“It’s the best Christmas present you could ever get!”
Spoilers for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Happy Holidays Special’ ahead
mantis is a character Quite important in marvel comics. Before becoming Guardian of the Galaxy, Pom Klementieff’s character was a member of the Avengers and, at one point, a girlfriend of Kang the Conqueror, Marvel’s newest big villain. She and surprisingly, she also appeared in a DC Justice League comic, disguised as a character named Willow.
In short, Mantis is a fascinating character with a long history worth exploring, but you wouldn’t know that from her portrayal in the MCU.
First introduced as Ego’s pupil in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. two’, Mantis hasn’t done much on screen since then.
Apart from the occasional joke, His only great moment was when he helped Thanos to sleep in ‘Infinity War’, one of the best Marvel movies, but it’s been disappointing to see Mantis so sidelined. But luckily, our wish to have more Pom Klementieff on our screens has been granted by Santa (aka James Gunn) in the new ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Happy Holidays Special’. In addition, this Christmas special of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ has explained the fate of a character and, as if that were not enough, it has also introduced the most adorable hero of the MCU.
In response to early reviews from critics, the director admitted that Mantis has been essentially “a background character for years”, explaining that this is one of the reasons why he wrote this special first:
“I’m so happy people watching the #GotGHolidaySpecial are appreciating Mantis so much. I wrote the special in part to let @PomKlementieff go FULL BUG after being essentially a background character for years, & she & @DaveBautista carry this thing emotionally & comedically 💚”
[“Estoy muy feliz de que la gente que ve el especial de #GotGHolidaySpecial esté apreciando tanto a Mantis. Escribà el especial en parte para dejar que @PomKlementieff se convirtiera en un personaje completo después de haber sido esencialmente un personaje secundario durante años, y ella y @DaveBautista llevan este especial de manera emocional y cómicamente.]
Gunn is not wrong in this last part either. Dave Bautista is as strong as ever in the role of Drax. Together, he and Klementieff really run this special.
Comedy-wise, the highlights are their drunken night, the conflict over the glittering Christmas decorations, and, of course, their shared disgust at the actors. But beyond that, Mantis also carries the emotional line of the specialproviding Klementieff with a rare opportunity to delve beyond her character’s inherent weirdness to reveal a sweet personality beneath those weird antennae.
It also helps that Gunn has decided to change the format of this Christmas special. In a recent chat with Variety, James explains that by removing a “Big Bad” or some other type of threat, was able to create more space for character moments like these:
“I realized I wasn’t interested in this other thing. There was an action sequence at the end where Kevin Bacon was jumping up and down and doing action stunts, which would have been great, but I wasn’t interested in the threat. at all. What I was interested in was the interaction between the characters. So I removed that and made it a story about people.”
There is one interaction in particular that the entire special revolves around, and it occurs right at the end between Mantis and Peter, when she finally reveals his big secret:
“Your father, Peter… could be… is… my father too.”
Now, that’s no secret to anyone who’s been keeping an eye on this deleted scene or Marvel Studios Legends this week either. The latest episode, pulled from Disney+ a couple of days earlier, has already spoiled this big reveal for die-hard fans.
But even so, Peter has long struggled with family issues, whether it was his mother dying young or his father turning out to be a Celestial. Yondu wasn’t exactly father of the year either, so knowing that Peter has once again found a new family in his sister Mantis is truly heartwarming in the most festive way possible.
“Mantis, that’s the best Christmas present I could ever get,” Peter says at the end with tears in his eyes. And then they embrace, both crying together surrounded by the best Christmas display this side of Wisdom. And yes, you’re a monster if you don’t shed a tear too.
What is most impressive about all of this, however, is the fact that Mantis has been brought to the fore even though this is also Peter’s story. Traditionally, Quill has been the protagonist of every Guardian chapter so far, so that could easily have happened here.
Instead, Mantis finally received the prominence that this character -and the talent of Pom Klementieff- deserve. Not only was it long overdue, but it also bodes well for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’. It was about time that all members of this chosen family came together as equals, especially now that this it will be their last adventure together.
No, we are not crying. You are crying.
Source: Fotogramas
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
