#James Gunn Hypes A Very Special Character Debut In The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special

Phase Four is already off to a delightfully weird start (“Loki” introduced an alligator version of Loki and featured a cameo by Throg, a frog with the powers of Thor). Holiday specials are also inherently weird in their own right, and the Guardians are the weirdest superhero team in the MCU — so there’s really no limit to who might pop up on the Benatar in “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.”

That said, one Twitter user came up with the excellent guess that it could be Santa Claus — who, yes, does exist in the Marvel universe. Santa Claus made a number of appearances in Marvel holiday special comics, and in “Marvel Holiday Special” #1 he pinged Cerebro’s radar as “the most powerful mutant ever registered.” More recently, Santa Claus threw down with Deadpool in “Deadpool” #7 (2018), but the fight ended when Deadpool shattered Santa’s knee. Which, in a way, makes Deadpool the most powerful mutant ever.

“The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” will release on Disney+ during the 2022 holiday season.