The following contains spoilers for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special now streaming on Disney+.
Several members of the Guardians of the Galaxy have mysterious backgrounds, at least as far as their Marvel Cinematic Universe versions stand. That's especially true of Mantis, their naive but joyful empath who first appeared as a servant of Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. She joined the Guardians after Ego's destruction, but her lineage has remained more or less undefined since then.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special finally gives Mantis the spotlight. While the new Disney+ presentation is deliberately sparse when it comes to significant MCU developments, Mantis plays a central role in its humorous misadventures. Along the way, the film takes the time to reveal the secrets of her parentage -- giving the Guardians' zany holiday a surprisingly heartwarming conclusion.
Guardians of the Galaxy's Mantis Spent Most of Her Life With Ego
Mantis revealed the bare bones of her origins to Drax the Destroyer during the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. She claimed that Ego found her orphaned on her home world and brought her to live with him. Her empathic abilities allowed her to calm him and help him sleep as he searched the galaxy for Peter Quill. She eventually bonded with the Guardians and turned on Ego, helping them destroy him in the film's climax and remaining a stalwart member of the team afterward.
Because Ego didn't consume Mantis the way he did so many others, audiences might naturally presume that she wasn't his progeny. The film implied that he claimed her solely for her empathic powers, leaving the question of her parentage vague until now. In truth, she's Ego's daughter: conceived with a female of her species in a manner similar to Quill. (Their connection was revealed in a deleted scene from the second film, but never officially stated in-canon.) That plays a huge role in the Holiday Special's plot.
Mantis Fears Her Heritage Will Turn Star-Lord Away From Her
Mantis tells who her father is early in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, along with her fears that it will remind Star-Lord of his connection to Ego and the associated trauma. She and Drax launch an ill-conceived plot to kidnap Kevin Bacon as a way of cheering Quill up. It works, kind of, and once Bacon understands the situation, he saves the day by bringing a little holiday magic to the Guardians' new base of Knowhere.
That doesn't change Mantis's trepidation about her parentage. But she finally reveals it to Quill in the show's finale when he asks her why she would go to the trouble of flying all the way to Earth to abduct a movie star for him. Far from being distraught, Peter is ecstatic that he has a sister he never knew and gives her a loving embrace after proclaiming her news to be the best present ever. For a project intended largely as a lark, the scene provides a surprisingly sweet piece of character development.
It's also indicative of the Holiday Special's overall balancing act, as it borders on open satire at times. Giving Mantis the opportunity to reveal her heritage not only allows the character some much-deserved development, but provides the rest of the special with emotional heft to counter its often-snarky humor. The show delivers it with care befitting its glowing reception, and provides viewers a well-earned lump in their throats.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now streaming on Disney+.