The Guardian of the Galaxy Holiday Special is another stand-alone film in Marvel’s Phase 4, after Werewolf by Night, which also serves as the epilogue, according to James Gunn. It is fun and exciting, as you would expect from a special film. However, it does not follow the main storyline.
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However, as a stand-alone film in Marvel, there are some notable issues that affect the overall timeline, which the Guardians of the Galaxy could have avoided, but it didn’t.
The Collector’s fate
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. Post-Credit Scene – The Collector sits in his ruined museum when Cosmo trots over and licks him on the face while Howard the Duck shares his two cents on their interaction.| Post-Credit Scene – The Collector sits in his ruined museum when Cosmo trots over and licks him on the face while Howard the Duck shares his two cents on their interaction. pic.twitter.com/RYxH4hrbIn
— MCU/Marvel Clips (@history0fthemcu) April 15, 2022
The special states that Taneleer Tivan is still alive, The Collector, and that he sold Knowhere off to the Guardians. Benicio de Toro later stated that he believes The Collector is still alive. Rumours have been circulating about his return with Jeff Goldblum, his in-universe brother (Jeff Goldblum), after he was defeated. This raises questions about the timeline’s consistency.
His survival after Thanos’ attack on his ship would be the most shocking. Also, Thanos dislikes Tivan. He once said that he disapproves of him for his lackluster honour. In the past, he had disowned Loki and killed him. These facts prove that there’s no way The Collector could have walked out of the ship-building facility without one.
Earth doesn’t remember the Guardians
The Guardians of The Galaxy Holiday Special
We have the new God of War. This was my favorite part. pic.twitter.com/a7o9ZnYRmt— Dragonsucricknet (@PILIST_Thshs367) November 25, 2022
Fans are welcomed by several Guardians of the Galaxy Easter eggs at Ms Marvel’s AvengerCon visit by Kamala Khan. The place was packed with Rocket Raccoon’s stuffed toys, Gamora cosplays, and an autobiography by Peter Quill among others. This means that the Guardians actually existed on Earth after Endgame and were just as well-known as the other Avengers.
This was odd because Earth was never Peter’s home and Gamora’s cosplay doesn’t make sense as she died in Infinity War and wasn’t there in Endgame. Although the Holiday Special corrects these issues, it creates another plot hole in which Drax and Mantis are not recognised on Earth.
Kingo is alive and well
Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special filming at the Chinese Theatre… there’s a bunch of Kingo posters from The Eternals! pic.twitter.com/vRuUFmGCKK
— Patrick Dougall (@PatrickADougall) April 28, 2022
After Eternals, Kingo returns to earth as the Holiday Special show poster of Kingo’s Christmas on Hollywood Boulevard. The issue is that as part of Earth’s judgement, Kingo was taken away by Arishem during the cliffhanger hanger. Earth gets good grades if he’s back. If not, it is possible that there is an issue in the MCU timeline.
Star-Lord and Yondu
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, the film ended on a note that while Ego was Quill’s biological father, Yondu was always his adoptive dad. This was sweet, but very tragic for Quill’s near-immediate demise. This was a smart move as it changes Star-Lord’s idea of the man who he thinks was his torturer.
But in the GOTG Holiday Special, Star-Lord remembers Yondu being the reason why he enjoyed Christmas, which ruins Vol 2’s ending. Yondu gave him his twin blasters as his first Christmas present. This diminished what the movie had set up; Star-Lord was unaware of Yondu’s paternal role in life, which takes away the emotional moment that was created previously.
Bucky’s arm
At the end of the film, Nebula gifts Rocket Raccoon Bucky Barnes’ arm. James Gunn even tweeted once to explain how Gamora could defeat Bucky, regardless of his super soldier abilities and Vibranium arm.
Rocket gets Bucky Arm | Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special
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–#mantis #peterquill #mcu #GuardiansoftheGalaxyHolidaySpecial #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 pic.twitter.com/lLU4eUaeUJ— The Marvel & DC Theorist (@MarvelDCLeaks) November 25, 2022
This is a problem as official Thunderbolts’ posters show Bucky having his arm. Rocket did not return the arm. Or Bucky traveled to space to retrieve his arm. Wakanda can’t have provided another arm as there are restrictions on this material as seen in Wakanda Forever.
Groot’s age
Groot and the Guardians of the Galaxy holiday special are all you need pic.twitter.com/kiu20dP7l7
— emily (@emilysavs) November 26, 2022
This is not a problem with Canon, but a conundrum. In just a few short months, he transformed from a dancer to a teenager Groot. This stage was seen for 2 years after Avengers: Endgame, and even confirmed in Thor: Love & Thunder. Groot has reached his mid-teens/early adult stage, despite Kraglin not being able to use the Yaka bow. There is no consistency.
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