Following up on his prior revelation that Marvel Studios really doesn’t care about the MCU timeline, at least nowhere near as much as the fans, James Gunn has now given us a major headache with his confusing comments about where The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special fits into Phase Four’s canon. Elsewhere, rumors point to a sinister force that’s been quietly rising in notoriety over the years battling a franchise veteran in an upcoming Disney Plus series. Let’s dive in.
With one throwaway remark, James Gunn has just blown a Hulk-sized hole in MCU canon
If you were hoping James Gunn would provide a definitive answer to exactly when the Holiday Special takes place in the MCU, then he’s here to let you down. When asked by a fan if it’s set in 2024 or 2025, the franchise’s current present-day, the writer/director instead stated that it actually covers Christmas 2022. As everyone knows, though, that’s impossible as The Blip didn’t end until 2023. Let’s hope he’s much better at remembering the internal continuity of the DC universe moving forward.
A villainous organization looks to be making even more trouble in Armor Wars
Armor Wars could be about to have a surprising choice of antagonist, if the latest intel is to be believed. It’s said that the Department of Damage Control may serve as Rhodey’s rival to reclaim Iron Man’s tech in the show, following on from the governmental agency’s shady activities in both Spider-Man: No Way Home and Ms. Marvel. Considering that Tony Stark helped create the organization in the first place (as revealed in Spider-Man: Homecoming), this would be a very interesting turn of events.
Forget Ravonna, could this Marvel hero become Kang’s villainous bride in Secret Wars?
Ravonna Renslayer (Loki‘s Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is Kang’s primary love interest in the comics, but could Avengers 5 and 6 instead see him form a villainous power couple with an evil variant of the MCU’s most harmless hero? Namely, the Guardians of the Galaxy’s very own Mantis. Who knows, but the potential is certainly there based on the characters’ surprising comic book history. No doubt Pom Klementieff would have a lot of fun playing a darker version of Star-Lord’s secret sister.
Wait, is Grogu in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special?
Although all the Mark Hamill hullabaloo has been dealt with, a different Star Wars crossover has now been debunked by James Gunn to boot. Some folks misconstrued Yondu’s little green gift from Quill in the Holiday Special as a Grogu action figure, but Gunn has promptly explained that this present was actually the dashboard ornament previously seen in the first Guardians movie. One day, we will get that Star Wars/Marvel crossover we’re all craving. But today is not that day.
Still, maybe tomorrow will be that day! Check back here on Wednesday for more Marvel news to find out.
