When it comes to some of my favorite characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are several that come to mind, like Spider-Man or maybe even Captain America, but no one has made me laugh quite as hard as the Guardians of the Galaxy, and watching their film franchise, I’m pretty sure I have snorted my drink out through my nose many times.
So, imagine my delight when I found out James Gunn was going to bring my Guardians to the small screen in the form of a holiday special – specifically, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
It came out on Disney+ on November 25th and has been enchanting audiences everywhere with its wonderful Christmas spirit and so much more – and it’s honestly the best thing I’ve watched in the MCU for a long time. Here are some thoughts I had that I just needed to share.
Oh My God Cosmo Is So Cute
I always knew Cosmo was going to end up in the Guardians franchise somehow, someway. She was just too cute not to – but now, she’s made her full-screen debut in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and God, I am already crying. She’s so cute.
Granted, I am a massive dog person who will watch dog movies and cry for three hours straight, but Cosmo is just another breed of cuteness. Fun fact – she’s actually voiced by Maria Bakalova, who is most known for her role in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm alongside Sacha Baron Cohen. And, she is going to be back in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and yes, I need to see Cosmo more.
Why Is This Music So Good?
Guardians of the Galaxy has always been known for its music, both because of its style choices as well as the meaning behind music – like Star Lord literally saving an entire galaxy through dancing, Kevin Bacon-style. So it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that music was heavily featured throughout The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
But wow, they really knocked it out of the park with this one. Just the opening song, called “I Don’t Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime is Here),” is something that I genuinely loved. The Old 97’s did such a fantastic job performing, and I can see myself playing that over and over every year alongside the likes of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
Seriously, every song blended so well with the scenes they were used in. I’m going to need the soundtrack ASAP.
I Need More Mantis And Drax In Guardians Of The Galaxy 3
Mantis was a great addition to the team in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and I really liked that the franchise didn’t stray from fully including her into the team as Infinity War and Endgame occurred – even in Thor: Love and Thunder we see how close she’s gotten with them. I always knew that The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was going to focus on her and Drax going on an adventure, but I didn’t realize I’d like it this much.
Their energy just matches in a way I haven’t seen in some time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – maybe since Tony and Bruce and their great chemistry, where in every scene they were in, you were either laughing or captivated by their performances, despite them being at odds with each other back then. It was the same for Mantis and Drax – although I was laughing way more than getting emotional.
Even so, I need to see more of them together in the third film. With Dave Bautista possibly leaving the role of Drax afterwards – and the third Guardians film supposedly being the last – if these two don’t have one final adventure together, I’m going to pull my hair out. They were just perfect.
Peter’s Reaction To Kevin Bacon Is Very Valid
You know, it’s funny – I sometimes forget that Peter Quill is from Earth because his nature as a space traveler is in his genes and his personality, but I always adore his love for Kevin Bacon. Though I do appreciate the sentiment behind Mantis and Drax heading down to Earth to capture Kevin Bacon in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Peter’s reaction to them gifting the actor to him is so valid.
“This isn’t a Christmas present! This is human trafficking!”
I can’t tell you how hard I laughed at that quote. I had to pause the special for a moment to catch my breath. I don’t know what it was that did it – the way Chris Pratt delivered it, or everyone’s reactions, or just Kevin Bacon not even caring because he’s under Mantis’ powers – it just did it for me and I loved that reaction so much.
Really Love That Nebula Has Become A Part Of This Team
Something that I really liked about The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is that it really started to give us hints of what the group is going to be like in the third film. We see that Kraglin is a part of the team more this time around, Groot has been steadily getting bigger – and a whole lot more buff this time around – but the biggest thing I liked was that Nebula actually feels like she’s a part of the team.
We got hints of it in Endgame and then got even more in Thor: Love and Thunder, but this version of Nebula in the holiday special really showed just how far she has come from that deadly killer that we saw in the first film. I mean, she even somehow got Bucky’s arm for Rocket – you know how much he loved that arm.
It makes me wonder what her dynamic is going to be in the third film with everyone else. Can 2023 come any sooner?
This Special Was The Perfect Amount Of Christmas Cheer And MCU Craziness
If we’re being honest, it’s been hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit lately just because life is always so crazy and changing all the time, but The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special not only got me in the Christmas spirit, but reminded me of why I like the MCU.
There’s a reason why this special has been doing so well, and that’s because it perfectly combines Christmas cheer with great plot and character development for some of MCU’s favorite characters, enriching our lives – and it’s not even an hour long.
It almost reminds me of Hawkeye in a way, where we got plenty of Christmas awesomeness during that show, but so much character development for not only the titular character, but Yelena Belova and Kate Bishop.
This special was done perfectly. I honestly believe it’s going to end up becoming one of the best parts of the recent Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I can’t wait to see what comes next in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. So many questions that I need answered – but for now, I’m going to sip my hot cocoa and re-watch Hawkeye again.
