Even though audiences got a chance to catch up with the Guardians of the Galaxy when the team briefly assisted Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in Thor: Love and Thunder, most MCU fans still appreciated the opportunity to spend more time with the MCU’s beloved outcasts now that the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special has arrived on the Disney+ streaming service. The main plot of the Special Presentation involves Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) heading to Earth to bring Kevin Bacon back to Nowhere as a Christmas gift for Peter Quill (Chris Pratt). But there are three elements that James Gunn put into the Holiday Special so that when audiences watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he won’t have to waste time explaining them.
James Gunn explained to Deadline that he filmed the Guardians Holiday Special at the same time as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, even though thematically, the two couldn’t be more different. Said Gunn:
(That was) an insane experience because Vol. 3 is a serious movie, it deals with these characters’ emotional lives. (Volume 3) has a lot of heaviness in it. So shooting that for a few days, and then shooting this goofy thing — these were like my recess days. When you see Guardians 3, you’ll see, yes, there’s a bad guy, but it’s not about that.
But Gunn also called the Holiday Special a “Trojan horse” that allowed him to include these three components, which audiences will want/need to know before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in theaters on May 5, 2023. Starting with:
Knowhere as Team HQ
MCU fans know Knowhere. It has appeared in multiple films, mainly when characters brought items to The Collector (Benicio Del Toro) for sale or purchase. Knowhere is the severed head of a Celestial, and it was mined for its resources at one point, but now serves as the headquarters of the Guardians of the Galaxy. We are able to see that the Guardians have established this as a safe space for both their team and for numerous species of aliens. They even decorate it for Christmas just in time for Kevin Bacon to perform a concert with The Old 97s, standing in for an alien band.
Cosmo as a Teammate
The best girl in the galaxy now considers herself to be a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy team, collaborating with Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and using her telekinesis to assist in tasks. Cosmo, like Knowhere, has appeared in the MCU before, and also has connections to The Collector. This Russian space dog was launched into space by the Soviets, and became part of The Collector’s museum. When that space was destroyed, Cosmo survived, and expects to play a larger role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (where she will continue to be voiced by Maria Bakalova).
Nebula’s New Role
The rotation of role players for the Guardians of the Galaxy has been fluid. While Peter Quill certainly considers himself to be the team leader (at least, when Thor isn’t around), the dynamic following him can change. Rocket has taken on leadership roles. So has Gamora (Zoe Saldana), though at the moment she is missing. Which has allowed Nebula (Karen Gillan) to evolve, and on that development, James Gunn told Deadline:
I think you see what Nebula’s role is in the group now: She’s a leader to some degree. We see all these changes since we’ve seen them last.
As has been emphasized, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is going to be far more emotional than the previous two movies, so Gunn needed to be able to hit the ground running, so to speak. He used the Holiday Special as a way to implement these changes to the galaxy’s dynamic, and now Guardians 3 can get right to its story. It’s one of several upcoming Marvel movies hitting theaters in 2023 and beyond, so keep it here on CinemaBlend for the latest in MCU happenings.
