Amid speculation that those Guardians will be in attendance at San Diego Comic-Con next weekend, director James Gunn has taken to Twitter to unveil the very first concept art from his spacefaring sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Showcasing old friends, new allies – Pom Klementieff’s Mantis, in this instance – and a tiny Groot perched atop Drax’s hulking shoulder, it’s a truly explosive teaser. One drawn up by Marvels’ Andy Park.
Described as ““an acquaintance of the Guardians,” Klementieff’s newcomer naturally piques our curiosity right off the bat. As the sequel’s executive producer Jonathan Schwartz tells Entertainment Weekly, Mantis is a socially oblivious ally: “She has never really experienced social interaction. Everything she learns about dealing with people, she learns from the Guardians of the Galaxy, which is a very weird group to learn your social intricacies from.” We can already sense the rib-tickling interactions between her and Drax.
Park’s concept art also offers new looks at Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), all of whom appear to be sporting slightly different armor. Yondu looms large in the background, too, while Karen Gillan’s blue-skinned Nebula casts a shadow over Gamora.
When it comes to the cutesy baby Groot, Schwartz teases that the anthropomorphic tree could well be a different character than the older, more clumsy Groot that was introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy.
“He doesn’t have the wisdom and experience of that Groot. He’s a younger Groot and a more rambunctious Groot. The question is, is he the same Groot, just smaller? Or is he a different Groot that’s sprung up from the seed of the first Groot?”
Also starring Tommy Flanagan, Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone in a cameo role, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is due to arrive on May 5, 2017.
