News spread not long ago that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was codenamed "Hot Christmas," and while those titles aren't always related to the film's subject matter, we got excited. Sure, Marvel has lightly touched on a Christmas hero feature with Iron Man 3, but let's be real, that ain't a Christmas flick. If Marvel isn't planning a Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas movie, we absolutely think they should be (assuming the crew survived The Snap). Here's why.
Most Of The Guardians Probably Don't Know About Christmas
Imagine explaining Christmas to someone who didn't live on Earth. Now, imagine someone who only lived on Earth as a child explaining the magic of Christmas from the limited perspective he had of the holiday before being abducted. That's Peter Quill, and while we don't know for sure if he's the type who would get excited around Christmas time, we have a hunch he would if he knew it was coming.
Peter's excitement and attempt to explain the significance of the holiday would likely confuse the crew. This would prompt Peter to seek out ways of explaining the holiday, and create the age-old holiday movie storyline of tackling the "true meaning of Christmas." We're not sure he'd land on the right answer at the end, but seeing him try would be entertaining enough.
It's A Chance To Poke Fun At Honored Christmas Traditions
As mentioned, a Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas movie would likely entail Peter trying to explain a lot of weird and confusing traditions to a group that has no idea what he's talking about. In fact, they may find a lot of Christmas traditions weird, stupid and slightly horrifying. For example, would Groot approve of homes being filled with dead trees? Would Rocket relate to claymation films with talking animals?
Guardians of the Galaxy would have a chance to spin a unique take on the Christmas genre, and tackle topics that question some of the traditions folks hold most dear. Other Christmas films wouldn't be able to do this as effectively, mainly because the people in Christmas movies have a pretty solid grasp of what the holiday is about. Marvel could make a Christmas film that introduces new concepts and ideas, which is something rarely done in the genre.
Santa Claus Exists In The Marvel Universe
We have no idea whether or not Santa Claus exists in the MCU, but he does in Marvel comics. In fact, he's been known as one of the most powerful mutants in X-Men, or the powerful son of a Light-Elf mother and Frost Giant father in Marvel Super Hero Adventures. In either case, Santa Claus has been established as very real in past Marvel works, which could mean he's around in the MCU.
Imagine a Guardians of the Galaxy adventure where they team up with or fight against Jolly Old St. Nick. Honestly, they'd want to stay on his good side considering his insane powers levels, which he once used to turn the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants into toys. The only issue we see so far is his red suit may clash a bit with Peter's jacket, but Marvel could always give him a redesign.
Groot Christmas Trees Would Be A Thing
If Marvel made a Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas movie and didn't string Christmas lights on Groot at least once, that would be a travesty. The studio'd be crazy not to, of course, because that has the potential to create a marketing frenzy where homes would try to put up their own "Christmas Groot" for the holiday season. It'd be the new "Elf on the Shelf," except better, because how could it not be?
Imagine a world where people are requesting dead trees solely so they could make them look more like Groot? Or a line of fake Christmas Groots complete with plenty of notches for geeky families to hang their ornaments and lights from. There would certainly be a fair number of Marvel fans out there who'd pay for one, especially considering the collectors' value would be through the roof on one of those bad boys if it tanked!
The Soundtrack Would Be Phenomenal
The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise has released some pretty solid soundtracks to date, so imagine if they released one entirely Christmas themed? The deep cuts that could be pulled from the late '70s and earlier eras would be phenomenal, and certainly a change of pace than the popular songs that rotate each holiday season. Of course, it could also have its share of classics like songs from The Jackson 5 and John Lennon.
Of course, with Peter Quill's new Earth friends, it's possible he could add some more current songs to his soundtracks going forward. Once again, we're assuming the future of Marvel features everyone all hunky dory and back together once Thanos is defeated, which is not a sure thing. That said, let's not let that spoil all the imaginative Christmas speculation we've enjoyed thus far, and pretend that everyone will metaphorically be "home for Christmas" after Avengers 4.
It Could Be A Film About Christmas, But Also Not?
Ok, so earlier we ragged on Iron Man 3 for being a Christmas film, but not really, so how can we say this is a positive for a Guardians of the Galaxy adventure? Well, Guardians of the Galaxy wouldn't feel like a Christmas movie due to so much of it feeling alien, yet Quill and the Guardians would presumably be referencing or trying to understand it constantly.
This is way different than a movie where the events take place around Christmas, but the holiday doesn't play a big factor in the plot. As in, an entire feature could be scripted around a Christmas adventure and dialogue, yet the backdrops and overall adventure wouldn't look or resemble a traditional Christmas film. It'd basically be like Die Hard, or possibly nothing like Die Hard. It really depends on whether or not you consider that one a Christmas movie.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is unfortunately a long way away. The good news is that if Marvel hasn't decided to make the third film related the Christmas, it presumably has a lot of time to do that now.
