Guardians Of The Galaxy: Holiday Special Post-Credits Scene Explained

Warning! This article contains spoilers for the Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special.The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special has been released on Disney+, complete with a Marvel Studios post-credits scene that have become ever-popular in modern cinema. The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special was announced as a prelude of sorts to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and tells a short, self-contained story about the Guardians after the events of Thor: Love and Thunder. In the special, Mantis and Drax travel to Earth to find Peter Quill the best Christmas gift, as the latter is upset due to Gamora being missing at the end of Avengers: Endgame.

While the special is exactly what it was billed as, a small, isolated story with little-to-no impact on the wider MCU, it still has its own post-credits scene. Despite the fact that Marvel post-credits scenes usually feature huge reveals for upcoming films, the one featured in The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special aptly fits the tone of the preceding Marvel Special Presentation, and is simply a fun, jokey scene in which Rocket Raccoon and Cosmo the Spacedog are decorating Groot as their very own Christmas tree. This ends with a tongue-in-cheek joke from Rocket, with him stating they need to do another special after Cosmo says Groot ruined Christmas.

Why GOTG Holiday Special's Post-Credits Scene Doesn't Set Up Vol. 3

Every Song In The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special Featured

The reasoning as to why the post-credits scene does not feature any setup for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is simply to further fit the tone of the special itself. The Guardians Holiday Special, despite seeing the return of Yondu, was never intended to be a giant milestone in the MCU, instead, it was always supposed to be a small, isolated story to give more depth to the characters of this particular franchise while telling a fun, heartwarming Christmas story. Featuring a post-credits scene that had huge implications for the culmination of the Guardians trilogy would have felt out of place, to say the least.

Also, any setup needed for Guardians 3 may have been included in the special itself. While the Holiday Special is minor in terms of its implications on the wider MCU, it does feature the fairly big reveal that Mantis is also a child of Ego, and therefore Quill's half-sister. With the Guardians movies constantly having a focus on found family, it is likely that this dynamic will play a part in the MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, meaning the Holiday Special post-credits scene did not need to set up the next installment thanks to this plot point.

Will There Be A Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special 2?

guardians galaxy holiday special cast cameo

With Rocket's aforementioned joke at the end of the special, many could be forgiven for thinking there will eventually be a second Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special. However, given how James Gunn has been stating for a while that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the end of this iteration of the Guardians, it is unlikely there will be a follow-up, at least with this roster of Guardians. That being said, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could introduce a new team of Guardians to the MCU, in which they could star in a future holiday special. Although, as Gunn is so crucial to the tone, feel, and heartwarming nature of the MCU's Guardians, it is unlikely as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will see the end of Gunn's involvement in the franchise.

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