‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’ Will Not Feature Drax-Mantis Romance

Sometimes two characters throw insults at each other until the sexual tension builds and they finally get together — but that’s not the case for Drax and Mantis. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” director James Gunn has assured audiences that Drax really did mean what he said about the empathic character in the new Marvel movie.

During a Facebook Live, Gunn was asked about a possible romance between the two characters, played by Dave Bautista and Pom Klementieff. The director was very clear in his response. “No. There is absolutely no romance between Mantis and Drax. They’re BFFs. There is nothing romantic in there,” Gunn told viewers of his Facebook Live video Sunday. “I think we make that profoundly clear in the film. So for you to think that there’s romance between Mantis and Drax, I think you’re kind of hoping outside of what we very clearly say.”

Drax told Mantis that she was hilariously ugly, and as always, Drax meant exactly what he said. It seems Mantis just isn’t his type. “He’s not attracted to her. The truth is, Drax is attracted to very heavy set women. That’s what he likes, and he absolutely doesn’t like Mantis,” Gunn added.

READ: This is what we know about “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”

While Drax certainly doesn’t want a romantic relationship with Ego’s (Kurt Russell) former servant, they are good friends. Bautista recently explained the connection between the two characters.

“We have decided that Drax and Mantis share a very childlike innocence, and I think that links them together,” Bautista told Cinema Blend. “More than anything he’s taken on a big brother type role. That’s the way I look at it — not so much Mantis being a surrogate daughter, but almost like a little sister. That’s what the relationship, to me, feels more like. And that’s kind of the way we play it.”

It seems like Mantis is a full-fledged member of the misfit family by the end of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.” She’ll even return in “Avengers: Infinity War.” Klementieff revealed a photo of herself on set earlier this year.

Gunn added that he’s a big fan of the character. “I love the character of Mantis. She’s very fun to write. I relate to her a lot and she’s a really unique character,” he said during his Facebook Live.

It seems like she’ll probably be back for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” as well. Gunn will return to write and direct the end of the trilogy, which will be set after “Infinity War,” and he wants to bring back some familiar faces. The post-credits scenes revealed that Adam Warlock will wreak havoc on the Guardians in the third installment, and his creator Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) will be back too.

“I absolutely plan on bringing Elizabeth Debicki back,” Gunn told IGN. “She’s actually one of my favorite actors I’ve ever worked with. I think on this movie between her, Pom Klementieff who plays Mantis, and Chris Sullivan who plays Taserface, they really were three of the best actors I’ve ever worked with and were all such a joy on this film to deal with that I would love to deal with them again.”

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is in theaters now.