The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special has been the sweetest ending that Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe could have possibly had. When The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was announced, fans were thrilled about the fact that they’d get a look at some of their favorite characters ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. While the holiday special is a part of the MCU and fits somewhere into the timeline, it doesn’t necessarily impact the lives of too many people, other than Peter Quill, and of course, Kevin Bacon.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was filled with entertainment, singing, comedy, a lot of Christmas-related things, and even some action. So while we review this holiday special that brings Phase 4 of the MCU to a close, we highly recommend watching The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, just so you can dive into the holiday spirit head first because turns out, Christmas can be celebrated anywhere in the Universe.
Marvel Studios’ Special Presentation: The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now streaming, only on #DisneyPlus. #SeasonsStreamings pic.twitter.com/jyddzgOIFt
— Disney+ (@DisneyPlus) November 25, 2022
The Stars of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
When the trailer for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was released, everyone was convinced that Kevin Bacon would be the star of the show. While Bacon was a very important part of the holiday special, he didn’t steal the spotlight, at least not until the very end. Next, we’d expect Star-Lord aka Peter Quill aka Chris Pratt to be the center of attention, and that wasn’t the case either. Sure, everything happened because of him but he wasn’t the best thing about The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. The two characters who made this holiday special what it was were Mantis and Drax played by Pom Klementieff and Dave Bautista respectively. When the two hear the sad story about how Yondu ruined Christmas for Peter years ago, they decide to embark on a journey to make Peter’s wish come true, which they assume is the one and only, Kevin Bacon.
Mantis and Drax make their way to Los Angeles because that’s where all the celebrities live. We see the two make their way through the streets of LA, and of course, several people are impersonating the Avengers, getting pictures clicked with the little kids. We see Ant-Man, Black Widow, and even Captain America, whom Mantis excitedly hugs, assuming it is Steve Rogers. She is very disappointed when the impersonator runs away. While the two are there, several kids, their parents, and everyone on the street want a picture clicked with Drax and Mantis, assuming they’re two people in costume. Through this, Mantis and Drax end up earning a whole lot of cash which they blow on alcohol and clubbing. They’re in LA, that’s what everyone does, what did you expect? Their search for Kevin Bacon finally ends when they find a map of all the celebrity houses, and now they had one simple task at hand.
The saga of Mantis and Drax being absolute treasures of entertainment continues as they make their way, or well, break their way into Kevin Bacon’s house, who is quick to make a 911 call. Getting rid of the cops, while still keeping them alive is fairly easy, and Mantis finally gets a hold of Bacon, putting him under her trance as he agrees to come with them. The only action sequence in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is executed by Drax and Mantis when they fight the cops unless you count Kevin Bacon trying to run away.
Was Christmas Saved in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special?
Before we talk about whether or not Christmas was saved, let’s just briefly discuss why Christmas was ruined, to begin with. While this is a live-action holiday special, Marvel decided to add a little bit of animation to bring back Yondu to the fans. The animation is a flashback where a young Peter and Kraglin are seen trying to celebrate Christmas, with a tree, presents, and everything. That is until an angry Yondu decides to barge in, completely dismissing the idea of Christmas and destroying everything that Peter had so happily set up. Although this was a sad story, at the end of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, when Peter and Mantis are sharing a moment, Peter finishes the story of Christmas with Yondu, who gifted Peter the quad blasters, which he uses even today. So, all in all, it was a sweet story with a happy ending.
As for Christmas in Knowhere, where the guardians have set camp, Christmas was saved, by none other than Kevin Bacon. The guardians wrap him up in a huge box and gift him to Peter Quill, who is equally petrified and star-struck. Once Mantis removes Bacon from her trance, he is terrified and ready to run. Peter profusely apologizes on behalf of his friends, and as Kraglin is about to take Kevin Bacon back to Earth, Bacon realizes that they all mean well, and simply want to give their friend a good Christmas, and that’s exactly what happens. As Kevin Bacon sings a song with the newly formed band at Knowhere, the Guardians exchange presents, and Rocket finally gets Bucky’s arm (we might have to check in with Bucky later, to see how he’s doing). It’s quite emotional and wholesome and portrays Christmas in the sweetest way possible. None of them have their families around, but they’ve found a family amongst themselves, and that’s what the holiday season is all about.
The Post Credit of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
No Marvel project is complete without an post credit scene. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special had a brief post credit scene, where Groot is being dressed with Christmas ornaments, which makes sense, considering the fact that he is a tree. However, he shakes off all the ornaments, and Rocket talks about how Christmas is ruined again and now they’ll need another special. We’re assuming if there is another special with the Guardians, it will happen after Volume 3 is released and hopefully with Gamora, who is mentioned briefly but doesn’t make an appearance in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Towards the end of the holiday special, as Kevin Bacon is making his way back home, he also mentions a quick “see you at easter.” Maybe we have an easter special coming next!
Conclusion
After the emotional tribute that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was, Marvel needed something to lighten up the mood before they ended Phase 4, and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was the perfect ending. There was also a huge revelation in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special which confirmed a major theory but don’t worry, we won’t spoil that for you. Hint: an important relationship has been confirmed. Take your guesses in the comments and do let us know what you thought of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special!
Deepti is a prolific content writer for OpenMediaHub who specializes in movies, tv shows, and web series, along with occasional reviews. Her interests lie in watching different genres and reading comics books, although her main passion is writing for as long as she remembers.
