The reveal that Mantis is Star-Lord's sister means Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 can now continue a tragic trend for Peter Quill. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special confirmed what many suspected for some time that Mantis and Star-Lord are related. While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 introduced Mantis as a powerful alien serving Ego, the sister twist confirms that the Living Planet was her father. In addition to making Mantis part Celestial, the twist is sure to be an important part of the group's dynamic in Guardians of the Galaxy 3. That could include giving James Gunn the ability to continue a tragic trend.

Now that Mantis is confirmed to be Star-Lord's sister, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 could kill another family member. The first Guardians of the Galaxy movie showed the death of Peter Quill's mom at the very beginning, but he also saw Groot die in the end. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 then added to the trauma by having Yondu (his adopted dad) die saving Peter and Ego (his biological father) die after his villain turn. Even Avengers: Infinity War made Star-Lord lose the love of his life, Gamora. Mantis dying in Guardians of the Galaxy 3 would continue the Star-Lord trend of a family member or loved one dying.

Related: Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 Trailer's "We Are Groot" Hints At Dark Ending

Mantis Dying In Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Would Be A Mistake

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It would be a huge mistake if Guardians of the Galaxy 3 killed Mantis, though. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special finally did Mantis justice as an MCU character, and audiences came to love Pom Klementieff's performance even more as a result. The added investment audiences and Star-Lord now have could be an argument in favor of why Guardians of the Galaxy 3 could kill Mantis, but that would be a disappointing development. Instead of her going on to become an even bigger character, Mantis would die right after her breakout performance.

The good news is that Mantis should be safe from dying in the Phase 5 MCU movie. The first Guardians of the Galaxy 3 trailer teased plenty of character deaths and traumatic moments, but Mantis is shown having a very emotional reaction to something. The footage did little to make audiences back off predictions that Drax and/or Rocket will die in Guardians of the Galaxy 3. They are key members of the team, and their deaths will have more of an emotional impact on audiences, Mantis, and the other remaining Guardians.

Mantis & Star-Lord Should Lead The MCU’s New Guardians Team

Star Lord and Mantis Are Siblings in Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Instead of Mantis dying in Guardians of the Galaxy 3 to continue the tragic Star-Lord trend, the better option is that the brother/sister duo will remain with the Guardians team moving forward. The film is the end of the original iteration of the team, but the group will remain part of the MCU's future. Having Star-Lord and Mantis stick around as some of the veterans of the group makes sense. This could see Mantis and Star-Lord team up with Cosmo, Adam Warlock, and other cosmic heroes to form the next Guardians of the Galaxy team. Of course, Mantis has to survive Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to do this.

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