An empath raised in isolation
Mantis grows up on a strange living planet as the companion and servant of Ego, a powerful being who claims to be Peter Quill's father. She was taken in as a child, and Ego values her for one thing: her touch can calm him and help him sleep. As a result she has almost no experience of other people, no sense of social rules and a habit of saying exactly what she senses.
That makes her funny, often accidentally. When she touches someone, she feels their emotions and tends to announce them out loud, which is how Peter Quill's feelings for Gamora become public knowledge in a single awkward moment. Under the comedy, she is a lonely character waiting for someone to treat her kindly.
Her appearances on our timeline
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017, film, recommended)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018, film, essential)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019, film, essential)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022, film, optional)
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022, special, optional)
- The trilogy finale, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023, film, recommended)
The first and last of these carry nearly all of her development. In the two Avengers films she is part of the Guardians' fight against Thanos and the final battle. Love and Thunder includes the team only briefly, and the Holiday Special is a short comedy.
How Mantis grows (light spoilers)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is her origin and her first big choice. She knows more about Ego than she lets on, and deciding whether to tell the Guardians the truth is the moment she starts belonging to someone other than him. By the end of the film she is part of the crew.
In The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special she and Drax head to Earth to find Quill the perfect Christmas present, and things escalate in a very silly way. The special also reveals a personal connection between her and Quill, one that colors their scenes from then on.
The third Guardians film asks what Mantis wants for herself after years of serving others. Her answer is one of the quieter, more satisfying endings in the trilogy, and it is worth finding on your own.
Her found family
Drax is her closest friend and her comedy partner; their blunt, childlike conversations are a highlight of every film they share. Her bond with Star-Lord (Peter Quill) grows more important with time. She is also part of the crew that cares for Rocket, Groot and Nebula, and Vol. 3 puts that loyalty to the test. You can explore the rest of the team in our MCU character directory.
Pom Klementieff behind the antennae
Pom Klementieff plays Mantis with wide eyes, a soft voice and impeccable timing for awkward pauses. She also makes the character's kindness feel sincere, so Mantis never becomes only a punchline.
Outside the MCU, Klementieff appeared in Spike Lee's remake of Oldboy and played the relentless assassin Paris in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, a role that could hardly be further from Mantis.
Recommended watch order for Mantis
Watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 first, because nothing about her makes full sense without Ego. Next come Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. If you want everything, add Thor: Love and Thunder and the Holiday Special, both optional and both light. End with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which closes her story with the rest of the original team.
If you only have time for two titles, pick the two Guardians sequels. They hold almost everything that matters about her.