The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 5, but is an epilogue to Phase 4, confirms James Gunn. Following his brief firing by Disney, Gunn jumped over to DC for The Suicide Squad and the subsequent Peacemaker spinoff series for HBO Max. Now, Gunn is now back with Marvel Studios, having recently wrapped production on both Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the characters' holiday special for Disney+, the latter of which will lead into the final film in the trilogy.

After fighting alongside Chris Hemsworth's titular hero in Thor: Love and Thunder, the Guardians of the Galaxy will be seen next in their eponymously titled holiday special releasing this December on Disney+. The forthcoming special will feature the returns of all the team's core members, including Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), Drax (Dave Bautista), Groot (Vin Diesel), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Nebula (Karen Gillian), and Mantis (Pom Klementieff). With virtually no plot details about about The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special available, fans have frequently reached out to Gunn on social media for details about the Guardians' next outing.

Related: Why Gamora Isn't A Guardian Of The Galaxy In Thor: Love & Thunder

A confused fan recently reached out to Gunn asking about which Phase of the MCU the holiday special will fall under. The Guardians of the Galaxy writer/director confirmed the special will not only be a part of the MCU's current chapter, but will also act as an epilogue to Phase 4. Gunn went on to tease its importance, saying "there's a lot of big information in there." Check out the interaction below:

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The fan's confusion regarding this matter is totally understandable. At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, it was announced that this November's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will end Phase 4 of the MCU. Phase 5 will then kick off with 2023's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Since The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is releasing this December after Black Panther 2 and before Ant-Man 3, it was unclear which Phase it would fall under. As the Disney+ feature is going to be MCU canon, it was at least certain that it would have to fit in somewhere.

Thanks to Gunn's constant presence on social media, it's now been confirmed The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will serve as an epilogue to Phase 4. This should add additional weight to the special in the eyes of fans, as it all but ensures the project will include some kind of MCU-shifting story development, even though it's expected to be a light-hearted holiday affair. The reveal also raises some questions about what real meaning, if any, the MCU's Phases have, but at least fans now have a clear idea of exactly when Phase 4 ends and Phase 5 begins.

Next: Predicting Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special's New MCU Character

Source: James Gunn/Twitter