The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special finally gets a trailer. The Guardians of the Galaxy were first introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2014, with a sequel film featuring the ragtag team, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, following in 2017. The Guardians have gone on to become important players in the overall MCU as they assisted the Avengers in taking down Thanos (Josh Brolin) and reversing the snap. Additionally, Guardians member Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) ended up being crucial to the plot in Avengers: Infinity War due to her death enabling Thanos to gain the soul stone.

James Gunn directed the first two films, with his unique and engaging directing style and extremely fun soundtracks contributing to both films' overall success. After Gunn was fired by Disney, he was rehired to create Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which will see the Guardians take on a new potential foe, Adam Warlock (Will Poulter). However, the beloved team (which was also featured briefly in Thor: Love and Thunder) will return to the screen sooner than that, with the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special bringing Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Kraglin (Sean Gunn), and Groot (Vin Diesel), along with some other new MCU heroes, back to the fold. Though it was previously known that the special will take place between Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and run for about 40 minutes, not much information was previously given about the plot until now.

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

Marvel has shared the trailer for the highly anticipated holiday special, offering more insight as to the wild storyline as well as confirming a November 25 release date. In the special, which was reportedly filmed during production of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (inspired by the notorious Star Wars Holiday Special), the Guardians head to Earth in order to plan a surprise for Peter (aka Star-Lord), who is still devastated over losing Gamora. Perhaps most surprisingly, the trailer reveals the arrival of actor Kevin Bacon and another new, friendlier face, to the MCU.

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Delivers On Vol. 1 Joke

Peter Quill aboard a spaceship in Guardians of the Galaxy

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special trailer plays up one of the series' classic jokes in charming fashion. Since Peter referred to Bacon as "the greatest hero on Earth" in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1, his obsession with Footloose and its lead actor has often been referenced to hilarious effect in the MCU. The holiday special takes things one step further, bringing the man himself (who previously expressed amusement at his MCU name-drops) on-screen to interact with the Guardians as they attempt to kidnap him as a present for Peter. It's likely that Bacon will be no match for super-powered individuals Drax and Mantis, so viewers can look forward to seeing Peter meet his hero, though Bacon will clearly be less than thrilled about the circumstances.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will be sure to deliver plenty of laughs, heart, and holiday cheer, especially with the inclusion of Cosmo the Spacedog, revealed in the trailer. After producing both Hawkeye and MCU Halloween special Werewolf By Night, the MCU has achieved success with these seasonal releases facilitated by the Disney+ model, which allow a low-stakes way for viewers to catch up and connect with the franchise's heroes. Luckily, Guardians fans won't have long to wait to see the team again after November 25's Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be arriving next year.

Source: Marvel

Next: Drax Not Fighting Thanos Was Surprising, But Made His Story Better

Key Release Dates