I’ve Worked Out The Best Storyline To Answer 1 Huge Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 Mystery (2024)

I know the perfect Marvel Comics storyline that could be adapted for the MCU to address major Mantis mysteries that were left unanswered after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. James Gunn's final MCU movie did a good job of wrapping up loose ends, but I'm still curious about the fates of the members of the old Guardians of the Galaxy team, which have been left open-ended. This includes Pom Klementieff's Mantis, who left the team - along with Peter Quill, Gamora, Nebula, and Drax - to embark on a solo journey of self-discovery.

Since her debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Mantis has been developed significantly, most notably with her being revealed to be the biological daughter of Ego, and therefore Peter Quill's half-sister. Now on a mission to learn who she is without the supervision of her Celestial father or the Guardians of the Galaxy themselves, I'd love Mantis to explore some of Marvel Comics' weirdest cosmic storylines in the MCU's future. After recent comments by Klementieff, it seems Mantis' return may be more likely than ever.

Pom Klementieff Could Return In A Special Presentation After GOTG Vol. 3

Marvel Studios Has Only Released Two Special Presentations So Far

Pom Klementieff recently spoke to Agents of Fandom at this year's Superhero Comic Con, and suggested that she is "always open" to return to the MCU. Some of her Guardians of the Galaxy castmates have suggested that Vol. 3 was the end of the line for their heroes, but Mantis' story may only just be beginning. While there haven't been any further Guardians of the Galaxy movies confirmed, and Chris Pratt's Legendary Star-Lord is the only Guardians member known to be returning, I think Mantis' story could continue in her own Special Presentation.

So far, Marvel Studios has only released two Special Presentations: Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Both these projects have been hugely successful, so I'm a bit confused about why Marvel seems to have abandoned this promising concept so quickly. The Special Presentations could be revived with Mantis in mind, however, as her solo journey after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could be compacted into an hour-long adventure, and I think one significant Mantis storyline from Marvel Comics would be perfect for this project.

Marvel Comics’ Celestial Madonna Storyline Fits Mantis’ MCU Backstory Perfectly

The Celestial Madonna Is Destined To Give Birth To An Incredibly Powerful Child In Marvel Comics

Back in the 1970s, Marvel Comics revealed that Mantis was actually the Celestial Madonna, a being destined to give birth to an incredibly powerful child, the Celestial Messiah. Even though there hasn't yet been any mention of the Celestial Madonna as an identity for Mantis in the MCU, this would be a fantastic storyline to explore in a potential Special Presentation featuring the former Guardian of the Galaxy. If anything, this makes sense as Mantis is the daughter of a Celestial, so she may have some dormant abilities, similarly to Peter Quill.

Marvel Comics' Celestial Madonna storyline also developed Mantis relationships to other heroes, as she was then operating with the Avengers on Earth. Pom Klementieff's Mantis has previously met Earth's Mightiest Heroes, so it makes sense that she could, at some point, make her way back to Earth, perhaps to reunite with Peter Quill. This could introduce a more comic-accurate Swordsman, debut the cosmic Cotati in the MCU, establish Mantis as a significant hero without the Guardians of the Galaxy, and bring back a currently-disappointing supervillain.

Mantis As The Celestial Madonna Can Make A Multiversal Villain Scary Again

Mantis Becomes A Target For Kang The Conqueror As The Celestial Madonna

Despite being set up as the primary antagonists of the MCU's Multiverse Saga, Kang the Conqueror and his villainous variants haven't posed much of a threat so far. In fact, Kang's variants have been killed off in every project they have appeared in, as Sylvie dispatched He Who Remains in Loki season 1, Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne defeated the Conqueror himself in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Victor Timely met his demise several times in Loki season 2. Exploring the Celestial Madonna storyline is the best way for Marvel to change this pattern.

Kang abducts Mantis during Marvel Comics' Celestial Madonna storyline, hoping to use her to create a powerful heir for his timeline-spanning empire. If this storyline is explored in a potential Mantis-focused project following Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Kang's former failures could be ignored, and he could become an even more terrifying villain ahead of Avengers 5 and Secret Wars. Additionally, this would make Mantis one of the most important heroes in the Multiverse Saga, giving the underused Pom Klementieff a chance to really showcase her talents.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

PG-13

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Action

Superhero

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

• stream
• rent
• buy

Director

James Gunn

Release Date

May 5, 2023

Cast

Chris Pratt , Dave Bautista , Karen Gillan , Zoe Saldana , Bradley Cooper , Pom Klementieff , Vin Diesel , Elizabeth Debicki

Runtime

116 Minutes

Budget

$250 Million