Mantis Appreciation (2019)

[Shadowcat]

I love Steve Englehart’s Mantis. The Celestial Madonna storyline is my favorite Avengers epic ever.

[King_Thor13]

I've been wanting to get Mantis back in print for ages. She's one of the few characters whose appearance in the MCU didn't lead to a popularity boost in the comics and I believe she hasn't shown up anywhere since she was revealed as a Guardian of Knowhere ages ago (which we now know is defunct). It was strange that she wasn't in attendance at the meeting in the recent GotG #1, where most of the cosmic heroes of the MU showed up. I just hope that she's busy elsewhere

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Fantastic Four #323 Feb 1989
Orphan of the Storm!" Inferno Crossover. Guest-starring Mantis.
The Fantastic Four are patrolling the streets to protect the city from the Inferno madness,

when they come across Mantis. Her baby is missing, and the FF agree to help Mantis find her child.

However, Kang the Conqueror ambushes the four heroes, abducts Mantis,

and heads for Mount Diablo, California. The FF follow in hot pursuit!

Story by Steve Englehart. Art by Keith Pollard and Romeo Tanghal.

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Fantastic Four #324 Mar 1989
"I Die Like the Stars!" Inferno Crossover. Guest-starring Mantis.
During the fight in California vs. Kang, the Human Torch discovers that he cannot flame off anymore.
Also during the battle, Mantis escapes from Kang and then disappears.
Both the heroes and villain travel back to New York and find that Necrodamus has captured Mantis.



What will the FF and Kang do next?

Story by Steve Englehart. Art by Keith Pollard and Romeo Tanghal.

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Fantastic Four #325 Apr 1989
"A Christmas Tale" Guest-starring Mantis and the Silver Surfer.
Detecting a disturbance near the planet Mercury, the Silver Surfer flies to the planet to investigate and finds the
unconscious body of the Human Torch, whose magically enhanced flame will not go out, even in the depths of space.
Stabilizing the Torch with his Power Cosmic, the Surfer learns how the Torch was abandoned in space by Kang the Conqueror
after he helped move the planet Mercury out of alignment to save the life of Mantis.
Upon hearing Mantis' name the Surfer rushes to Earth so he can be reunited with the woman he had grown to love and thought he lost in space.

On Earth at the Four Freedoms Plaza, the Thing and Ms. Marvel have brought Mantis to the roof so she
can use one of the Fantastic Four's space ships to return to the stars and rescue her son from the Cotati.
While they are discussing their plans, they also realize that they are going to have to rescue the Human Torch after Kang left him to die in space.
However, before they can take off the Silver Surfer arrives with the Human Torch in tow.

This leads to a happy reunion between the Surfer and Mantis after the Surfer believed she had died during his battle against the Elders of the Universe.
She explains after her "death" she was reborn on Earth but lost her cosmic powers and ability to transfer herself to other worlds through plant life.
She explains that she was also stranded on Earth with no memory of her past until recently and has become determined to rescue her son.
The Surfer vows to remain by her side and help her in her cause.

Before the Surfer and Mantis can disembark on their quest, the Torch asks the Surfer
if he can use his Power Cosmic to restore the control he once had over his flame powers.
The Surfer tries his best, but the magics involved prevent him from succeeding.
Before they can do anything else they are suddenly under siege by Kang
who has returned to Earth with a ship carrying a number of Cotati trees,
bent on stopping Mantis from recovering her child.
Not far from the Cotati ship is another sphere which contains the plant form of the son of Mantis.
Kang and the Cotati give Mantis an ultimatum: give up her quest, or die. Mantis refuses to leave her son to become
an unemotional being among the Cotati and refuses, and the Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer agree to side with her.

Upon hearing this, Kang orders the Priests of Pama hiding aboard his ship to attack.
While the Fantastic Four and Mantis battle the Priests, the Silver Surfer faces off against Kang.
The heroes make short work of the Priests best fighters, and the Surfer eventually bests Kang's 30th century technology.
Things begin to turn when the Torch is knocked out, leading to Sharon and Ben coming to his aid and being felled by the Priests as well.
As the Surfer continues to battle on against Kang,

Mantis pits her mental powers against the Cotati and wins, forcing them to flee from Earth.
With the Torch recovered, he defeats the last of the Priests of Pama.
With the battle over, Kang takes this opportunity to flee the scene, teleporting away in his time ship.
The Torch vows to get revenge against Kang, vowing to be waiting for the next time Kang returns to their era.
In the aftermath of the battle, Mantis tells her friends that the Cotati have escaped into a
realm of pure thought and that to go after them and rescue her son she will have to go alone.
After a farewell kiss to the Surfer, Mantis then sheds off her mortal body
in order to send her mind after the Cotati, seemingly dying in the process.
When the Fantastic Four try to console the Surfer, he angrily pushes them away before flying off into space to return to the stars.

Story by Steve Englehart. Art by Rich Buckler and Romeo Tanghal.

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I've always said that Mantis is hands down the flat out best h2h fighter in the MU. She's easily got the best feats. It's a shame she never gets the props she deserves whenever those sort of discussions come up.

Wish the movie going public got to see the MCU Mantis depicted on screen as being one of the best h2h fighters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Avengers #123 May 1974
"Vengeance in Vietnam!" Part 1 of 2.
At the conclusion of last issue's blockbuster battle vs. the Zodiac, Libra made a surprise announcement: "I am the father of Mantis!"
Wow, what a shock to the Avengers and Mantis too! Libra says he met Mantis' mother during the First Indochina War.

And after a local crime lord, Monsieur Khruul, attacked his home, he gave his daughter to the Priests of Pama to be raised.

Is this fact of fiction? Either way the Swordsman isn't waiting for answers!
He jumps in a quinjet and makes a beeline for Saigon to confront his former boss! But that turns out to be a disastrous idea.
By the time Earth's Mightiest Heroes arrive in Vietnam, the Swordsman has been defeated and forced to talk about Mantis' upbringing!
The vindictive monsieur and his minions go to the Priests of Pama's' temple and the killing begins.
The frustrated Avengers once again arrive too late, but as shown on the chilling two-page final panel,

battle is coming to Earth's Mightiest Heroes next issue…and coming in spades!

Script by Steve Englehart. Pencils by Bob Brown. Inks by Don Heck.

[Factor]

I miss Mantis. She's such an underused character. I wish they'd add her to the current Guardians.

[Flash Gordon]

I love her relationship to the Silver Surfer.

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Avengers #124 Jun 1974
"Vengeance in Vietnam!" Part 2 of 2.
The monster inside the Priests of Pama's temple stands revealed! It's the Star-Stalker!

The ion-fueled creature from beyond the stars thrashes Earth's Mightiest Heroes and sends them running from the temple!
The Avengers and Libra know they need more firepower, so the Black Panther arranges for Taurus' star-blaster to be flown to Vietnam!
But when the Star-Stalker emerges from his cocoon, he crushes the powerful weapon and gets back to pounding the Avengers!

Does this awesome beast have any weaknesses?

If so, Mantis and the Vision better find it fast!
Cameo appearance by Cornelius Van Lunt. Flashback cameo by the Zodiac and the Supreme Intelligence.

Script by Steve Englehart. Art by John Buscema (breakdowns) and Dave Cockrum (finishes).

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Mantis "Death Grip" is legendary. Glad the Russo Brothers remembered it in Infinity war and used a variation of it.

I'm all for using it again against whatever character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, come 2022 or 2023.