Marvel has finally concluded Phase 4 of MCU’s highly anticipated ‘The Multiverse Saga’ with its second Special Presentation – The Guardians of the Galaxy (GOTG) Holiday Special. The television special is written and directed by James Gunn for Disney+. It stars Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn, and Michael Rooker reprising their roles as the Guardians from MCU, and Kevin Bacon as a fictionalized version of himself. With its delightful and holiday-themed storytelling, the special is really a treat for MCU fans who have been thirsty for a ‘good’ MCU feature for a long time. In addition to the Christmas theme, the special also has some major reveals that might significantly impact GOTG Vol. 3 and MCU’s future as a whole. What are they, let’s see.

Knowhere belongs to Guardians now

As said, the special is full of revelations that are both big and small that will no doubt carry over into the series’ next movie or into the MCU as a whole. At the beginning of the special, it is revealed that The Guardians of the Galaxy have managed to purchase Knowhere from the Collector. Knowhere is actually a severed head of a Celestial, prior to this, it was colonized by the Tivan Group, called Exitar, to extract organic Celestial material for sale on the black market. It also contained Collector’s (aka Teneleer Tivan’s) museum.

However, In 2018, Knowhere was attacked by Thanos to obtain one of the infinity stones, bringing an end to its operations. Thereafter, Tivan must have sold the Knowhere to Guardians in 2025, who began using it as their new base of operations. Thereafter, the Guardians must have taken the task to rebuild it and make it habitable. The Guardians took the task to rebuild it and make it habitable.

Cosmo is a part of Guardians now

Those well-versed in Marvel comics know that one of the prime members of the Guardians is – Cosmo, the Space Dog. This Marvel holiday special introduced the live-action adaptation of Cosmo into the MCU. In the MCU however, Cosmo is mainly portrayed as a female dog as opposed to that in the comics, where it’s a male dog. Cosmo is wonderfully voiced by Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’s Maria Bakalova. 

Cosmo has so far made cameos in previous GOTG movies, but as is evident from the special she will now be a full-time member of GOTG going forward. Groot, Rocket, and Cosmo will surely make a delightful trio. Cosmo has the ability to speak with the help of his highly advanced collar and also possesses telepathic and psychic abilities. As opposed to Cosmo’s origin in comics (as a Soviet’s test animal lost in space), MCU might tie her origin to Rocket with that of High Evolutionary who is set to appear in GOTG Vol. 3.

Mantis is Peter’s half-sister

After the Christmas-y celebration, at the end of the special Quill tells Mantis that Yondu eventually changed his mind about Christmas and gifted him a pair of blasters. To Quill’s surprise and elation, Mantis (Pom Klementieff) confides in him that she is actually Quill’s half-sister, one of Ego’s daughters. It’s a twist that gives the lighthearted Holiday Special some real emotional weight, and it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s a relationship that Gunn continues to develop in Vol. 3. It would be very interesting to see how the other guardians will react to the news and how Quill-Mantis dynamic will change.

In the comics, Mantis first appeared in The Avengers #112 (1973). She is the daughter of Gustav Brandt and Lua Nguyen of the Kree alien race. She excelled in her martial arts studies, which landed her the name “Mantis”. Mantis also has the abilities of regenerative healing factor, astral projection, precognition, pyrokinesis, empathy, and chemokinesis. There has been no evidence of a mantis being a ward of Ego in the comics. 

Peter’s Element Guns

At the end of the Special, Quill reveals to Mantis that Yondu was the one who had gifted him the pair of blasters which has been serving as his primary weapon for a long time. Yondu had got a change of heart after seeing Peter’s Christmas gift about Christmas. In the comics, however, the weapon has a different origin. It originally belonged to J’Son, the last known king of the Spartoi Empire, who passed it on to his son – Peter Quill on his 13th birthday.

The blaster, also known as Elemental Guns, has the ability to generate and manipulate fire, air, wind, and water. It also has the ability to teleport its owner across space and can be controlled at the will of its owner. In whatever way Marvel chooses to proceed with this new piece of information, we at least have a back story to Star Lord’s most preferable weapon. 

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is streaming on Disney+.