The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special had plenty of cameos and new character introductions, but it's now confirmed that Mark Hamill wasn't one of them.
Many fans had speculated that Hamill would play a part in the special, with some even hoping he would be the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Santa Claus. Once the show had hit Disney+, a screenshot of one of its background characters was widely shared online and assumed to be Hamill's cameo. However, though the actor may have a strong resemblance to the Star Wars alum, his appearance was debunked by a source who would know: his son, Nathan Hamill. "That’s not @MarkHamill," Nathan Hamill tweeted, including the screenshot and tagging #GuardiansoftheGalaxyHolidaySpecial.
Furthermore, the Mark Hamill lookalike actor from the screenshot was identified in the same thread on Twitter. "This is my friend Troy Beecham," said
Cynn Smith. "Source: I was there. lol This scene was actually shot on his birthday."
Mark Hamill's Own Holiday Special Experience
Rumors about Hamill appearing in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special go back as far as 2021, when he shared a playful exchange on Twitter with director James Gunn. "I have a very bad feeling about this," Hamill joked at the time, using an iconic Star Wars line to reference his credentials as a participant in the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special. Gunn, who has openly embraced Star Wars' least beloved project and cited it as an inspiration for his own holiday special, later replied, "These things ALWAYS go well." Although it turns out that the conversation wasn't a clue about Hamill joining The GOTG Holiday Special, the door would still appear to be open for Hamill to find another part in the MCU.
Hamill, who has played Luke Skywalker since the beginning of the Star Wars franchise, maintains a sense of humor about The Star Wars Holiday Special. Earlier this month, he responded to a tweet commemorating the special's sole televised release which explained, "On this day in 1978, The Star Wars Holiday Special aired for the first, and only time. To date, it has never been released again. Have you seen it? What did you think of it?" Hamill supplied a succinct review: "There's a reason it aired only once."
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now streaming exclusively on Disney+. It was filmed concurrently with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is set to hit theaters in May 2023 and marks the end of Gunn's journey with the series.
Source: Twitter