Guardians Of The Galaxy: Mantis Creator Wasn’t Happy With The Character’s Portrayal

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has been out for less than a month, but the film has already created some stand-out stars. This time around, Groot has found himself competing for the public spotlight, and it is all thanks to one heroine named Mantis. The empathic character was introduced in the new film as she eventually swapped allegiances to help the Guardians defeat their big baddie. While fans have fallen for Mantis’ gullible charm, there is one person who can’t abide by the film’s take on Mantis.

When it comes down to it, the creator of Mantis was not happy with how Guardians of the Galaxy treated the character.

Recently, Steve Englehart spoke with Polygon about his original work on the ‘Secret Empire’ storyline which Marvel recently revived. The site took a moment to ask the comic creator about Mantis’ part in Guardians, and Englehart confessed he was disappointed by the take.

“Well, I was not happy with Mantis’ portrayal,” Englehart admitted.

“That character has nothing to do with Mantis. I will say that I liked the film quite a bit overall, they’re doing good stuff and I enjoyed my night at the movies so long as I turned my brain off to the fact that that’s not Mantis up there. I really don’t know why you would take a character who is as distinctive as Mantis is and do a completely different character and still call her Mantis. That I do not know.”

“I wasn’t impressed with what they did with Mantis but the Mantis on the screen was entertaining, I liked her but that’s not Mantis,” the creator finished.

Englehart seems to be consistently disappointed by Marvel Studios’ take on his characters. The creator, who also brought Star-Lord to life, has previously distanced himself from how the Guardians film treat Star-Lord.

Speaking to Uproxx, the creator told the site previously, “I mean, I created Star-Lord, right? And I’ve explained a zillion times: I created him and then I left the company. So everything that happened to him after, that was done by other people. So this guy shows up on screen who has nothing to do with my creation. Well, he’s kind of an asshole and the guy I created was a real asshole. But, you know basically a very distant relative of the guy that I created. And yet I created him. I get my name on screen, and all that good stuff. But, I try to make it clear: Beyond creating him I didn’t make him the popular success he is today.”

Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is written and directed by James Gunn (Slither). The film marks the return of the original Guardians, including Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord; Zoe Saldana (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (Spectre) as Drax; Vin Diesel (Furious 7) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (Jumper) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (The Big Short) as Nebula; and Sean Gunn (Gilmore Girls) as Kraglin. New cast members include Pom Klementieff (Oldboy), Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby, Everest), Chris Sullivan (The Knick, The Drop) and Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight, The Thing).

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is in theaters now. Spider-Man: Homecoming lands on July 7, 2017, followed by Thor: Ragnarok on November 3, 2017. After that Black Panther debuts on February 16, 2018, while Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018. Ant-Man and the Wasp is slated for July 6, 2018, followed by Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019.

MORE GUARDIANS NEWS: James Gunn Explains Why Ego Told Star-Lord About His Mother / Director Says That’s Not Teen Groot / “Brandy” Songwriter Comments On Song’s Use