Marvel Cinematic Universe Timeline Updated With Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

The last project from Marvel Studios for the year has finally been released as The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special officially joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Friday. Given the addition to the franchise, an official new MCU watch order has been released, giving the James Gun-directed special its rightful place on the timeline. Surprising few, the Holiday Special is listed as the newest project on the timeline.

The Christmas-time Special Presentation is the 43rd entry listed on the Disney+ chronological timeline, immediately following Werewolf by Night, the only other special in the studio’s library.

Is The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Required Viewing?

Given the timeline for the special, it’s likely it will lead directly into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. While James Gunn stopped short of saying the special was absolutely required, he told ComicBook.com in a recent chat that it does, in fact, include some pretty integral tidbits to plot of the threequel.

“Well, I’m always trying to be balanced with these things, so I think it’s wonderful,” Gunn explained. “People should see the Holiday Special. You’re obviously gonna learn a lot about where the Guardians have been in the past few years. You know, you’re gonna see how they now inhabit Knowhere. They’ve got a new ship called the Bowie. They’ve got a dog [who] is part of their crew now who has telekinesis named Cosmo. So where you get to learn all that, and then there’s a couple of bigger pieces of spoiler-y lore. You’re gonna learn all of those things. In a way, the Holiday Special was a Trojan Horse for me to sneak in stuff that becomes important in Volume 3, so I don’t have to spend a lot of time at the beginning of that movie explaining it.”

What did you think of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now available exclusively on Disney+.

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