Is The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special The Same As Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

Is The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special The Same As Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
Credit: Marvel Studios

Is The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special The Same As Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
Credit: Marvel Studios

When the trailer of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special came out, may referred to the Marvel presentation as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and given that it would likely have the same characters, are the two titles different? Many are confused but here's to set things straight!

Is The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special The Same As Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

Is The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special The Same As Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
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Credit: Marvel Studios
Is The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special The Same As Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

Much to the confusion of some, and this seems to be a common misconception, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is being called as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 but everyone, these two projects are not the same.

See, the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set in the MCU for Phase Five on May 5, 2023 while The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will be the epilogue of MCU Phase Four as per James Gunn, and it will be the project after the end of Phase Four and before the start of Phase Five.

Other than the difference between the release dates, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will be featuring a Christmas adventure of the team while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would focus on the last time the team would be such, even hinting the death of one of its members.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special would be light, fun, to be exact, as it will explore a merry mayhem that the team would experience, while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is expected to be quite heartbreaking and an end of an era.

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Still, it would basically have the same characters with Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/ Star-Lord, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, with the voice of Bradley Cooper as Rocket, and Vin Diesel as Groot.

A new inclusion in the cast is Maria Bakalova from Borat 2, who will be voicing Cosmo the Spacedog. Meanwhile, there is still a lingering absence of Gamora in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special but Zoe Saldana confirmed she'll be back for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will be out on Disney Plus the day after Thanksgiving on November 5, 2022, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will have its theatrical release on May 5, 2023.