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The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is finally out, opening up to a good reception. The show was released on November 25 on Disney+ and introduced a new phase in the Guardians' lives. It's also unique coming from the Marvel Cinematic Universe since it's distinct from any of their previous projects.
Director James Gunn brought out a brand of light-hearted humor and Christmas optimism to the MCU, especially after the team lost Gamora and is still mourning her death. As a token of friendship, Mantis and Drax decide they are going to fix Christmas and make Peter Quill feel better about it by bringing the actor Kevin Bacon to him.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special also introduces several new characters, settings, and dynamics. The show is a great peek into the world of the Guardians as fans buckle up for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Beside featuring a lot of Easter eggs, it even namedrops Batman. On that note, let's find out more on this.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
Bucky's arm, Kingo, and other The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Easter eggs
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special features many Easter eggs. When Drax and Mantis visited Earth to get a hold of Kevin Bacon, they spotted several Avengers cosplayers during their walk through Hollywood, including Ant-Man, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, and many more. However, we see a few non-Marvel cosplay outfits as well, such as a GoBot and a Jack Sparrow cosplay.
Drax and Mantis are even perceived as cosplayers, After taking a selfie with Drax, a woman remarks that they're taking a picture with the God of War. This is obviously a reference to Kratos in the God of War franchise, and all the more reason for the mention since God of War: Ragnarok just came out.
Drax even starts beating the GoBot cosplayer, as Mantis reveals that a GoBot killed his cousin. This introduces an important question: Are GoBots officially part of the MCU, or is it a reference to Kree Sentinels?
Several DC references are also dropped here and there. James Gunn directed The Suicide Squad and currently heads the DC Studios, so it's understandable that there's no conflict there. Flula Borg, the actor who played Javelin in The Suicide Squad, also appeared in the Holiday Special as a bartender.
Additionally, Margot Robbie and John Cena appeared in the Map to the Stars, which Drax and Mantis used to reach Kevin Bacon's Beverly Hill residence. There's even a mention of Bruce Wayne and his superhero persona of Batman. This provides justification to the fact that DC comics exist in the world of MCU.
There's a reference to Kumail Nanjiani's Eternal Kingo as well. We saw a poster of a Christmas special starring Kingo, who we know is a huge Bollywood star within the MCU. This is a bit confusing since he gets taken by Arishem at the end of The Eternals.
Finally, we see Rocket Raccoon getting Bucky's arm, which he tries to buy off the Winter Soldier during Infinity War.
Revelations in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special starts off at Knowhere, which the Guardians have bought from The Collector. This means that the latter survived the events of Avengers: Infinity War and that Knowhere will play a larger role within the MCU.
We also see Cosmos finally becoming an official Guardians member, and he is comic-accurate. He can talk and has telekinetic abilities. James Gunn has confirmed that the villain High Evolutionary is coming to the MCU, and he's the one who experimented on Rocket. He'll be played by Peacemaker star Chukwudi Iwuji.
The Holiday Special mentions that "Santa has epic superpowers." Hilariously enough, Santa Claus is a powerful mutant in the MCU, and he's not necessarily a morally good character.
We have also come to find Swole Groot, who has grown up to be more outgoing and dynamic. Another big reveal in the series is Mantis being Star-Lord's sister. While she initially suspects that Star Lord would hate to be reminded of his father, Ego, he is happy to know that he's not the only one in his family who remains.
