This List Contains Spoilers For The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special!
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is the perfect way to launch into the holiday season as the ragtag team of cosmic heroes celebrate Christmas in the way only they can – kidnapping Kevin Bacon. This Marvel Special Presentation puts a festive button on Phase Four. While relatively inconsequential to the MCU as a whole, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is delightfully joyous and packed with emotion, subtly serving as a prologue to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2023.
The special tugs at the heartstrings as Mantis and Drax bumble their way through their plan to give Peter a great Christmas since he is disheartened and missing Gamora. With the inclusion of Kevin Bacon as himself, Cosmo the Spacedog, and some clever details in the background, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special has something for everyone.
A Heartwarming Start To The Holidays
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is just a fun and festive project – a moment to enjoy the characters and their loving relationships without the burden of an overarching narrative. In fact, the special is one of the only MCU properties without an antagonist.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will certainly become a holiday staple for many Marvel fans, just as it should be. Now fans want more though, whether Christmas or Halloween-related, but thankfully, many great characters could helm their own Special Presentation.
Mantis, MVP
While the special is largely irrelevant to the Multiverse Saga, it does include one very important element that enhances the team's individual story greatly. It was officially confirmed that Mantis is indeed Peter Quill’s half-sister, that she too is a child of the Celestial, Ego. Interestingly, this means that Mantis only survived being with Ego, unlike his other children, as her unique powers were still serviceable to him.
This was what motivated her to want Peter to have a good Christmas experience, and it culminated in an incredibly touching moment when they finally embraced as siblings.
KEVIN BACON!
Of course, the big star of the special was Kevin Bacon, Peter Quill’s hero for films like Footloose and Friday the 13th. He had previously been mentioned in Guardians of the Galaxy, but now he’s here as the special’s MacGuffin with a song to boot.
As others have pointed out, this is Bacon’s second time in a Marvel property. He was also in X-Men: First Class as Sebastian Shaw. Intriguingly, with mutants coming into play more and more in the MCU – and even some from Fox’s X-Men franchise like Deadpool and Wolverine – perhaps there could be some sort of acknowledgment of Kevin Bacon’s previous mutant role.
Drax, God Of War
From punching one of the innocent cosplayers on Hollywood Boulevard to appreciation for the inflatable elf he tried to steal from Kevin Bacon, Drax is one of the funniest characters in the MCU. However, he was the butt of a very funny joke in the special.
Mantis and Drax took a picture with some fans, one of which called him the God of War. That would be apt for Drax, but it’s clearly referencing the character Kratos from the popular video games God of War.
The Goodest Girl!
Finally, Cosmo the Spacedog got to join the crew and get some attention. Voiced by Maria Bakalova, Cosmo was first shown among the treasures and trophies of the Collector’s emporium. Now that the Guardians own Knowhere, Cosmo is free and using her telekinetic abilities to help them.
This was a fun way to prime audiences for her appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and it does show some great visual effects, as, unlike previous appearances, Cosmo is created through CGI. Such achievements might open the door for other animal characters to join the MCU.
DCU In The MCU?
A special delight in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is the multiple references to Marvel’s greatest competitor, DC Studios. The biggest one is naturally Kevin Bacon’s conversation with Drax and Mantis as they’re traveling through space and he starts talking about Batman.
While always intended as such or not, this was a fun acknowledgment of James Gunn’s new role as CEO of DC Studios. This also comes with the appearance of Flula Borg as a bartender at the gay bar in Hollywood and the map sequence in which John Cena and Margot Robbie were also referenced – all clear acknowledgments of The Suicide Squad.
What A Thoughtful Gift
While Peter got the best Christmas gift there could be – a sister – Rocket, definitely received the second-best. Nebula gifted him Bucky Barnes’ Vibranium arm, a callback to Rocket’s comments during the Battle of Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War when he said “I’ll get that arm."
Funnily this opens up a whole can of worms about how and when Nebula got it. Hopefully, Bucky’s got another arm since he’s going to be returning in Thunderbolts and it would be very helpful depending on who the villain is.
A Star Wars Holiday Special?!
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is a fun homage to the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, which was so critically panned, it’s not even available to stream on Disney+. There’s even a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Star Wars cameo as Mark Hamill appeared randomly as a drinking Ravager joyfully taking part in the festivities.
His involvement was revealed a while back and this was a fun little moment, but hopefully, Hamill can have a shot at a more prominent character in the MCU in the future.
She-Hulk and Deadpool Would Be Proud
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special does end with a funny post-credits scene. In it, Rocket and Cosmo are decorating Groot like a Christmas tree, and when the ornaments fall, Rocket humorously breaks the fourth wall to tease another special. The fourth wall break was a story element fans couldn’t have anticipated.
Furthermore, this little scene does add fuel to the fire of more Special Presentations, as these Specials are becoming incredibly popular and very clever ways to expand the MCU.
Vol. 3 Next!
Naturally, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’s big purpose is to reacclimate MCU audiences with the team ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is set to premiere on May 5th, 2023. Intriguingly, they haven’t helmed a project on their own since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in 2017, followed then by scant appearances in the Avengers films and Thor: Love and Thunder.
While this special was largely joyful, that’s not the impression so far of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Supposedly it will be the end of the team's story in the MCU, which has many fans primed for a more emotional and darker ride. This moment of happiness should be cherished while it’s still applicable.