Michael Rooker is officially returning as Yondu for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise will expand in a fascinating way later this year thanks to a Disney+ Special Presentation. Set before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the Disney+ Special follows the Guardians team as they go on a Christmas-themed adventure. The special was filmed alongside the threequel and features the returns of main characters like Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), and Kraglin (Sean Gunn).

After all the secrecy surrounding the project, Marvel finally gave fans a taste of the Special by releasing the first The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special trailer. Releasing on Disney+ on November 25, the footage teased a story about the Guardians trying to give Peter Quill the perfect Christmas as he misses Gamora (Zoe Saldana). This includes a return trip to Earth and the kidnapping of Kevin Bacon. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special trailer even includes a glimpse of Cosmo (Maria Bakalova), but it appears that one franchise veteran is also lined up for a return.

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Disney's official press release about The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special trailer release includes a cast list for the Disney+ Special. The surprise listing for the cast is Michael Rooker, who played Yondu in the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Yondu memorably died in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to save Star-Lord. It was not previously announced that Michael Rooker was returning for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, but Disney has now made Yondu's role official.

How Yondu Can Return In GOTG Holiday Special After His Death

Yondu dies in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

The confirmation that Rooker's Yondu is in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special continues James Gunn's tendency to include the actor in his movies. However, it is still surprising that Yondu is back after his death. Gunn has been adamant that he would never reverse Yondu's death and bring him back in any way that would undermine his death scene. The most likely explanation is that Rooker's role in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is through Yondu flashbacks. Since the story is about Star-Lord missing Gamora and his love of Christmas, there could be flashbacks to Peter spending past Christmases with Yondu.

Now that it is known Yondu will be in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, speculation will mount that Rooker could also be in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This would only happen if Gunn found a necessary reason to include a flashback featuring Yondu. But since the two Guardians of the Galaxy projects were filmed together, it would have been very easy for Rooker to film another Yondu cameo. In any case, Yondu will not be resurrected in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special or any other MCU projects as long as Gunn is involved.

Next: Thor: Love & Thunder Continues Guardians' Yondu Mistake

Source: Disney

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