The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special follows the Guardians of the Galaxy as they celebrate Christmas and search for a present for their leader Peter Quill. The special is set after the events of Thor: Love and Thunder, where the Guardians leave Thor and Korg on some distant planet. At this point, Quill is feeling down after Gamora’s disappearance, so Mantis and Drax decide to travel to Earth to abduct Kevin Bacon as a Christmas present for him.
The Guardians have recently purchased Knowhere from the Collector and taken in Cosmo the Spacedog as a new member. As Christmas approaches, Kraglin tells the Guardians about a childhood story where Yondu ruined Christmas for Quill. Mantis discusses with Drax her plan to find a perfect Christmas present for Quill, who is still depressed following the loss of Gamora. After brainstorming, they decide to go to Earth and retrieve Quill’s childhood hero, Kevin Bacon.
Mantis and Drax arrive in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and search for Bacon. After spending time at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a bar, they get a map of celebrities’ residences and find Bacon’s home in Beverly Hills. Bacon, who is waiting for his family to come home, is terrified by the appearance of Mantis and Drax and tries to escape. Police arrive to help, but Mantis places them and Bacon in a trance before taking Bacon with them. As they return to Knowhere, Mantis and Drax are disappointed to learn that Bacon is an actor and not a real-life hero.
Later, the Guardians surprise Quill with a Christmas celebration, but Quill is horrified to learn that Bacon had been kidnapped. On the Guardians’ new spaceship, the Bowie, Bacon learns from Kraglin how he inspired Quill’s heroism and decides to celebrate Christmas with the Guardians before returning home. After the celebration, Quill reveals to Mantis that Yondu eventually changed his mind about Christmas and gifted him a pair of blasters which now serve as his primary weapons. Mantis confides in him that she is Quill’s half-sister, after years of refusing to tell him the truth out of fear of reminding him of his father Ego’s misdeeds.
The special received positive reviews from critics for its humor, Gunn’s direction, and cast performances. Some critics praised it as “a delightful interlude between MCU epics” (Hannah Shaw-Williams, Screen Rant) while others called it “pure holiday joy” (Caroline Siede, The A.V. Club). It received multiple awards nominations, including wins at the Children’s and Family Emmy Awards.
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