I, like many others over the holidays, used my Disney+ subscription to stream The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and I’m so stoked for GOTG 3 now. Unfortunately, we still have a way to wait until the new film is here, but fortunately, there are quite a few things we learn in this short but sweet special that are worth discussing.
There’s a lot to talk about following The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and a lot of it seems tied to the upcoming 2023 movie. Let’s discuss some of those, as well as one question I have that likely has nothing to do with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I still need answers about it all the same.
Why Are The Guardians Running Knowhere?
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special made a pretty big reveal right from the jump when it’s said the heroes purchased Knowhere from The Collector and are currently making renovations that will ultimately help the people living there. Good on the Guardians for doing that, and it’s cool they have an official headquarters and stuff, but why did they make that purchase?
It seemed like when Avengers: Endgame concluded that Peter Quill was on a mission to get Gamora back. Now we visit the Guardians in this special, and there’s no mention of that, but they have a city they’re running now? I’m not necessarily mad about it, but I am curious where this whole thing is headed, and if perhaps Peter and the Guardians have moved on from the idea of bringing the past version of Gamora back into the fold as of late.
How Will Cosmo The Spacedog Fit In With The Guardians?
Marvel fans got their first taste of the Maria Bakalova-voiced Cosmo the Spacedog in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, but alas, there wasn’t much to it. Cosmo was seen early on trying to help Rocket place some panels using her telekinesis, but failed. It’s speculated that Cosmo the Spacedog will have a larger role in Guardians of the Galaxy 3, but what exactly will she get up to in the new movie?
That’s a big question I’m asking, as there didn’t seem anything particularly impressive about Cosmo based on this special. I have complete faith that James Gunn can make just about any Marvel character interesting, so I’m not too worried about that so much. I do question, however, how natural of a fit she’ll be amongst the team, or if audiences will think she’s just a bit too much amongst an already CGI-heavy lineup.
How Will Mantis And Peter’s Shared Bond Impact The Team?
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special had a pretty big reveal where audiences and Peter Quill learned that Mantis is his sister. As Mantis explained in the special, she and Peter share a father in Ego, as Mantis’ mother was one of Ego’s many partners he bonded with over the years. Mantis finally revealed the secret to Peter at the end of the special, and Peter is thrilled to learn he has someone he can call family.
It’s my hope that now that this reveal is public, we’ll see a better bond form between Peter and Mantis. While she’s been a part of the franchise since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Mantis has always felt a bit disconnected from the team dynamic. The Holiday Special was a great example of how much Mantis can shine in this universe, so I’m hoping the Peter connection will only strengthen her bond with the team and give her a bigger presence in stories as well.
Why Is Groot Looking So Buff?
We’ve had a lot of questions about Groot ever since James Gunn revealed that we’ve been following an entirely different Groot since the original sacrificed himself in the first movie. Since then, we’ve seen him as a plant, pint-sized, a lanky teen and now some swole beefcake. Like, seriously, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special shows us a jacked-looking Groot, and we don’t get a ton of answers on why he looks like that and what that means.
My assumption, based on the growth pattern, is that Groot isn’t that far off from appearing in his fully-matured form. Sure, the alien is looking more like a wooden Brock Lesnar at the moment, but he could still lean out a bit and get taller. That said, Groot is already looking pretty big, so I’m wondering if this is his peak form or we’ll see him change more in the future.
How Did Nebula Get Bucky’s Arm?
Perhaps one of the funniest moments of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is when Nebula gave Rocket a Christmas gift. Rocket unwrapped the gift and was immediately almost overwhelmed by emotion as he learned that Nebula gifted him Bucky’s bionic arm. I can’t even imagine what weapons Rocket will be able to procure from that, and definitely appreciated the deep-cut reference that called back to Rocket showing interest in the arm in Avengers: Infinity War.
The moment is so awesome that one might overlook the question of how Nebula managed to get her hands on Bucky’s arm. After all, things like this that occur in the MCU rarely go unaddressed, and last we saw Bucky in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he still was in possession of his arm. Is it possible there’s an upcoming Marvel movie that will show how Nebula managed to snag Bucky’s arm? I sure hope so, otherwise I’m just going to be reminded of how sloppy this gag ended up being if we never learn of the time Nebula stole Bucky’s arm.
Is Kraglin’s Head Okay?
I’m relatively sure this isn’t something that will prove relevant to the overall plot of the Guardians of the Galaxy saga, but I cannot let this opportunity pass without talking about Kraglin adding Yondu’s mohawk to his head. I’m really concerned about who the hell put that implant in there and what is going on with the top of his head now that it’s in there. Seriously, those skin folds are so raised it’s too much, and I’ll admit it made it hard for me to focus on anything else when he was on-screen.
The worst part about all of this is that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 wrapped filming some time ago, so if Kraglin is featured, his head is likely looking the same way it did in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. I’m not sure I want to see Kraglin looking like that, and if he does, I’m going to have trouble paying attention to his scenes because of it. What’s weird is I looked back and Yondu’s skin is bunched up the same way when he wore it, but for whatever reason, I’m ok with it. With Sean Gunn’s Kraglin, on the other hand, I fought nausea looking at the skin rest around that mohawk, and don’t know how I’ll stomach it when Vol. 3 finally arrives.
Watch The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special right now on Disney+. After that, be sure to check out some of the other best Marvel shows on the platform and gear up for more Marvel fun in the new year.
