The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special watch order: what to watch first

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special watch order at a glance

The official prerequisite is Thor: Love and Thunder, the last place the Guardians appeared before this. The team parts ways with Thor early in that film, and the special finds them on their own again. Avengers: Endgame matters as well, since Quill is still missing the Gamora he lost, and that loss is part of why his friends want to cheer him up.

That is the short version. If you only care about the Guardians, those four titles in that order are all you need.

Watching with family over the holidays? The special has gentle humor and only cartoonish action, so it suits younger viewers better than most Marvel titles. Kids who have never seen the films can still enjoy it, although the in-jokes about Quill and the team land best with people who already know these characters. One practical tip: start it on the same evening as Vol. 3, because the mood shift from silly carols to Rocket's story is part of the fun.

Where it sits in the full timeline

On our chronological list the special follows the animated Eyes of Wakanda, an anthology about Wakanda's history that our order places after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. After the special comes Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. None of those neighbors share a plot with it; they simply surround it on the calendar.

It arrived in 2022 as the final title of Phase 4, and story-wise it sits a few months before Vol. 3. In a release-order watch it plays as a light palate cleanser after the heavy grief of Wakanda Forever. Our Marvel Phase 4 in order guide shows it in that release sequence, and the Multiverse Saga in order list places it in the larger story.

What happens (no spoilers)

Christmas is not a thing in most of the galaxy, and Peter Quill has bad memories of it from his years with the Ravagers. Mantis decides to fix that. She and Drax fly to Earth to find him the perfect present, which in their minds means kidnapping a famous Hollywood actor Quill loved as a kid.

What follows is a short, silly road trip through Los Angeles, with Drax and Mantis completely clueless about how Earth works. Meanwhile the rest of the team decorates Knowhere, the giant severed head that now serves as their base. There are original songs, an animated flashback and a lot of affection for old-school holiday TV specials.

Is it worth watching before Vol. 3?

We rate it optional, but it is the most useful optional title in the Guardians story. It shows how the team settled on Knowhere, introduces Cosmo, the telepathic space dog who now lives with them, and includes a reveal about Mantis that changes how she relates to Quill. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 builds on all of that without explaining it again.

So if you are heading into Vol. 3, treat this as real homework, even though Marvel lists it as a bonus. At under an hour, it costs you almost nothing. Our Guardians of the Galaxy in order page shows how it slots between the films.

Cast and characters

James Gunn writes and directs. The spotlight belongs to Pom Klementieff's Mantis and Dave Bautista's Drax, who carry most of the plot together and have great comic chemistry. Chris Pratt plays a homesick Peter Quill. Karen Gillan's Nebula, Vin Diesel's Groot and Bradley Cooper's Rocket stay closer to the background this time, which is a nice change of pace before Vol. 3 hands Rocket the whole movie.

Where to watch The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

In the US the special streams on Disney Plus, the same place as all three Guardians films. Outside the US, check the watch box on this page, since availability varies by country. The runtime is 45 minutes, roughly the length of a single TV episode.

There is no post-credits scene to wait for, so you can move on once the credits start. It also makes an easy December tradition alongside Hawkeye, the other Marvel title built around Christmas, and it fits neatly in front of Vol. 3 for a two-part Guardians night.