Marvel Studios' Phase Four is over, but The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special starts a new MCU chapter that, according to James Gunn, will see this ragtag bunch of superheroes explore new facets of themselves.
Funnily enough, Gunn wasn’t even aware his Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special would be the project to mark the transition between phases, so while that didn’t affect his creative process, his recent interviews make it clear these Guardians are not the same team fans last saw in Thor: Love and Thunder. Of course, the Christmas special is only the preamble to the Guardians' third and final movie, which will also see Gunn depart Marvel Studios to assume his new role as the head of the DC Universe.
While speaking with ComicBook.com's Phase Zero, Gunn stated that one of his favorite parts of working back-to-back on the Guardians of the Galaxy Special and Vol. 3 was “being able to introduce elements into the movie that I don’t have to then explain at the beginning [ of Guardians Vol. 3] such as Cosmo the Spacedog or the fact that they live in the Head of Knowhere.” Gunn even mentioned their new spaceship, the Bowie, which consists of a four-story set. Ironically, David Bowie didn’t make the cut when Gunn chose the tracks that would make up the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special soundtrack, which he also recently shared with fans.
Knowhere happens to be an important location in the MCU that was featured in both Guardians of the Galaxy films, Thor: The Dark World, and Avengers: Infinity War. It's also literally the head of a Celestial, a group of beings thoroughly explored in Eternals but whose fate is a big question heading towards Phase Five. More importantly, Gunn's insistence on using the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special as a storytelling tool to introduce new characters like Cosmo the Space Dog should be enough to make it a must-watch event.
Another aspect Gunn has not shied away from is that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a very emotional film, mainly due to the plot diving deeper into Rocket Raccoon's backstory. More than anything, early reviews of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special consistently call it a hilarious lighthearted adventure that’s just perfect to ignite the holiday spirit with Marvel Studios' funniest cast.
Against all odds, Gunn has helped turn the Guardians of the Galaxy into one of the MCU's most beloved franchises. They even have their own well-received Marvel video game. Not a bad way to close off a trilogy by any means.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now available on Disney Plus.
Source: Phaze Zero
