IT’S time to deck the cosmos! Lights, presents, trees, snowflakes, candy canes, and... Kevin Bacon?
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (available on Disney+ on Nov 25) is a 42-minute story that follows Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) as they search for the ultimate Christmas gift for Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt).
The Marvel Studios’ Special Presentation also stars Karen Gillan as Nebula, Vin Diesel as Groot’s voice and Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket Raccoon, Sean Gunn, and The Old 97s with Michael Rooker and special guest star Kevin Bacon.
You heard it right! The Old 97s will take the stage. No spoilers, but you have an incredible Christmas soundtrack to go with the special.
The Holiday Special also surprises new characters to the MCU, including Borat Subsequent Moviefilm actress Maria Bakalova, who voices Cosmo the space dog, and Kevin Bacon himself.
Maybe we’ll find out who Daniela Melchior from The Suicide Squad and Nico Santos from Superstore are playing in the MCU too.
This story presents Quill’s beloved Gamora’s (Zoe Saldaa) death at the hands of Thanos (Josh Brolin), as well as the knowledge that he could have prevented five years of disappearance had he not let his rage get the best of him, falling into a deep depression, and the knowledge that there is another Gamora out there from a different timeline where the two never met, hasn’t made things any better.
Quill’s other Guardians notice Peter’s bad mood and try to cheer him up. When Kraglin (Sean Gunn) mentions that Christmas is nearing on Earth, Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Drax (Dave Bautista) plot a plan to give Peter his first Christmas celebration since being taken by the Ravagers.
This plan involves the Guardians visiting Earth, as Mantis and Drax travel to Hollywood to kidnap Kevin Bacon, the star of Peter’s favourite movie, Footloose (1984).
The journey back to Earth contains multiple chances to find out more about the background of these two Guardians, particularly Mantis’s strange past.
Pom Klementieff’s Mantis debuted in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 when the gang discovered her on Ego’s planet. While she did assist the Guardians in defeating Ego, little information about her past has been revealed.
And now, a shocking new insight has been discovered that may explain why the character decides to return to Earth for Quill’s Christmas gift.
At the end of Mantis’ episode of Marvel Studios Legends, it was revealed that Mantis is Ego’s daughter, making her Star Lord’s half-sister.
It is unknown how Star-Lord will react to the news. However, considering their long history as teammates, he’s likely to accept Mantis’ news heartily.
What’s more, it’s likely that Drax and Mantis will fail to reclaim Kevin Bacon in the Holiday Special. Mantis revealing to Quill that she is his half-sister, on the other hand, would be a fantastic Christmas present that would complete off the holiday journey.
The film is the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first Christmas special, and it is planned to connect the events of Avengers: Endgame and the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which will hit theatres on May 5, 2023.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is available now on Disney+ Hotstar.
