Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Brings Michael Rooker Back in Surprising Way

As teased by Marvel Studios earlier this month, Michael Rooker is involved with the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Fans of the Guardians franchise will know, however, that Rooker's Yondu Udonta died in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and James Gunn has been adamant about about keeping dead characters dead. So how does Yondu manage to return in the Holiday Special? Full spoilers up ahead for the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special!

While Yondu doesn't appear in live-action, the character appears in animated scenes at the beginning and end of the special. Not only are the scenes animated in a nod to the cult Star Wars Christmas Special, but they take place shortly after Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) was taken from Earth. That timeline allowed the character to return and, as one might expect, Rooker voiced him once again.

Is Yondu really dead?

By all accounts, Yondu is exceptionally dead and will never return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe unless in a flashback or prequel—as the Holiday Special scenes fall under. That said, Rooker told us in 2020 he would always be willing to play the character.

"You know what? I loved the character," he said in an October interview. "I don't know how they could do it, but of course it's possible. Anything's possible in the Marvel universe, you know, there's time traveling and all that kind of stuff. So yeah, of course it's possible. But will they be able to afford me? I don't know. At Marvel, they don't have a lot of money you know, it's really tough out there!"

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now streaming on Disne+ while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. is set to be released in theatres on May 23, 2023.

What cosmic surprises do you feel are in store for Guardians Vol. 3? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter