His time travels complete, Vision unexpectedly materializes in the center of the Earth, where demonic conqueror Dormammu and his sister Umar have imprisoned the earth goddess Gaea, the Scarlet Witch and Agatha Harkness. Vision holds off Dormammu’s demonic forces, but is nearly killed by a mind-controlled Scarlet Witch, whose love for Vision frees her mind just in time. Vision, Scarlet Witch and Harkness then join forces to defeat Dormammu, who agrees to free his captives. As Vision, Wanda and Agatha return to Avengers Mansion, Harkness informs Wanda that her witchcraft studies are complete, and Vision proposes marriage to the Scarlet Witch, which Wanda joyfully accepts. Meanwhile, at the Temple of the Priests of Pama in Vietnam, the other Avengers, Mantis and Moondragon continue to learn about Mantis’ origins from Immortus, Libra and the mysterious glowing green Swordsman. Their hosts explain that Mantis surpassed Moondragon as a candidate for the Celestial Madonna role because Mantis had more humanity. More specifically, Mantis and Moondragon were both trained in mental and martial arts by Earth’s Priests of Pama and Titan’s Shao-Lom monks, both groups founded by Kree pacifists. Moondragon achieved greatness in her pursuits, but her life was far more sheltered than that of Mantis, who lived in Saigon after the Priests abandoned her there, stripped of her memories of her training. As a bar girl working for her criminal uncle Monsieur Khruul, she learned much of humanity, then found a more noble path as the Swordsman’s lover, leading her to the Avengers, who helped her discover more aspects of herself, both good and bad. While Mantis’ life story continues, Hawkeye, Iron Man and Thor discover that Kang has attacked and disabled Vietnam’s local super-agents the Titanic Three. Splitting up, Thor, Iron Man and Hawkeye each capture a different incarnation of Kang, who is launching multiple attacks on the same time period from different points in his own personal timeline, so that he can appear as multiple Kangs. Back at the temple, the glowing “Swordsman” explains that the temple garden’s tree is the eldest of Earth’s Cotati, the predestined mate of the Celestial Madonna, and that this Cotati assumed the Swordsman’s form as a wedding gift to Mantis. Communing with the Cotati, Mantis regains her full memories and comprehends her destiny, recognizing the Cotati’s spiritual beauty, and eagerly agrees to marry him. A fourth incarnation of Kang interrupts, seemingly kidnapping Mantis, but Immortus has tricked Kang into abducting the shape-shifting Space Phantom instead. Vision and Scarlet Witch, brought to the temple by Immortus with Agatha Harkness, announce their intention to wed, and Immortus offers to marry both couples in his capacity as sovereign of Limbo. After the Avengers formally award Mantis membership in their ranks as a mark of respect, Immortus marries Wanda to Vision and Mantis to the Eldest Cotati. Mantis thanks the Avengers, then she and her husband transform into pure energy and leave Earth.
Ultron and Phineas Horton convert the Human Torch into the Vision. The android runs amok, Ultron kills Horton for refusing to destroy Torch/Vision’s mind, and Ultron subdues Vision (Av #135, ’75 fb). Thanos kills Heather Douglas’ parents (DD #105, ’73 fb). Monsieur Khruul’s henchmen kill Mantis’ mother Lua Brandt while Mantis and her father Gustav escape (Av #123, ’74 fb). Mentor takes Heather to Titan (DD #105, ’73 fb). The Shao-Lom monks train Heather in combat (1). The Priests of Pama train Mantis in combat (2). The Priests train Mantis to communicate with the Cotati (3). The monks train Moondragon to communicate with the Cotati (4). Mantis’ memories of communing with the Cotati are removed, and she is given false memories of an ordinary girlhood in Saigon (5). Moondragon’s memories of communing with the Cotati are removed (6). Moondragon distinguishes herself as a priestess, athlete and scientist on Titan (7). At age 18, Mantis starts a new life on the streets of Saigon (8). Mantis becomes a bar girl working for Monsieur Khruul, pleasuring foreign customers, and befriends the Swordsman (9). Mantis finds Swordsman near death after his last job for Khruul goes wrong (10). Mantis tries to seduce Vision (Av #128, ’74).
Though Mantis’ next official appearance is SS #3, ’87, she guest appeared as Willow in DC’s JLA #142, ’77, and then as Lorelei in Eclipse Comics’ Scorpio Rose #2, ’83, both written by Steve Englehart. AvFo #8, ’99 reveals Immortus has nefarious motives here.