Pom Klementieff on being an empath like Mantis: 'I feel things really strongly'

Abu Dhabi: Pom Klementieff has played Marvel's resident empath across five films, and in Abu Dhabi on Friday, she told fans that the character's defining trait is not far from her own.

The French actress shared the Main Stage at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi with Simu Liu for the Beyond the Multiverse panel on 11 September, the opening day of Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC) 2026.

Over the session, the two Marvel stars also spoke about the calls that landed them their roles, the comics behind their characters and what they have been up to in the capital.

Closer to Mantis than expected

Asked whether Mantis's powers would be a blessing or a curse in real life, Klementieff said she already relates to them.

"I'm sure it can be overwhelming, but I feel like an empath sometimes too," she said. "I feel things really strongly, and most of the time it's hard to hide my emotions or to hide how I feel."

Having those abilities for real would come with a cost.

"You would feel too much, you know."

Liu, sitting beside her, agreed. "That sounds very exhausting."

Mantis is an alien empath who can sense and change the emotions of others. She was introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in 2017, and Klementieff went on to play her in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

The call that changed her life

Both stars were asked how they found out they were joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and both described a message from their manager telling them to keep their phone close.

Klementieff was in Los Angeles at the time. The call that followed, she said, changed her life.

"It was incredible. I will remember it for the rest of my life."

Liu's story came with a different setting. "It was less sexy for me. I was in my underwear. I'd just woken up from a nap."

He had done his final screen test for Shang-Chi only two days earlier.

"It was the wildest thing because I had screen tested for that role two days prior. So in that moment, right after you do your last audition, right before you get the call, every moment is such agony. Every time the phone buzzes, you're like, 'Oh, is it?'"

"Honestly, it's the worst experience ever because you're waiting for something that might not come, and so it's very anxiety-inducing," Liu added.

He ended up in tears when the news came through. "I knew that my life would be different forever. And look at this incredible ride that has taken me on."

When Mantis meets Shang-Chi

The host asked the pair what would happen if their characters ever crossed paths on screen. Both agreed the two would get along, joking that together they could take over the universe.

The next question was where. Space, or San Francisco, Shang-Chi's home in the 2021 film?

"San Francisco would be nice," Liu said. "I don't think Mantis has ever been to San Francisco."

Klementieff took him up on it. "I think maybe Shang-Chi could show me around San Francisco."

"I'll take you out. Maybe we'll go to a Giants game or something."

Shang-Chi, the comics and the ten rings

Liu explained that director Destin Daniel Cretton led the way on how much of the comics made it into Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

"His vision for Shang-Chi was very different from many iterations that existed of him," he said. "He was maybe a much more kind of down-to-earth guy than the Shang-Chi in the comics, which almost sometimes felt like it was like a caricature of Bruce Lee or something like that."

"He really wanted Shang-Chi to be a 24-year-old kid, like the way that any of us know people who are 24. [He] wanted him to have friends and go to karaoke and stay out late, just like everyone else does. So we kind of led with that."

Liu has since been reading more of the character's comics. "I've actually been discovering more of his comics lately, which has been nice, kind of just viewing it as a fan."

He returns as Shang-Chi in Avengers: Doomsday, due in cinemas in December. Asked which of the ten rings he would keep if he could only have one, he pointed to the comics.

"Well, I know about the 10 rings of the comics because they're like rings on your fingers, and they each control a different element of something. I think there's one that freezes time."

When the host compared the rings to the Infinity Stones, Liu agreed. "There's a lot of similarities, but I imagine that's probably why they changed it. But yeah, some of those rings do some pretty cool things."

Before Marvel, Liu starred as Jung Kim in Kim's Convenience, the CBC sitcom about a Korean-Canadian family running a Toronto convenience store. Looking back on the show, which premiered 10 years ago in 2016, he said he would not mind shooting it again. The series ended in 2021 after five seasons.

Back in Abu Dhabi

This is Klementieff's second time at MEFCC, two years after her first appearance in 2024. Her ties to the city go back further.

"I've been here several times already. We shot Mission: Impossible at the airport and came for the premiere to do some promotion, and I really love it," she said. "I went to the Louvre Museum. I went to teamLab. I'm excited to discover this butterfly museum, and I love the culture here. And yeah, you guys are awesome."

She played the assassin Paris in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning and returned to the role in 2025's The Final Reckoning.

Liu, meanwhile, had packed in a desert trip and a morning match.

"I went sandboarding yesterday. It's a bit warmer here than I'm used to, but it's so beautiful, and everyone has been so friendly today," he said. "I started the day playing padel with my friends. It's a great sport. I highly recommend you try it if you haven't yet."

The host noted that it is not usually this hot at MEFCC. This year's edition was originally scheduled for April before moving to September.

Beyond Marvel

This year also brought Klementieff's first lead role in a French-language film. In Mi Amor, a thriller from director Guillaume Nicloux, she plays Romy, a DJ touring the Canary Islands in search of a missing friend, opposite Benoit Magimel.

The film premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in February.

Where to see her at MEFCC

Klementieff returns to the Main Stage on Saturday, 12 September, for a group panel with John Cena, Charithra Chandran and Joonas Suotamo from 4pm to 4.45pm. She is also meeting fans for autographs and photos at the Meet the Stars zone.

MEFCC 2026 runs until Sunday, 13 September, at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi. Day tickets cost Dh190 on Saturday and Dh160 on Sunday.