The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special marks the debut of the "true" Mantis, according to writer-director James Gunn.
Gunn commented on the portrayal of Mantis (Pom Klementieff) in the festive-themed Marvel Studios Special Presentation in a recent tweet. The filmmaker wrote that The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special presented Mantis as "her full-fledged self" for the first time in her Marvel Cinematic Universe run. He went on to explain that this was because the empathic alien had finally moved "out of the background [and] out of the shadow of [Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 villain] Ego" in the special.
Gunn also touched on The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special's early reviews, expressing thanks for the overwhelmingly positive response it has received. Notably, he singled out the praise received by Klementieff for her performance, saying he was "especially grateful" to see the actor's work recognized. Other aspects of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special highlighted by critics but not mentioned by Gunn include its sentimental tone and skillful use of established Christmas storytelling tropes.
GotG Holiday Special's MCU Firsts
The special's strong critical showing is all the more impressive considering it doesn't include one key element from the MCU's tried and tested playbook. As Gunn himself previously confirmed, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is the first MCU project without a villain. Because of this, he labeled the special's story both "low stakes" and "goofy," and noted that these qualities made it fun to shoot alongside the more emotionally intense Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
The villain-lite approach of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special isn't the only way it breaks with MCU tradition, either. The Marvel Studios Special Presentation's "Awesome Mix" playlist includes an original song, unlike previous Guardians of the Galaxy outings' Awesome Mixes that relied exclusively on existing licensed tracks. The new tune is titled "I Don't Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here)" and is performed by alternative country band Old 97's.
Gunn co-wrote "I Don't Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here)" with Old 97's lead vocalist Rhett Miller, who also appears alongside the rest of the band in the special itself. Miller and his bandmates donned heavy makeup and prosthetics to film their cameo appearance, which Gunn later described as "[s]ome of the most fun days on set ever."
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now streaming on Disney+.
Source: Twitter