Mantis Creator On ‘Guardians Vol. 2’: ‘That’s Not Mantis’

One of my favorite aspects of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was the addition of the character Mantis, as played by Pom Klementieff. However, as much as I liked the character in the film, I have to admit, it’s not exactly the character from the comics. Another person who has a problem with this is Mantis creator Steve Englehart.

Speaking to Polygon, Englehart, who originally co-created the character alongside Don Heck in The Avengers #112, shared his reaction to seeing his creation on the screen:

“Well, I was not happy with Mantis’ portrayal. That character has nothing to do with Mantis. I will say that I liked the film quite a bit overall, they’re doing good stuff and I enjoyed my night at the movies so long as I turned my brain off to the fact that that’s not Mantis up there. 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. That I do not know.”

However, Englehart did clarify that he was at least entertained by the character and the film:

“I wasn’t impressed with what they did with Mantis but the Mantis on the screen was entertaining, I liked her but that’s not Mantis.”

Directed by James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Kurt Russell, Sean Gunn, Elizabeth Debicki, Glenn Close, Michael Rosenbaum and Sylvester Stallone. Here is the sequel’s official synopsis:

Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is in theaters now.

Source: Polygon