Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special are ahead! If you haven't had the chance to watch the MCU's latest Special Presentation, read another one of our fine articles.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is no longer comprised of just movies and TV shows anymore; there are also Special Presentations to take into account. Marvel Studios kicked off this latest brand of storytelling back in October with the wonderfully spooky Werewolf by Night, and now Disney+ subscribers can watch the The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which takes place between the events of Thor: Love and Thunder and the upcoming 2023 movie Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The latest MCU offering sees Drax and Mantis kidnapping Kevin Bacon to give to Peter Quill as a Christmas present since the man also known as Star-Lord was a huge fan of the Footloose actor growing up.
Although The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is packed with familiar faces and provides/confirms some key backstory details, including something Pom Klementieff has kept secret about Mantis for years, it largely stands on its own and can be enjoyed by both causal and passionate MCU fans. That being said, there are two big ways that Avengers: Infinity War is referenced in the Holiday Special. If you especially like the Marvel movie where the Guardians finally crossed paths with various Avengers for the first time, you’ll surely get a kick out of these tie-ins.
The Collector Is Confirmed To Be Alive
From the moment Taneleer Tivan, a.k.a. The Collector, was given The Aether, a.k.a. the Reality Stone, by Lady Sif and Volstagg in Thor: The Dark World’s mid-credits scene, that painted a target on his back for Thanos to come find. That was finally paid off in Avengers: Infinity War, with Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax and Mantis traveling to Knowhere and finding Thanos in the middle of interrogating Benicio del Toro’s character for the Reality Stone’s location. However, this was all an illusion that Thanos conjured with the already-acquired Reality Stone; the Collector’s museum had actually been set ablaze, and the whereabouts and fate of the real Collector were left unknown.
Well, worry no more, folks, as The Collector is confirmed to be alive! No, we don’t see Benicio del Toro in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, but at the beginning of the story, it’s revealed that the Guardians purchased Knowhere from Taneleer and have begun rebuilding it. Considering that The Collector’s museum has been destroyed twice in the MCU, I don’t blame him for seeking out new horizons, especially if Knowhere will once again be assaulted in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The Holiday Special doesn’t provide any information on how The Collector is still alive, but since Thanos could have crushed him to a pulp even without any of the Infinity Stones, evidently The Mad Titan decided to be merciful, keep him alive and just stash him somewhere before conjuring the illusion.
It’s hard to say if we’ll ever see The Collector again in the MCU, but you can hear Benicio del Toro voicing an alternate version of the character in the What If… ? episode “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?” Personally, I’d be disappointed if he never resurfaced, particularly because it’d be great to see The Collector with Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster, as those two are brothers in the comics. But if this particular ship has sailed, then best of luck to Collector with setting up his new museum and taking precautions to ensure this one isn’t torched like its predecessor.
Rocket Finally Gets Bucky Barnes’ Arm
After Stormbreaker was successfully created on Nidavellir in Avengers: Infinity War, Thor, Rocket and Groot traveled via the Bifrost to Earth to join the battle against Thanos’ horde in Wakanda. This provided the opportunity for a quick team-up between Rocket and Bucky Barnes, and after they were done gunning down Outriders, Rocket asked how much both Bucky’s gun and metal arm would cost to acquire. Obviously Bucky wasn’t interested in such transactions, but Rocket promised he would “get that arm.” Sure enough, he did indeed acquire that prize, although he didn’t make this happen himself.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special caps off with a montage of Christmas festivities and gift-giving while Kevin Bacon sings The Old 97’s “Here It Is Christmastime” with an alien band performed by the actual Old 97’s. This included seeing Nebula giving Rocket Bucky’s metal arm, an act of generosity that deeply moved the raccoon… sorry, don’t call him that, don’t ever call him that! And while Nebula didn’t exactly look comfortable in this festive situation, she’s clearly come a long way from her days ruthlessly killing people on Thanos’ behalf.
On the one hand, I’m happy that Rocket received such a heartwarming and personal gift, but on the other hand, I feel bad that Bucky is once again lacking his metal arm thanks to Nebula, whether she slipped it off him while he was sleeping or forcefully took it after subduing him in a fight. Hopefully Wakanda’s scientists can craft a replacement for the former Winter Soldier before Thunderbolts rolls around. After all, if he’s going to effectively charge into battle with Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, U.S. Agent, Ghost and Taskmaster (with Valentina Allegra de Fontaine likely monitoring from the sidelines), then he’ll need to be properly armed… sorry, I couldn’t help myself.
Now that The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is available for the public to watch, we’ll next see the title characters when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in theaters on May 5, 2023. Alas, that will be a bittersweet affair, as filmmaker James Gunn has said that this flick will conclude this iteration of the team’s story, meaning the Holiday Special is, in a way, the beginning of the end. But on a brighter note, you can keep track of what else the MCU has coming up with our guides of upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming Marvel TV shows, or just stick around Disney+ to watch the already-released Marvel movies in order.
