After Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe began with mixed reviews for Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, Marvel Studios scored big with critics and fans in 2014 with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy. Both recent releases fought against odd, non-summer, non-holiday dates and ended up setting box office records. Unfortunately for fans, Cap 2 and Guardians aren't offering much on their home video releases as for the second time in a row, we're not getting a Marvel One-Shot.

After we found the Captain America: The Winter Soldier to be lacking on bonus content, that sad trend continues for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy which arrives on Digital HD plus Disney Movies Anywhere November 18, 2014 and on Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand December 9, 2014.

Disney unveiled the home video release date and special features for Guardians of the Galaxy this morning and they're rather basic and unimpressive outside of a sneak peek video for The Avengers: Age of Ultron. The following come attached to the digital and Blu-ray versions of GOTG:

  • Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes
  • Making-of Featurettes
  • Exclusive Look at “Marvel's The Avengers: Age of Ultron”
  • Gag Reel
  • Audio Commentary

The DVD version comes with one deleted scene and The Avengers 2 video as well.

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The news of this being the second home video release in a row by Marvel Studios is odd, given that executive producer Louis D'esposito, who directed two of the One-Shots, enthusiastically emphasized the importance of them in two separate interviews with me. He explained that their research showed that original content like the Marvel One-Shots helped bolster sales and that they can be used to test out ideas or introduce characters who otherwise might not get a chance.

When we interviewed directors Anthony and Joe Russo on the Screen Rant Underground, I asked them about why Captain America: The Winter Soldier wasn't getting an attached Marvel One-Shot and they would only say that they "think it's just a function of this wasn't one that they were inspired about and ready to execute." That left open the possibility that they had a few ideas in the works but nothing ready to shoot with their fast two-movies-per-year schedule.

Update: Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn responded to a Twitter question regarding the lack of a One-Shot

RT @Jgooda34 @JamesGunn No Marvel One-Shot? - Literally (using that correctly) no room, and we want to fit in as much GotG stuff as possible— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 3, 2014

With Guardians of the Galaxy not getting a short film either, maybe Disney and Marvel are just trying to get these out fast and furiously with a bare minimum of standard features. It could also be that these additional resources and ideas are simply being explored by Marvel TV instead, with a second ABC program launching in January (both series were actually greenlit based on One-Shots) and multiple interconnected series coming to Netflix beginning next summer with Daredevil.

Should these home video releases include more (like they used to) or are you just looking for the main movie and a sneak peek of what's coming?

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More: Characters We Want In Guardians of the Galaxy Sequels

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Guardians of the Galaxy is directed by James Gunn and stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, with John C. Reilly, Glenn Close as Nova Prime Rael and Benicio Del Toro as The Collector.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron releases in theaters on May 1, 2015, followed by Ant-Man on July 17, 2015, Captain America: Civil War on May 6 2016, Doctor Strange on November 4, 2016, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 on May 5 2017, Thor: Ragnarok on July 28, 2017, Black Panther on November 3 2017, Avengers: Infinity War - Part 1 on May 4 2018, Captain Marvel on July 6 2018, Inhumans on November 2 2018 and Avengers: Infinity War - Part 2 on May 3 2019.

Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes for your Marvel movie and TV news!