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Mantis (Marvel Comics)
Encyclopedia
Mantis is a fiction
al character
, a superhero
in the Marvel Universe
, and former member of the Avengers
.
. Created by writer Steve Englehart
, the character may be unique in the fact that she later appeared (in slightly different name and form) in books published by other comic book companies, moving from Marvel to DC
to Eclipse
to Image
and finally back to Marvel again.
, Vietnam
. In her childhood, her father leaves her in Vietnam at the Temple of the alien Priests of Pama, a sect of the Kree
. The Kree believe she might become the Celestial Madonna and mate with the eldest Cotati
on Earth to become the mother of the Celestial Messiah, "the most important being in the universe."
She excels in her martial arts
studies, but when she reaches adulthood, she is mind-wiped
and sent into the world to gain life experience. She becomes a prostitute and barmaid in a Vietnam
ese bar, where she meets the Swordsman
. She helps him regain his self-respect and follows him when the former villain attempts to rejoin the Avengers. She became an Avengers ally when the Swordsman rejoined the Avengers, and she battled the Lion God alongside them.
With the Avengers, Mantis had many adventures. She battled the original Zodiac
, and learned that Libra was her father and that she was raised by the Priests of Pama. She encountered the Star-Stalker
, battled Thanos
, Klaw and Solarr
, Nuklo
, and then alongside the Avengers, Fantastic Four
, and Inhumans
, she faced Ultron
at the wedding of Quicksilver
and Crystal
.
Mantis becomes taken with the Vision
, and—although rejected by the android—neglects the Swordsman. Alongside the Scarlet Witch
and Agatha Harkness
, she was abducted by Kang. She was revealed as the Celestial Madonna and witnessed the death of the Swordsman at the hands of Kang, only proclaiming her love for the Swordsman as he dies. She then buried the Swordsman, and battled the Titanic Three
. She would learn the origins of the Kree-Skrull War
, the Cotati, and the Priests of Pama. Mantis then formally joined the Avengers and is revealed to be, indeed, the Celestial Madonna and marries a Cotati
in the reanimated body of the Swordsman, leaving the Avengers and the Earth to mate with him.
In DC Comics
' Justice League of America
#142, she appears as Willow. Asked where she came from, Willow replies, "This one has come from a place she must not name, to reach a place no man must know." (Mantis refers to herself as "this one"). After two issues, she leaves to go give birth.
series Scorpio Rose #2 (according to Englehart's website http://www.steveenglehart.com/), the character calls herself Lorelei. By this time, she has given birth to a son. What would have been issue #3, a "lost" Lorelei/Scorpio Rose story, was later published in Coyote Collection
#1 from Image Comics
, the character's fourth company.
, she takes the name "Mandy Celestine" and lives with him for a year in Willimantic
, Connecticut
before handing him to his father's people and going into space with the Silver Surfer
and battling the Elders of the Universe
alongside the Surfer. The Silver Surfer finds himself falling in love with Mantis. However, Mantis (whose body was now green and had begun to manifest new powers of invulnerability that allowed her to survive in space due to side-effects of her pregnancy) grows bitter with her life and the way she was forced to abandon her child. This comes to a head when Mantis is caught in an explosion and presumed dead by Silver Surfer. She survives, but the strain of the previous years causes her to literally split into multiple versions of herself, each representing conflicting aspects of her psyche that could no longer co-exist inside her mind.
The fragments arrive on Earth and one version of Mantis rejoins the West Coast Avengers
team, with portions of her memories missing. (Steve Englehart intended the storyline involving Mantis and her amnesia to be his next major plotline, but editorial problems caused him to quit the series, with the plotline resolved hastily.) Mantis discovers, through the temporarily resurrected corpse of the Swordsman, that her psyche had shattered and that she needs to find her counterparts in order to restore her memories. She made her way to New York City
where she encountered the Fantastic Four
as they dealt with the effects of Inferno
. Kang pursued Mantis, not realizing she had lost her power and hoping to use her to attack the Dreaming Celestial
, and in the process the Surfer was summoned to Earth. With the aid of the Cotati, Kang was defeated but Mantis realized she must leave her body and join with the Cotati to raise her son.
Aside from mentions by Silver Surfer, Mantis does not reappear until 1995's controversial Avengers crossover story "The Crossing". In "The Crossing", Mantis returns as the villainous bride of Kang the Conqueror with the intention of bringing death to the Avengers; her father Libra (who by now was going by the name "Moonraker
" as part of Force Works
); and the Cotati alien who had possessed the Swordsman's body and married/impregnated her. Her anger at her father (whom she had vivisected
) and the Cotati center around their "defilement" of her and that she hates the Avengers for believing their manipulative lies.
The storyline was controversial, so much so that Kurt Busiek, in Avengers Forever
limited series
, retcon
ned the Mantis who appeared in the story as being a Space Phantom
brainwashed into thinking he was Mantis.
Eventually, Mantis reappears in the Steve Englehart written Avengers: Celestial Quest
limited series. She returns to Earth and merges with her remaining fragmented portions of her personality (which we learn represent "freak, mother, prostitute, mystic, and Avenger") after the first four are killed by Thanos
(later retroactively declared to be a clone of the real Thanos). The final Mantis merges with them to become a "complete" Mantis for the first time since her dispersion. Thus reformed, she and a group of the Avengers go into space to stop "Thanos" from killing her son, Quoi, who by this time is a rebellious teenager desperate to leave the isolation of the Cotati home-world and travel the stars. During the adventure, Mantis flirts with Vision (with the implication that she has sex with him), but ultimately ends the flirting when she realizes that he has feelings for his estranged wife Scarlet Witch, who is jealous of Mantis and Vision's friendship. Mantis also appears in the "Avengers Disassembled
" storyline, although many occurrences in that storyline are illusions.
Mantis appears in the 2007 miniseries Annihilation Conquest: Star-Lord, where she is shown as a Kree prisoner who volunteers for a mission led by Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord
.
After the defeat of Ultron
and the Phalanx
, Mantis takes up residence on the Knowhere
station with the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy. She has assumed the role of counselor for the group, using her knowledge of the mind to maintain a balance with all the very eclectic personalities of the group.
During the Secret Invasion
storyline, it was discovered that Star-Lord had Mantis use her mental powers to manipulate the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy to join the team against their will. Overhearing Mantis and Star-Lord converse about their deception, Drax
shared this knowledge with the rest of the team. This caused most of the members to leave. Mantis was promoted to field status by Rocket Raccoon
.
Mantis was apparently killed by the Magus
, who, upon anticipating that Mantis would use her mental powers to incapacitate him, struck her and her fellow psionic Cosmo dead with a powerful blast of energy. However, it was revealed that she, along with fellow Guardians Phyla-Vell
, Cosmo, Gamora
, and Major Victory
are still alive, but being held prisoner in suspended animation by the Magus. She reunites with the other team of Guardians, telling Moondragon that Phyla-Vell was the first one killed by Thanos' rampage.
. She could also instinctively sense weak points in an opponent and knock out beings as powerful as the thunder god Thor
.
She has attained a mastery of meditational disciplines giving her an unusual amount of control over her body, including autonomic functions like heartbeat, bleeding, and breathing, as well as awareness of pain, allowing her to more quickly heal injuries through sheer force of will, and affording almost superhuman reflexes and reactions. She also had psychic empathy, a telepathic
power that allowed her to sense the emotions of others.
Mantis gained additional abilities as a result of communion with the Prime Cotati. Her empathic ability enabled her to communicate with the plant-like Cotati
and with plant life. To travel in space, Mantis had the ability to separate her physical and astral
forms, projecting her consciousness from her body, allowing her to travel interplanetary distances. She also had the ability to transfer her astral form to any place where plant life exists. She could form and inhabit a plant like simulacrum of her human body for herself out of the destination planet's local vegetation. Her fighting skills remained intact, and her empathic abilities were heightened to a superhuman degree and extended to the planet’s flora and biosphere. She could control the vegetation within her vicinity.
During her confrontations with a powerful Thanos clone, she displayed superhuman strength, a talent to simultaneously inhabit multiple simulacrums, and the ability to project strong blasts of energy, but has not been seen using these powers since.
As of her appearance in Annihilation Conquest: Star-Lord, Mantis also appears to have gained telepathic and precognitive abilities, and apparently now labors under a constant awareness of future events. The source of these new powers is as yet unclear. Other powers displayed or referred to during the series were pyrokinesis
, mid-range mentat
training, and invisibility to the Phalanx
.
reality, the alternate version of Mantis is the woman Kang the Conqueror
loves, and Kang's motive to attack the 20th Century and the Avengers is to show that he is worthy of her love. Mantis recognizes her love for Kang after he is killed by Loki
, who kills her shortly after.
's Dragons criminal organization, alongside, Swordsman
, Zaran
, and Machete
. Mantis is arrested after the Dragons are ambushed by the Kingpin
's assassins. She and Shang-Chi are two of the three survivors of the group.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
in the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
, and former member of the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
.
Publication history
Mantis first appeared in Avengers (volume 1) #112 (June 1973), drawn by Don HeckDon Heck
Don Heck was an American comic book artist best known for co-creating the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, and for his long run penciling the Marvel superhero-team series The Avengers during the 1960s Silver Age of comic books.-Early life and career:Born in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New...
. Created by writer Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart is an American novelist. In his earlier career he was a comic book writer best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics, particularly in the 1970s...
, the character may be unique in the fact that she later appeared (in slightly different name and form) in books published by other comic book companies, moving from Marvel to DC
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
to Eclipse
Eclipse Comics
Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market...
to Image
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
and finally back to Marvel again.
Marvel beginnings
Mantis is the half-Vietnamese, half-German daughter of Gustav Brandt—Libra—and was born in HuếHue
Hue is one of the main properties of a color, defined technically , as "the degree to which a stimulus can be describedas similar to or different from stimuli that are described as red, green, blue, and yellow,"...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. In her childhood, her father leaves her in Vietnam at the Temple of the alien Priests of Pama, a sect of the Kree
Kree
The Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the fictional Marvel Universe. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud...
. The Kree believe she might become the Celestial Madonna and mate with the eldest Cotati
Cotati (comics)
The Cotati are a fictional alien race in the Marvel Universe. They are a highly intelligent species of telepathic plants. Long ago, the Cotait were humanoid in form, with branches which served as rudimentary limbs which allowed them to slowly travel, and a torso topped by a distinct head with a...
on Earth to become the mother of the Celestial Messiah, "the most important being in the universe."
She excels in her martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
studies, but when she reaches adulthood, she is mind-wiped
Mind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
and sent into the world to gain life experience. She becomes a prostitute and barmaid in a Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese bar, where she meets the Swordsman
Swordsman (comics)
Swordsman is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. His first appearance was in Avengers Vol.1 #19 and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck. The Swordsman was introduced as an enemy of Hawkeye and the Avengers...
. She helps him regain his self-respect and follows him when the former villain attempts to rejoin the Avengers. She became an Avengers ally when the Swordsman rejoined the Avengers, and she battled the Lion God alongside them.
With the Avengers, Mantis had many adventures. She battled the original Zodiac
Zodiac (comics)
Zodiac is the name of four groups of fictional characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. The first version appears in Avengers #72 and was created by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema. The second version first appear in Defenders #49 and were created by David Kraft and Keith Giffen...
, and learned that Libra was her father and that she was raised by the Priests of Pama. She encountered the Star-Stalker
Star Stalker (comics)
Star-Stalker is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:The Star-Stalker was a mutant Vorm who destroyed planets by absorbing energy in the form of ions ....
, battled Thanos
Thanos
Thanos is a fictional character that appears in comic books and other media published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin....
, Klaw and Solarr
Solarr
Solarr is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Silas King was born in Carson City, Nevada. He was a latent Mutant who worked as a smuggler of illicit narcotics. On a drug run from New York City to Los Angeles, his van broke down in the Mojave Desert...
, Nuklo
Nuklo
Nuklo is a fictional character, mutant in the Marvel Comics Universe.-Publication history:Nuklo first appeared in Giant-Size Avengers #1 , and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Dan Adkins....
, and then alongside the Avengers, Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
, and Inhumans
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This race appears in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics and exists in that company's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
, she faced Ultron
Ultron
Ultron is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Avengers #54 , and was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema...
at the wedding of Quicksilver
Quicksilver (comics)
Quicksilver is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
and Crystal
Crystal (comics)
Crystal is a fictional character, a superhero in the . She is a member of the Inhumans and the younger sister of Medusa....
.
Mantis becomes taken with the Vision
Vision (Marvel Comics)
The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The first Vision was created by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that...
, and—although rejected by the android—neglects the Swordsman. Alongside the Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
and Agatha Harkness
Agatha Harkness
Agatha Harkness is a fictional character, a powerful witch in the Marvel Comics universe. Supposedly, she was one of the original witches from the Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts. She somehow survived and later became a significant figure in Marvel continuity, protecting Franklin...
, she was abducted by Kang. She was revealed as the Celestial Madonna and witnessed the death of the Swordsman at the hands of Kang, only proclaiming her love for the Swordsman as he dies. She then buried the Swordsman, and battled the Titanic Three
Titanic Three
In the Marvel Comics universe, the Titanic Three was a short-lived team of supervillains consisting of Titanium Man, Radioactive Man, and the Crimson Dynamo. While the Radioactive Man was a Chinese supervillain the other members of the team were from the Soviet Union...
. She would learn the origins of the Kree-Skrull War
Kree-Skrull War
The "Kree-Skrull War" is a story arc that was written by Roy Thomas, and drawn by Sal Buscema, Neal Adams, and John Buscema. The story was originally published in the Marvel Comics comic book title Avengers #89 - 97 ....
, the Cotati, and the Priests of Pama. Mantis then formally joined the Avengers and is revealed to be, indeed, the Celestial Madonna and marries a Cotati
Cotati (comics)
The Cotati are a fictional alien race in the Marvel Universe. They are a highly intelligent species of telepathic plants. Long ago, the Cotait were humanoid in form, with branches which served as rudimentary limbs which allowed them to slowly travel, and a torso topped by a distinct head with a...
in the reanimated body of the Swordsman, leaving the Avengers and the Earth to mate with him.
DC Comics: Willow
After leaving Marvel Comics, writer Steve Englehart carried Mantis' tale through two other companies before returning to Marvel.In DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' Justice League of America
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
#142, she appears as Willow. Asked where she came from, Willow replies, "This one has come from a place she must not name, to reach a place no man must know." (Mantis refers to herself as "this one"). After two issues, she leaves to go give birth.
Eclipse: Lorelei
In the Eclipse ComicsEclipse Comics
Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market...
series Scorpio Rose #2 (according to Englehart's website http://www.steveenglehart.com/), the character calls herself Lorelei. By this time, she has given birth to a son. What would have been issue #3, a "lost" Lorelei/Scorpio Rose story, was later published in Coyote Collection
Coyote (comics)
Coyote is a comic book character created by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers.-Publication history:The characters first appeared in in Eclipse Magazine #2-8. It would later be reprinted in a color trade paperback, I Am Coyote....
#1 from Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
, the character's fourth company.
Marvel history resumes
After she bears her child, SequoiaSequoia (comics)
Sequoia, is a Marvel Comics' character. He is the son of Mantis and the elder member of the Cotati contingent which was transplanted from the Kree home planet Hala to Viet Nam on Earth.-Prophecy:...
, she takes the name "Mandy Celestine" and lives with him for a year in Willimantic
Willimantic, Connecticut
Willimantic is a census-designated place and former city located in the town of Windham in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was estimated at 15,823 at the 2000 census. It is home to Eastern Connecticut State University, as well as the Windham Textile and History Museum....
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
before handing him to his father's people and going into space with the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
and battling the Elders of the Universe
Elders of the Universe
The Elders of the Universe are a group of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Collector was the first Elder to appear, and featured in Avengers #28...
alongside the Surfer. The Silver Surfer finds himself falling in love with Mantis. However, Mantis (whose body was now green and had begun to manifest new powers of invulnerability that allowed her to survive in space due to side-effects of her pregnancy) grows bitter with her life and the way she was forced to abandon her child. This comes to a head when Mantis is caught in an explosion and presumed dead by Silver Surfer. She survives, but the strain of the previous years causes her to literally split into multiple versions of herself, each representing conflicting aspects of her psyche that could no longer co-exist inside her mind.
The fragments arrive on Earth and one version of Mantis rejoins the West Coast Avengers
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The West Coast Avengers #1 and was created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall.- Publication history :...
team, with portions of her memories missing. (Steve Englehart intended the storyline involving Mantis and her amnesia to be his next major plotline, but editorial problems caused him to quit the series, with the plotline resolved hastily.) Mantis discovers, through the temporarily resurrected corpse of the Swordsman, that her psyche had shattered and that she needs to find her counterparts in order to restore her memories. She made her way to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where she encountered the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
as they dealt with the effects of Inferno
Inferno (Marvel Comics)
Inferno was a Marvel Comics company-wide crossover in 1989 that mainly involved the mutant titles, namely The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, X-Terminators, Excalibur, and The New Mutants...
. Kang pursued Mantis, not realizing she had lost her power and hoping to use her to attack the Dreaming Celestial
Dreaming Celestial
In the Marvel Comics' universe, the Dreaming Celestial is a renegade member of the race of god-like Celestials.-Publication history:The Dreaming Celestial first appeared in Eternals Vol. 1, #18 , and was created by Jack Kirby....
, and in the process the Surfer was summoned to Earth. With the aid of the Cotati, Kang was defeated but Mantis realized she must leave her body and join with the Cotati to raise her son.
Aside from mentions by Silver Surfer, Mantis does not reappear until 1995's controversial Avengers crossover story "The Crossing". In "The Crossing", Mantis returns as the villainous bride of Kang the Conqueror with the intention of bringing death to the Avengers; her father Libra (who by now was going by the name "Moonraker
Moonraker (comics)
Moonraker is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, and is a member of Force Works. He first appears in Force Works #16 . Although he claimed to be Gustav Brandt, the original Libra, it is later hinted he was one of Immortus' Space Phantoms.-References:* at the Appendix...
" as part of Force Works
Force Works
Force Works was a Marvel Comics superhero team. It first appeared in the comic book series Force Works #1 . The title was written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and initially drawn by Tom Tenney....
); and the Cotati alien who had possessed the Swordsman's body and married/impregnated her. Her anger at her father (whom she had vivisected
Vivisection
Vivisection is defined as surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to view living internal structure...
) and the Cotati center around their "defilement" of her and that she hates the Avengers for believing their manipulative lies.
The storyline was controversial, so much so that Kurt Busiek, in Avengers Forever
Avengers Forever
Avengers Forever is a twelve-issue comic book limited series published from December 1998 to November 1999 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Kurt Busiek and Roger Stern and drawn by Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino.-Publication history:...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
ned the Mantis who appeared in the story as being a Space Phantom
Space Phantom
Space Phantom is a name given to a number of fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe. The first appearance of such a being was in Avengers vol. 1 #2 , they were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
brainwashed into thinking he was Mantis.
Avengers: Celestial Quest
Avengers: Celestial Quest is an eight-issue comic book limited series published from November 2001 to June 2002 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Steve Englehart, and drawn by Jorge Santamaria and Scott Hanna.-Plot summary:...
limited series. She returns to Earth and merges with her remaining fragmented portions of her personality (which we learn represent "freak, mother, prostitute, mystic, and Avenger") after the first four are killed by Thanos
Thanos
Thanos is a fictional character that appears in comic books and other media published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin....
(later retroactively declared to be a clone of the real Thanos). The final Mantis merges with them to become a "complete" Mantis for the first time since her dispersion. Thus reformed, she and a group of the Avengers go into space to stop "Thanos" from killing her son, Quoi, who by this time is a rebellious teenager desperate to leave the isolation of the Cotati home-world and travel the stars. During the adventure, Mantis flirts with Vision (with the implication that she has sex with him), but ultimately ends the flirting when she realizes that he has feelings for his estranged wife Scarlet Witch, who is jealous of Mantis and Vision's friendship. Mantis also appears in the "Avengers Disassembled
Avengers Disassembled
"Avengers Disassembled", referred to in some participating series as "Disassembled", is a crossover event between several Marvel Comics series. The general idea is that the major heroes are assaulted, not just physically, but emotionally...
" storyline, although many occurrences in that storyline are illusions.
Mantis appears in the 2007 miniseries Annihilation Conquest: Star-Lord, where she is shown as a Kree prisoner who volunteers for a mission led by Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord
Star-Lord
Star-Lord is the name of three fictional characters that appear in publications from by Marvel Comics.The first Star-Lord was Peter Quill, who first appeared in Marvel Preview #4 , and was created by Steve Englehart and Steve Gan...
.
After the defeat of Ultron
Ultron
Ultron is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Avengers #54 , and was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema...
and the Phalanx
Phalanx (comics)
The Phalanx are a fictional cybernetic species in the Marvel Comics universe. They have come in conflict with the X-Men and related groups on several occasions. They form a hive mind, linking each member by a telepathy-like system....
, Mantis takes up residence on the Knowhere
Knowhere
Knowhere is a fictional location in the Marvel Comics universe. It is an interdimensional crossroads and scientific observatory. It was created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and first appeared in Nova #8 .-Development:...
station with the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy. She has assumed the role of counselor for the group, using her knowledge of the mind to maintain a balance with all the very eclectic personalities of the group.
During the Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
storyline, it was discovered that Star-Lord had Mantis use her mental powers to manipulate the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy to join the team against their will. Overhearing Mantis and Star-Lord converse about their deception, Drax
Drax the Destroyer
Drax the Destroyer is a fictional character appearing in books published by the Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Drax first appeared in Iron Man #55 , and was created by Mike Friedrich and Jim Starlin. He had a recurring role in Captain Marvel vol 1 beginning with issue #23...
shared this knowledge with the rest of the team. This caused most of the members to leave. Mantis was promoted to field status by Rocket Raccoon
Rocket Raccoon
Rocket Raccoon is a fictional character, a superhero in the . He first appeared in Marvel Preview #7 . Rocket Raccoon is an intelligent, anthropomorphic raccoon.-Publication history:...
.
Mantis was apparently killed by the Magus
Magus (comics)
The Magus is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain. He is an evil version of the hero Adam Warlock.-Publication history:The Magus was created by Jim Starlin, and appears as an image in Strange Tales vol...
, who, upon anticipating that Mantis would use her mental powers to incapacitate him, struck her and her fellow psionic Cosmo dead with a powerful blast of energy. However, it was revealed that she, along with fellow Guardians Phyla-Vell
Phyla-Vell
Phyla-Vell is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. She has gone by the names Quasar, Captain Marvel and Martyr. She was created by Peter David and Paul Azaceta in Captain Marvel Phyla-Vell is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics...
, Cosmo, Gamora
Gamora
Gamora is a fictional comic book character in Marvel Comics' shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe. She is the adopted daughter of Thanos and the occasional love interest of Adam Warlock and Nova.-Publication history:...
, and Major Victory
Vance Astro
Vance Astro, born Vance Astrovik and going by the nickname Major Victory, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero from the Earth-691 timeline of the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
are still alive, but being held prisoner in suspended animation by the Magus. She reunites with the other team of Guardians, telling Moondragon that Phyla-Vell was the first one killed by Thanos' rampage.
Powers and abilities
Mantis was trained by the Priests of Pama to become a grandmistress of the martial arts, demonstrated as fully capable of defeating opponents as skilled as Captain AmericaCaptain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
. She could also instinctively sense weak points in an opponent and knock out beings as powerful as the thunder god Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
.
She has attained a mastery of meditational disciplines giving her an unusual amount of control over her body, including autonomic functions like heartbeat, bleeding, and breathing, as well as awareness of pain, allowing her to more quickly heal injuries through sheer force of will, and affording almost superhuman reflexes and reactions. She also had psychic empathy, a telepathic
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
power that allowed her to sense the emotions of others.
Mantis gained additional abilities as a result of communion with the Prime Cotati. Her empathic ability enabled her to communicate with the plant-like Cotati
Cotati (comics)
The Cotati are a fictional alien race in the Marvel Universe. They are a highly intelligent species of telepathic plants. Long ago, the Cotait were humanoid in form, with branches which served as rudimentary limbs which allowed them to slowly travel, and a torso topped by a distinct head with a...
and with plant life. To travel in space, Mantis had the ability to separate her physical and astral
Astral projection
Astral projection is an interpretation of out-of-body experience that assumes the existence of an "astral body" separate from the physical body and capable of traveling outside it...
forms, projecting her consciousness from her body, allowing her to travel interplanetary distances. She also had the ability to transfer her astral form to any place where plant life exists. She could form and inhabit a plant like simulacrum of her human body for herself out of the destination planet's local vegetation. Her fighting skills remained intact, and her empathic abilities were heightened to a superhuman degree and extended to the planet’s flora and biosphere. She could control the vegetation within her vicinity.
During her confrontations with a powerful Thanos clone, she displayed superhuman strength, a talent to simultaneously inhabit multiple simulacrums, and the ability to project strong blasts of energy, but has not been seen using these powers since.
As of her appearance in Annihilation Conquest: Star-Lord, Mantis also appears to have gained telepathic and precognitive abilities, and apparently now labors under a constant awareness of future events. The source of these new powers is as yet unclear. Other powers displayed or referred to during the series were pyrokinesis
Pyrokinesis
Pyrokinesis, derived from the Greek words and , was the name coined by horror novelist Stephen King for the ability to create or to control fire with the mind that he gave to the protagonist Charlie McGee in Firestarter...
, mid-range mentat
Mentat
A Mentat is a profession or discipline in Frank Herbert's fictional Dune universe. Mentats are humans trained to mimic computers: human minds developed to staggering heights of cognitive and analytical ability.- Overview :...
training, and invisibility to the Phalanx
Phalanx (comics)
The Phalanx are a fictional cybernetic species in the Marvel Comics universe. They have come in conflict with the X-Men and related groups on several occasions. They form a hive mind, linking each member by a telepathy-like system....
.
Heroes Reborn
In the Heroes RebornHeroes Reborn
"Heroes Reborn" was a 1996-1997 crossover story arc among comic-book series published by the American company Marvel Comics. During this one-year, multi-title story arc, Marvel temporarily outsourced the production of several of its most famous comic books to the studios of its popular former...
reality, the alternate version of Mantis is the woman Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #8 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
loves, and Kang's motive to attack the 20th Century and the Avengers is to show that he is worthy of her love. Mantis recognizes her love for Kang after he is killed by Loki
Loki (comics)
Loki is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. He is the adoptive brother and archenemy of the superhero Thor. He is based on the being of the same name from Norse mythology...
, who kills her shortly after.
House of M
In this reality, Mantis is a member of Shang-ChiShang-Chi
Shang-Chi is a Marvel Comics character, often called the "Master of Kung Fu". He was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin....
's Dragons criminal organization, alongside, Swordsman
Swordsman (comics)
Swordsman is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. His first appearance was in Avengers Vol.1 #19 and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck. The Swordsman was introduced as an enemy of Hawkeye and the Avengers...
, Zaran
Zaran
Zaran is a Marvel Comics super-villain, and is a codename carried by two characters related to another.-Maximillian Zaran:-Fictional character biography:...
, and Machete
Machete (comics)
- Machete :The first known Machete was Ferdinand Lopez, a member of Batroc's Brigade and Doom's Brigade. He was also a former revolutionary of San Diablo in South America. He became a mercenary to finance a revolution but was reportedly killed by Zeitgeist...
. Mantis is arrested after the Dragons are ambushed by the Kingpin
Kingpin (comics)
The Kingpin is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . Kingpin is one of the most feared and powerful crime lords in the Marvel Universe. The character is a major adversary of Daredevil, the Punisher, and Spider-Man...
's assassins. She and Shang-Chi are two of the three survivors of the group.