The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’s debut trailer from Marvel Studios is festive and features a surprise appearance. The Avengers: Infinity War special, which wraps out Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was written and directed by Guardians director James Gunn. The performers who appear in it include Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, and Sean Gunn; they are all currently one degree removed from Kevin Bacon.
Star-Lord (Pratt) of the Guardians is said to have admired actor Kevin Bacon for his performance in the dance-themed film Footloose. To bring Star-Lord some festive happiness while he is grieving the loss of Gamora (Saldana), the Guardians arrange to meet Bacon. Gunn and Bacon collaborated on the 2010 film Super, and Bacon has talked about how his name appears in Guardians. He stated in an interview with Esquire from last year: “When I saw Guardians of the Galaxy, I went to the theater not knowing that I was mentioned. It was an afternoon in New York, and as is customary for me, I was on 67th Street. Holy stuff, I thought. They are mentioning me. Do you folks understand this?”
The Christmas special was first announced by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige in December 2020. The special is a part of Marvel’s Disney+ intentions to present stories that are neither theatrical features nor comprehensive streaming series, joining Werewolf by Night. Soon after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits cinemas on Nov. 25, the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will air. The Guardians will return to the big screen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which will be released on May 5, 2023.