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, since this is an alternate timeline version of Gamora who was never in love with Quill (that version, of course, was flung to her death by her father, Thanos, in Avengers: Infinity War).
But all of the Guardians – including Mantis, Drax (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Groot (Vin Diesel), and especially Rocket (Bradley Cooper) – have significant moments to shine in Guardians Vol. 3 as well. For Klementieff, seeing the naïve, sheltered Mantis that we first met in Guardians Vol. 2 begin to come into her own over the course of her (so far) six appearances in the MCU was especially rewarding.
“I mean, it’s such a rich character,” Klementieff says. “I think what surprised me the most is her evolution, you know, [and] how she stands up for herself finally in this movie — I mean, she did also in [The Guardians of the Galaxy] Holiday Special (laughs). James was able to write a character with so many emotions and so much comedy, and also, I got to kick ass as well. I love playing this character.”
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Building the MCU version of Mantis
As Marvel Comics fans know, the Mantis of the MCU is quite a different character from the one first introduced in the pages of the comics back in 1973. Looking back, Klementieff says that she did check out some of the comics when she was first cast in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but was eventually instructed by Gunn to follow a different path.
“I did some research,” says the French actor. “I read about the character. I didn’t actually read all the comic books about Mantis. I remember when I got cast, I asked James if I should read everything about Mantis, and he said that the character that he wrote was pretty much very different from the comic books, and that she was more inspired by a bug, and there was way more weirdness to it.”
Klementieff says that she loves the fan response to this version of Mantis, even if it’s quite divergent from the original character. “I love meeting little girls dressing like Mantis,” she enthuses. “It’s so cute. There are also some people who feel a strong connection to the character — people who are shy, or autistic, who really relate to the character of Mantis and also Drax. So I think it’s really beautiful.”
