‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’: Early Design For Mantis Revealed

A concept artist who worked on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has shared an early design for Mantis before Pom Klementieff was cast in the role.

Of the select few characters introduced in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Mantis stood out as a fan favorite for her unique abilities and hilarious dead-pan relationship with Drax. Eventually being promoted to the Avengers films, Pom Klementieff’s Mantis has certified herself as one of the most prominent members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, despite only being introduced three years ago.

To celebrate the character’s short but well-storied legacy, Guardians of the Galaxy concept artist Andy Park shared an early design of Mantis before Pom Klementieff was on board. The early design is certainly more insect-like in nature, in tune with the character’s origins.

As the caption by Park suggests, James Gunn found this take on Mantis to be a tad bit too much and decided to simplify it. Mantis’ face in the film is more muted tonally and plain when compared to the one seen above. Park’s version of the character is really cool, if not just a bit unsettling. This look would have been perfectly if Mantis was more of a menacing character (or a villain) but it does goes against Gunn’s playful take on the character. While we never got to see Park’s take on the character on the big screen, it definitely would have been treat.

What are your thoughts on this early design of Mantis from Guardians of the Galaxy? Comment below and let us know!

While production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was scheduled to begin early this year, the project was put on hold following Disney’s decision to remove James Gunn as the director of the final chapter in the trilogy. Now, Gunn will begin production on the third Guardians of the Galaxy film after completing work on The Suicide Squad for Warner Bros. and DC, which he is currently editing from the safety from his home due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Details on the third chapter of Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy are currently unknown, though the film will likely explore the ramifications of the universe-changing events in Avengers: Endgame.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is expected to star Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, and Sean Gunn.

Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as it develops and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Source: Andy Park