The official trailer for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special premiered Tuesday following a leak on social media.
The Guardians of the Galaxy are back, and this time, they aren’t fending off some spacefaring evil. Instead, they’re fighting the pain of grief with the power of Christmas! This special will close out Phase 4 of the MCU.
Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is still mourning the loss of Gamora (Zoe Saldaña). To cheer him up, his crew brings him back to Earth in time to celebrate Christmas. But that’s not the only gift they have in store for him. Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) go on a quest to track down the “legendary” Kevin Bacon (played by, you guessed it, Kevin Bacon).
‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Trailer
According to Guardians helmer James Gunn, the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is most definitely required viewing for fans of the franchise, setting up some plot points for the future of the franchise, namely, story beats in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
“I think it’s really been about telling one story between the three films with a couple of sideways adventures,” Gunn said during Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con panel. “But I think it really is about the one story. This is the final arc that we began at the very beginning of Guardians of the Galaxy, with Peter Quill, with Rocket, seeing where Nebula goes, and even Kraglin, who started out as saying one or two lines in the first movie and is now a main Guardian of the Galaxy.” The filmmaker has also confirmed the special very much resides in the main MCU continuity, calling it a “complete joy” to work on.
Longtime MCU fans will remember Star-Lord mentioned in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie that he idolized the Footloose star, referring to him as a “legend” of the planet earth.
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige announced the holiday special back in December 2020. The special joins Werewolf by Night as part of Marvel’s Disney+ plans to share stories that are neither theatrical films nor full streaming series.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will be released on November 25, just weeks after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The Guardians will return to the big screen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which will be released on May 5, 2023.
