The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was a fun and festive hour of television. The MCU’s interstellar characters got to learn the true meaning of Christmas, Kevin Bacon got to have fun playing himself, and there was a heartwarming revelation that Peter Quill and Mantis are siblings.
Along the way, there were a whole bunch of fun references to spot, the most obscure of which has to be James Gunn bringing GoBots into MCU canon. But, some fans might have looked a little too deeply. There was immediate speculation that Star Wars icon Mark Hamill had made a cameo in the episode, though this was quickly debunked by the actor’s son.
Now, some fans think they might have spotted everyone’s favorite pint-sized The Mandalorian star popping up as Quill’s gift to Yondu. Anyone paying attention to the Guardians of the Galaxy movies will have known this wasn’t the case, but Gunn is here to conclusively squash that theory for good:
The Holiday Special ended with a scene that appeared to tease that this won’t be the final time we see the Guardians of the Galaxy celebrate Christmas. We’ll next see the characters in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on May 5 2023, which is expected to wrap up their various ongoing plotlines.
After that, Gunn will be heading over to the DCU to right the ship, and has already indicated he’s got big plans for the esteemed competition. That will likely mean Vol. 3 will be his final MCU adventure, so if there is going to be another Holiday Special next Christmas another director may have to take the reins with a new group of characters.
For now, we’re happy that this very special festive adventure kicked off the holiday season with a bang. Here’s hoping we get more news on a follow-up soon.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is available on Disney Plus