James Gunn Canonically Shuts Down Drax-Mantis Shippers
"The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" marks the end of Marvel Studios' wave of 2022 programming. For the most part, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans seem to agree that the Disney+ special manages to fulfill the promise of its title, too. Not only are there plenty of Easter eggs in "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" but the one-off MCU event is also brimming with unabashed holiday cheer and the kind of zany humor that has come to define the "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise. More than anything else, though, what "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" truly delivers is an adventure that is refreshingly led by both Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff).
Prior to the Disney+ special's release, Drax and Mantis were two characters who had only ever really been allowed to exist as eccentric supporting characters within the MCU. "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special," therefore, gives Drax and Mantis the chance to prove themselves as characters who are capable of leading their own screen adventures. For that very reason, many MCU fans have had nothing but positive things to say about not only the Disney+ special itself but also the infectious comedic chemistry that Bautista and Klementieff have together as their respective MCU heroes.
That said, "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" director James Gunn has officially made it clear that fans shouldn't view Mantis and Drax's chemistry together as anything more than friendly and comedic.
Drax and Mantis are definitely not attracted to each other in the MCU
In a recent tweet, one Marvel fan expressed their desire to see Dave Bautista's Drax and Pom Klementieff's Mantis pursue a romantic relationship together in the MCU. Unfortunately for them, their tweet received a response from Klementieff herself, who succinctly summed her opinion on the matter by responding, "Noooooooooo."
Klementieff's response, meanwhile, prompted a response from none other than James Gunn, who has personally overseen many of Drax and Mantis' MCU adventures. The "Guardians of the Galaxy" writer-director used his tweet to firmly shut down any rumors about a possible romance developing between Mantis and Drax in the MCU, writing, "They are absolutely not each other's type."
Taking both Gunn and Klementieff's tweets into account, it seems safe to say now that fans shouldn't expect to see Drax and Mantis' friendship develop into anything else in the future. It is, of course, worth noting, though, that neither Mantis nor Drax has been given a love interest in the MCU up to this point. Indeed, all that's been revealed so far about Mantis and Drax's love lives is that the latter used to have a wife and daughter, both of whom were killed by Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace).
The good news is that there's still a chance Drax and Mantis could get their own love interests at some point on-screen. There doesn't, however, seem to be any chance that it'll be either Drax or Mantis who ultimately fills that role for the other.