GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 Casts Pom Klementieff as Mantis

We have ourselves a new Guardian.  You know, of the galaxy.

Just one day after The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Pom Klementieff has been cast in a major role for James Gunn's upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Deadline now reports that Klementieff will be playing Marvel's celestial madonna Mantis.

Marvel reportedly held a wide casting search for Mantis, which called for an Asian actress, and did several rounds of chemistry reads.

Klementieff, 29, is a French actress of Korean and French-Russian descent, best known as Haeng-Bok in the 2013 version of Oldboy.  She will also be appearing in the upcoming film Hacker's Game.

Created in 1973 by Steve Englehart and Don Heck, Mantis first appeared in The Avengers (vol.1) #112 as the half-Vietnamese, half-German daughter Libra, member of the Zodiac.  During her childhood, Mantis' father left her in Vietnam at the Temple of the alien Priests of Pama, a sect of the Kree.  The Kree believed 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."

Mantis excelled in her martial arts studies, but when she reached adulthood, her mind was wiped and was sent into the world to gain life experience.  She became a prostitute and barmaid in a Vietnamese bar, where she met the Swordsman.  She helped him regain his self-respect and followed him when he attempted to rejoin the Avengers.

She soon witnessed the death of the Swordsman at the hands of Kang, only realizing the depth of her love for the Swordsman just as he died.  She then buried the Swordsman, learned the origins of the Kree-Skrull War, the Cotati, and the Priests of Pama.  Mantis then formally joined the Avengers and was revealed to be the Celestial Madonna.  She married a Cotati in the reanimated body of the Swordsman, leaving the Avengers and the Earth to mate with him.

Later, after being a prisoner of the Kree, Mantis took up residence on the Knowhere station with the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy.  She assumed the role of counselor for the group, using her knowledge of the mind to maintain a balance with their various personalities.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is scheduled to be released on May 5, 2017.