By now, it’s clear that Marvel Studios is sticking to its formula of interconnected storylines and plot weaving. In the case of the latestGuardians of the Galaxyprojects, including theHoliday SpecialandVol. 3, director James Gunn says that the former will be necessary viewing in order to understand the latter.
Speaking to Collider, Gunn revealed that boththeGuardians of the GalaxyHoliday SpecialandVol. 3will commence filming at the same time this coming November, and both projects will utilize the same sets in the Georgia filming location. Regarding theHoliday Special, Gunn says that it’s in-canon and all about the Guardians, so there will be some important nuggets of MCU lore that audiences will need to pick up in the side story before watchingVol. 3.
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Not much has been revealed about theHoliday Specialsince it was announced, but we do know that it will be released on Disney Plus and has an approximate runtime of 40 minutes. The events of the festive-themed special will take place beforeVol. 3, so fans can expect the two to follow a chronological order. There will also be a series ofI Am Grootanimated shortsto be released around the same time, though it’s unclear just how linked they will be to the other two feature titles.
According to Gunn,Vol. 3will behis lastGuardians of the Galaxyfilm, and he’s “really happy” with how it’s turned out. Like theHoliday Special, not many plot details aboutVol. 3have been confirmed, but based on what audiences saw inAvengers: Endgame, fans could assume that part of the film will involve Peter Quill’s quest to find the alternate-timeline Gamora. The Guardians will also have a role to play in the upcomingThor: Love and Thundersequel, so it’s likely thatVol. 3will also have a tie-in to that storyline as well. For now, we will just have to wait and see what Gunn has in store for us.
Nowadays, audiences will have to watch multiple films and television episodes, sometimes in a particular order, to get a full overview ofwhat’s going on in the MCU. Rarely are any of the studio’s latest titles are meant to stand on their own and even the ones that do still make specific references to other titles in the collection, so it can be easy to miss out on some key details or inside jokes.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Specialis set to premiere in December 2022.
