Christmas — and Kevin Bacon — is coming for Marvel fans.
Star-Lord, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Drax, Mantis and Nebula are bringing the holiday cheer to Disney+, with Marvel Studios revealing a first look at “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special,” set for release on Nov. 25.
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In the trailer, Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord isn’t feeling the Christmas spirit since he’s lost his love Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) in the events of “Avengers: Endgame.” To cheer him up, the Guardians travel to Earth to snag him the perfect Christmas present — Hollywood star Kevin Bacon. Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) go to his Hollywood home, which is decked out with Christmas decorations and a smart-home security system. They break into Bacon’s house, and the actor — who’s no stranger to superhero movies after appearing in “X-Men: First Class” — takes off.
The caretaker of the “Guardians” and three-time series director James Gunn is also at the helm of this “Holiday Special.” He’s also previously worked with Bacon on his 2010 hero comedy “Super.” The bar has been set considerably high for this latest “Guardians” project, considering Gunn has previously described the special as the “greatest thing” he’s ever made.
Holiday specials aren’t entirely foreign to Marvel. There have been plenty of yuletide comics, including the “Giant Superhero Holiday Grab-Bag” and a 1993 Marvel holiday special with a collection of shorts, including one starring Ghost Rider (because nothing says Christmas like a flaming skull on a motorcycle), one with Santa Claus electrifying bad guys and another with Hulk helping out with seasonal depression. There was also a mutant animated holiday special starring Wolverine (who just HATES Christmas) and Gambit, who gets in a kitchen-set ego battle with Jean Grey. Needless to say, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” special has a high level of preposterousness to live up to.
The holiday special represents another development in Marvel’s explosion in TV presence. Last year, “WandaVision,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Loki,” “What If…?” and “Hawkeye” kicked things off, with “Moon Knight,” “Ms. Marvel” and “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” following so far this year. The horror-themed “Werewolf by Night” released this month as Marvel Studios’ first Special Presentation.
As is traditional of most holiday specials, “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” will be available to watch in living rooms instead of theaters, streaming on Disney+ exclusively. On the film side, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” hits theaters May 5, 2023.
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