In 2017, four years after she made her Hollywood debut in the Oldboy remake, Pom Klementieff appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as Mantis, who’s been an integral member of the team since then, and fans have clearly taken to her, as evidenced by the graphic Bugborg fan fiction. We reunited with Mantis, her brother Peter Quill and the rest of these heroes earlier this month in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and just like in her previous MCU appearances, Klementieff’s character wasn’t lacking in funny moments. In fact, the actress has been hilariously tormenting writer/director James Gunn with one of Mantis’ lines from the 2023 new movie release.
There’s a moment in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 where Peter is pouring his heart out to the time-displaced Gamora over what he believes is a secure communication line in their space suits. As it turns out, Peter was actually using the open line, allowing Mantis, Drax and Nebula to hear everything that was said, prompting the former two to explain which buttons on their space suits corresponded to which lines. In her own moment of confusion, Mantis pressed one of the buttons and obnoxiously exclaimed “HELLO!” into everyone’s ears, and Klementieff continues to say that word with that same delivery to James Gunn as often as possible. The actress shared this with CinemaBlend during the Vol. 3 junket, as you’ll see below.
Klementieff could have kept “HELLO!” as a running gag during the filming of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and then let it die once production wrapped, but nope, she continues to keep it going with Gunn, whether it’s through voice notes she leaves him or continued conversations with the filmmaker. If Klementieff ends up being one of the Guardians actors who Gunn brings back for Superman: Legacy, I’m betting that she’ll continue to drop that line as she’s working on the upcoming DC movie. For now though, this clip has the full “HELLO!” moment for your viewing pleasure:
Warning: SPOILERS for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are ahead!
We’ve known for years that the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie would be the last time we see this incarnation of the team together, but fortunately, none of the members died. Instead, Vol. 3’s ending saw them going their separate ways, with Mantis deciding to go on a journey of self-discovery with the Abilisks that were freed from The High Evolutionary’s clutches. Although Vol. 3’s end-credits scene promised that Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord would return to the MCU, it’s unclear if Mantis will also pop back up at any point. Given her familial bond with Peter though, I’d like to think they’ll reunite someday… and when they’re face to face again, she can greet him with a hearty “HELLO!”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is still playing in theaters, and if you’d like to revisit the team’s past adventures, they can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription. Those of you in the mood for more Pom Klementieff can next see her in Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, which dropped a new trailer last week and opens on July 12.
