The weirdest and wildest corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been permanently occupied by the Guardians of the Galaxy ever since James Gunn first brought the team into live-action back in the summer of 2014, and the filmmaker will be seeking to enhance their reputation as the franchise’s most irreverent ensemble of misfits throughout their quickfire trio of upcoming appearances.
Star-Lord and the gang will cameo in next summer’s Thor: Love and Thunder, headline their own Disney Plus Holiday Special towards the end of the year, before Gunn draws his trilogy to a close when Vol. 3 arrives in May 2023. A festive romp starring the Guardians is a tantalizing enough prospect as it is, but Gunn is already teasing that the streaming exclusive will feature the debut of what he calls the one of the MCU’s greatest-ever characters, as you can see below.
Looking at what Gunn brought to the Guardians of the Galaxy duology, it’s impossible to even hazard a guess at what he’s cooking up. A sentient tree and anthropomorphized raccoon are integral parts of the mythology, Howard the Duck has become a recurring guest star, and even the backgrounds are populated by bizarre creations.
Gunn even admits that his opinions don’t line up with everyone else’s, so the smart money would be on the Holiday Special’s mystery guest being somebody totally obscure and even more outlandish.