“ | This one may legitimately call herself a mistress of the martial arts... | „ |
~ Mantis. |
“ | We are now, each of us, obligated to honor the Groot's sacrifice. We will do so by completing our mission and saving this galaxy. | „ |
~ Mantis. |
Mantis (real name Brandt), also known as the Celestial Madonna, is a fictional character and superheroine from Marvel Comics, appearing as a character in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers comics.
She has been a member of the Avengers, the Knowhere Corps, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. She usually refers to herself as this one, and is a human-mutate due to being a Kree experiment.
She was created by Steve Englehart and first appeared in Avengers #112 in June of 1973.
History[]
Brief Story[]
Mantis was raised by a secret sect of Kree living on Earth called the Priests of Pama. They trained her in the martial arts and unlocked her psychic potential, believing that she would one day fulfill a prophecy as the Celestial Madonna, the mother to the perfect being. Erasing her memories, allowed her to return to the outside world to gain real-life experience. She joined the Avengers but eventually left Earth to complete the prophecy. Mantis gave birth to a son and allowed him to be raised by the Priests of Pama while she explored the cosmos. She was imprisoned by the true Kree where she met Peter Quill, and together, they set the groundwork for building the second Guardians of the Galaxy team.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
The woman that would be known as "Mantis" was the daughter of the human mutate Gustav Brandt and Lua Nguyen, and was trained by the alien Priests of Pama. The priests taught how in the field of martial arts, and due to her mastery of fighting, she became known as "Mantis". The priests also enhanced her mental capacity by giving her telepathy, but later mindwiped her so she could have a normal life on her eighteenth birthday. Mantis was given false memories of her childhood of being a Vietnamese orphan, as the priests believed she was the destined Celestial Madonna.
Becoming a Hero[]
While working as a Vietnamese prostitute at a bar, Mantis met the Swordsman, and assisted him in regaining his self respect and rejoining the Avengers. Mantis also became a member of the team, and battled the Troglodytes and later Doctor Strange during the Avengers and Defenders War. She would later support Doctor Strange and the Avengers in fighting Loki Laufeyson, the Norse God of Mischief, and the inter-dimensional conqueror Dormammu. After stopping the villains, she went on a mission to save Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and Black Panther after being captured by the Collector. She would also reunite with her father, who was now a member of the Zodiac Cartel, but didn't remember him.
During her tenure with the Avengers, Mantis became close to Vision, which caused friction between the Swordsman and Vision's love-interest, the Scarlet Witch. Despite these troubles, Mantis and the group manages to get past their differences, and she would go on to support the heroes Drax the Destroyer and Mar-Vell in stopping Thanos. Her feelings for the Swordsman would surface when he sacrificed himself to stop Kang the Conqueror, and he was buried in a temple in Vietnam where she grew up in.
Powers and Abilities[]
Through training with the Priests of Pama, Mantis attained "complete control" over her body, achieving peak human agility, the ability to accelerate her recuperative powers through force of will, and an empathic nature enabling her to sense the emotions of others as " vibrations." Her mastery of the Priests' martial arts, which focuses on manipulation of nerve endings and pressure points, has enabled her to knock out beings as strong as Thor. She was also able to communicate with plants.
Portrayals[]
Films[]
- In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she is portrayed by Pom Klementiff.
Television[]
- In the Guardians of the Galaxy animated series, she was voiced by Jennifer Hale, who also voiced Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect trilogy.
- Hale reprised her voice for the character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes - Guardians of the Galaxy: The Thanos Threat.
Video Games[]
- In Lego Marvel's Avengers, she was voiced by Ali Hillis.
- In Marvel Avengers Academy, she was voiced by Mel Gorsha.
- In Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, she was voiced by Sumalee Montano.
- In Lego Marvel Superheroes 2, she was voiced by Arina Li.
- In Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, she was voiced by Emmanuelle Lussier-Martinez.