Marvel Just Made A Big Change To Guardians Of The Galaxy
It looks like Marvel is going to change a fan-favorite Guardians of the Galaxy character after the live action version has been such a hit.
With comic book adaptations coming to the big (and small) screen in almost non-stop fashion over the last decade or so (with more to come), it always stands to reason that there will be changes made from the printed pages when characters get on the screen. But it isn’t as often that we see the changes from the live-action adaptation revert back to the illustrated versions of the character. That is exactly what’s happened recently with a Guardians of the Galaxy character who took on a different appearance in the movies and now has that same look coming to a printed version. It’s a testament to what she’s brought with the character since being introduced to the franchise.
CBR has it that Marvel will update the look for Mantis on the printed pages when Marvel’s Voices: Identity #1 hits the stands next month. In that work, Mantis will eschew the green skin in favor of the look actress Pom Klementieff has brought to the character starting in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. The cover for the upcoming anthology has the Mantis character much more representative of what we’ve seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the character. It’s a change that could stick in the printed pages, at least for the short term considering the popularity that Klementieff has brought with the role, lending some continuity with the franchise there.
As CBR points out, Mantis has gone through a number of different iterations over the years on the printed pages following the introduction of the character all the way back in 1973. She wasn’t green at that time, though did make the transition over her arc, in line somewhat with her relationship with Silver Surfer in the comic books. Pom Klementieff taking the role and the character having a non-green skin color isn’t totally out of line with the comics considering there were different versions. But it is cool to see them revert back now to more closely follow this MCU version.
Mantis joined the Guardians of the Galaxy in the second movie after they all met on the planet Berhert where she had been raised by Ego. Her character was an instant hit with the ability as an empath, able to sense and then alter the feelings of others making for hilarious outcomes with the rest of the group. Her general kindness and moderate quiet naïveté played perfectly against the others in the squad and she had some absolutely scene-stealing moments. It’s easy to see why Marvel would want to continue on with this fan-favorite version of the character.
Pom Klementieff reprised the Mantis role in Avengers: Infinity War as well as Endgame and will also make an appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder. And of course, she’s set to be back for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 when that ends the run for this original group under the direction of James Gunn. It’s set to hit theaters next year. And though the future for Mantis on the big or small screen isn’t quite clear, it appears this new version will have staying power within the larger Marvel world.
