There was a time, following the firing of James Gunn, and before the rehiring of James Gunn, when the question of whether or not we would ever see the Guardians of the Galaxy again in live action was a legitimate concern. Now, however, we’re in the middle of a Guardians of the Galaxy Renaissance, with the characters getting the long-delayed third Guardians of the Galaxy movie, a new Disney World roller coaster, and even a holiday special. Director James Gunn recently teased this latter project with some Christmas ornaments that give a look at the stars of the show including a somewhat different looking Groot.
Groot has been the character who has evolved the most over the course of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. First looking like a large mature character, Groot “died” and was reborn as a sapling. We experienced “Baby Groot” through the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Then Groot was an adolescent for the last two Avengers movies. The Groot that we see in the Christmas ornament gift to James Gunn is looking a bit more filled out, something much closer to the original version. Check it out.
Definitely one of the best wrap gifts ever. Thanks @MarvelStudios! #GotGHolidaySpecial pic.twitter.com/jE2SRaL5wmApril 25, 2022
Groot looks like he’s filled out a bit. He doesn’t look quite the same as he did in the first film and while that may be that he simply hasn’t finished growing yet, it could be that Groot is growing in a different way this time around, and that his full grown form won’t be identical to what we saw in the original Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
If these Christmas tree ornaments are any indication, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is going to be a great deal of fun. One expects the tone of the special to be quite light hearted, and from Rocket holding a candy cane rather than a gun and Groot covered in Christmas lights, this looks to be exactly what we will get.
Of course, the special, which may be the best reason yet to have a Disney+ subscription, is expected to tie in directly to the forthcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This means that while the events might be a lot of fun, they may also be significant within the MCU. We know that a Marvel Comics character will make his debut in the Disney+ special.
James Gunn and the Guardians of the Galaxy cast and crew just finished a marathon production which included scenes for the new Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind roller coaster, opening at Disney World’s Epcot in May, the new movie, and the holiday special. What the future holds for the actors and characters we don’t really know yet, but once post production is wrapped we expect James Gunn to be stepping away, at least
