To most people, the Guardians of the Galaxy are made up of five people: Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Groot and Rocket. However, as hardcore comic book fans will tell you, there have been other characters who have been on the team, from unknowns like Moondragon to famous heroes like Iron Man and The Thing. It’s been mentioned before that the line-up will expand in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and now it’s confirmed at least one new member will be added to the 2017 blockbuster.
During his recent Facebook video Q&A, director James Gunn praised one of the actresses who joined the sequel, and while complimenting her, mentioned that she’ll be the new Guardian. He said:
We have a new cast member playing a new member of the Guardians of the Galaxy and she was the most awesome and easiest person I’ve ever had to cast. She blew me the [frick] away. She’s amazing, and I can’t wait to share her with the world.
So far the only new actress that’s been announced for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is Pom Klementieff, whose biggest role before this was a brief appearance in the original Oldboy. Since she’s basically an unknown, Gunn’s "share her with the world" comment is fitting, but we’ll have to wait and see if he hired another unknown actress alongside Klementieff.
Including the previously mentioned Moondragon, other women who have joined the Guardians of the Galaxy in the comics are the Asgardian Angela, Mantis, Captain Marvel and Phyla-Vell, and that’s not even including the folks from the classic 1969 Guardians. However, of all the options above, right now the most likely choice is Mantis, as it was reported last year that's who Klementieff is playing, though that’s still not officially confirmed.
One issue with this is that Mantis hailed from Earth in the comics, and who just looks like an alien, and Gunn has previously said that he’s keeping Star-Lord, a.k.a. Peter Quill, as the movie’s only human, at least in a major capacity. So if Mantis is being introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, they’ll need to make her a full alien.
Although Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will feature a smaller cast compared to the first movie, there will be a few other fresh faces beyond this new member. Kurt Russell is in talks to play Star-Lord’s father, and it was announced last week that comedian Steve Agee had joined the cast. Along with these new players, Yondu, Nebula and Kraglin will also be returning from Guardians of the Galaxy, and last month, it was rumored that the first two might also join the superhero team. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 a little over a year away, we can almost certainly expect Marvel to provide details on what the movie’s lineup will look like later this year.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters on May 5, 2017.
