MCU: Is ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Set in Phase 4 or Phase 5?
As we all know, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the biggest movie franchise of all time, with TV shows and, from this year, TV Special Presentations which could be described as shorter streaming movies. Last month Marvel Studios released Werewolf by Night, which was described as a special for Halloween, and soon we will get the Christmas special featuring not the best, but certainly the weirdest Marvel family.
At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced that Phase 4 of the MCU will conclude with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which was recently released and is playing in theaters now, while also confirming that the next theatrical movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be the first outing of Phase 5. The thing is, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special release date is set between those two movies, so is The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special set in MCU’s Phase 4 or Phase 5?
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is set in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Still, since TV special presentations aren’t major MCU projects, it’s not wrong to say that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever served as the conclusion of Phase 4, considering that movies are still the primary projects of the MCU. One way or another, Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will begin in 2023, with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania serving as its first outing.
You can watch the official trailer for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special down below:
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is the penultimate MCU outing for the titular team before their final movie — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 — releases next May. Like every Guardians movie, James Gunn wrote and directed this Holiday Special, which will follow the team trying to make Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill/Star-Lord happy by giving him the best Christmas ever.
Guardians of the Galaxy first joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2014 with their first homonymous movie, written and directed by James Gunn. The movie was successful both critically and commercially, and the sequel that followed in 2017 was equally successful. Guardians were also a part of two crossover movies Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, and they also made a brief appearance in this year’s Thor: Love and Thunder.
Next May, Guardians will have their own Endgame with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which will be James Gunn’s last Marvel movie. Although there’s a chance that Guardians will return in future MCU projects, James Gunn will not be a part of that movie, and it’s safe to say that some members of the team will also retire from the MCU after Volume 3.
Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn, Michael Rooker, and Kevin Bacon as a special guest star, are starring in this joyful superhero comedy that will show us how the weirdest family in the galaxy is celebrating Holidays. Chris Pratt’s character Star-Lord feels sad after losing Gamora, and the team will go to Earth to find him a perfect Christmas present, and that’s where Kevin Bacon comes in.
Written and directed by James Gunn, Marvel Studios’ Special Presentation: The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will be released exclusively on Disney+ on November 25. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to be released in theaters on May 5, 2023.