Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special brought the magic of Christmas to the MCU, including the main cast and several guest cameos.

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Guardians of The Galaxy Holiday Special.

As Marvel Studios' second Special Presentation, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special brought the magic of Christmas to the MCU with much of the returning cast and several guest cameos. Chris Pratt returns as the leader of the eponymous Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star Lord, whose friends set out to save Christmas after hearing a tragic retelling of how Yondu once ruined the festive holiday. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 set to release in 2023, Christmastime was perhaps the perfect opportunity to reintroduce the rag-tag team, whose last appearance in the MCU came during the divisive Thor: Love & Thunder.

The story of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special primarily follows Mantis and Drax, who journey to Earth to retrieve legendary movie star Kevin Bacon as a surprise Christmas present for Peter. Some exciting new information is revealed, confirming that Mantis is in fact Peter's half-sister, since Ego had fathered both. This only motivates her more to bring Christmas cheer to her brother, though they both soon realize that the best present either could have received was a real family. As well as the main cast from previous Guardians of the Galaxy films, there are several cameos throughout the Holiday Special, here is a complete breakdown of the cast.

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In The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Chris Pratt makes his sixth appearance as Peter Quill, who was abducted from Earth as a child and raised with the Ravagers. The Holiday Special confirms that Peter, along with the other Guardians, have bought Knowhere, a Celestial's severed head, from the Collector, which creates the perfect setting for their Christmas extravaganza. Aside from Guardians of the Galaxy, Pratt is probably best known for his roles in the Jurassic World franchise as Owen Grady and as the lovable goof, Andy Dwyer, in NBC's Parks and Recreation. He is set to make his next appearance in the MCU during 2023's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

A member of the Guardians with empathic powers, the group found Mantis living on Ego's planet during Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and adopted her into their family after taking down the evil Celestial. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special reveals that Mantis is actually Peter's half-sister, a secret only her and Drax know, which makes her more determined to make Christmas the most perfect occasion for Peter. Klementieff's breakthrough came with 2013's Oldboy, and she has seen a rapid rise in success since then with projects such as Newness, Ingrid Goes West, and Black Mirror.

Dave Bautista always brings a huge amount of comedy to his performance as Drax the Destroyer, a no-nonsense warrior whose species takes everything completely literally. Drax teams up with Mantis during The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special to abduct Kevin Bacon as Peter's Christmas present, and becomes incredibly attached to an inflatable elf stolen from Bacon's front yard. It's been teased that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could be Drax's last adventure, so now is the perfect time for him to get some Christmas joy. Bautista has also appeared in films such as Spectre, Blade Runner 2049, Army of the Dead, and Dune.

Kraglin is one of the newest members of the Guardians, joining the team after his Ravager gang's decimation and Yondu's emotional death in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It's revealed in the Holiday Special that he still hasn't quite mastered the art of controlling Yondu's flying arrow, but he is the one who persuades Kevin Bacon to stay on Knowhere and spread the Christmas cheer. As well as his role as Kraglin, Sean Gunn (director James Gunn's brother) also performed the motion capture for Rocket. He's known primarily for his work with Marvel Studios, but also played in DC's sandbox as the Weasel in The Suicide Squad.

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Kevin Bacon is one of Peter Quill's personal heroes, with the latter paying particular attention to Bacon's role as Ren McCormack in Footloose, which sees him unite a town through the power of dance. This inspires Peter to use dance to distract Ronan in Guardians of the Galaxy. Initially terrified of the aliens showing up at his door, Bacon soon realizes that he's in no danger and agrees to spread some Christmas joy on Knowhere, performing "Here It Is Christmastime" with the band. Some of his best known work is perhaps JFK, A Few Good Men, Apollo 13, and Mystic River, though Bacon has had a long and incredibly lucrative film and television career.

With a couple musical numbers, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special needed a professional band to properly bring the Christmas cheer. The Old 97's appear as the alien band on Knowhere, who serenade Peter with the new Christmas classic, "I Don't Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here)," and perform the final number with Kevin Bacon. Formed in 1992, the Old 97's have had an incredibly successful career, with twelve studio albums, and two full EPs, and now acting as an alien band in the MCU.

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Kai Young is a Senior Features Writer for Screen Rant. Based in sometimes-sunny Brighton, UK, he graduated with a master’s degree in Creative Performance Practice from London South Bank University in 2019, having a passion for performing live on stage and creative writing, whether that be playscripts, poetry, or stories. He has a background in reviewing films and TV shows on Instagram. He's a lover of all things MCU, but also enjoys the more experimental and indie side of cinema with his favourite genres including subtle science-fiction and psychological thrillers, particularly the films of Alex Garland, Mike Cahill, and Lars von Trier. When not writing or working, you can probably find him in the cinema or at home keeping up with the latest releases.