MANTIS
Mantis is an empathic martial artist and superhero created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Don Heck, making her debut in Marvel Comics' The Avengers #112 in 1973. Raised by the alien Priests of Pama to fulfill the prophecy of the Celestial Madonna, she has served as a prominent member of both the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, portrayed by Pom Klementieff, she is adapted as an empathic alien hybrid and the half-sister of Peter Quill.
Cronologia
Biografia
Mantis is a martial artist, empath, and telepath trained from early childhood by the pacifist Priests of Pama—a sect of the alien Kree—to fulfill the prophesied role of the Celestial Madonna. Born in Vietnam to Gustav Brandt (the villain Libra) and Lua Nguyen, her memories were temporarily wiped on her eighteenth birthday so she could gain real-world human experience.
She initially joined the Avengers alongside the Swordsman, playing key roles in major galactic events including the Thanos War, before fulfilling her prophecy by conceiving the Celestial Messiah, Sequoia, with a Cotati spirit. In modern comic storylines, Mantis became an essential member of Star-Lord's strike team during the Phalanx invasion and served as the primary counselor and tactical coordinator for the revived Guardians of the Galaxy.
She later returned to Earth during the Empyre event to attempt to stop her son Quoi from leading a plant-based invasion against Earth and cosmic alliances. In live-action adaptations within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), portrayed by Pom Klementieff, Mantis is depicted as an empathic humanoid hybrid raised by Ego the Living Planet. Capable of sensing and manipulating emotions through physical touch, she assists the Guardians in defeating Ego and subduing Thanos. She eventually discovers that she is Peter Quill's half-sister before choosing to leave the Guardians to embark on an independent journey of self-discovery.
Storia
Mantis was born in Vietnam as the daughter of Gustav Brandt and Lua Nguyen. Following her mother's death at the hands of her uncle Monsieur Khruul, her father took her to the temple of the Priests of Pama, a pacifist Kree sect.
Believing she might be the prophesied Celestial Madonna—destined to mother the Celestial Messiah—the Priests took custody of her, training her extensively in martial arts and granting her enhanced mental and telepathic powers. On her eighteenth birthday, the Priests of Pama wiped her memories and gave her false memories of growing up as an orphan in Vietnam.
This memory wipe was intended to allow her to experience a standard human life, preparing her for her role as the Celestial Madonna. She worked as a prostitute in a Vietnamese bar, where she met Jacques Duquesne, the former villain known as the Swordsman. Mantis helped the Swordsman regain his self-respect and accompanied him when he sought to rejoin the Avengers. As an Avenger, she fought numerous threats while gradually uncovering her true origins, discovering her father's identity as Libra, and fulfilling her ultimate destiny as the Celestial Madonna.
I PEZZI DI MANTIS
Evoluzione
Created in 1973 by writer Steve Englehart and artist Don Heck, Mantis originally appeared as a human martial artist associated with the Avengers and the 'Celestial Madonna' storyline. When writer Steve Englehart left Marvel Comics, he famously continued her narrative across multiple rival publishers under thin disguises—appearing as 'Willow' in DC Comics' Justice League of America, 'Lorelei' in Eclipse Comics' Scorpio Rose, and 'Scorpia' in Image Comics' Siren—making her one of the few comic characters to migrate across major comic companies before returning to Marvel. Upon her return to Marvel in Silver Surfer Vol.
3, Mantis evolved physically and powers-wise into a green-skinned cosmic entity with chlorokinesis and precognition, while her psyche fragmented across space into five distinct personalities. In 2007, writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning revamped Mantis during Annihilation: Conquest and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, re-establishing her as a key telepathic counselor and tactical strategist for Star-Lord's cosmic strike team. Her inclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe transformed her public image worldwide. Adapted by director James Gunn as an alien-humanoid hybrid and Ego's daughter, her MCU character shifted from a stoic martial artist into an eccentric, gentle empath and the half-sister of Peter Quill, influencing her portrayal across modern gaming and animated media.
Her personality was once fragmented by an explosion into five distinct beings across the universe—the Freak, the Mother, the Woman, the Adept, and the Avenger—before being killed and reunited by Thanos.
