Special Phase 4 — Multiverse Opens (2024–2025)

GOTG Holiday Special

Name: GOTG Holiday Special
Released: 2022-11-25
Duration: 44 min
Rating: 7.1
Cast: Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel

"The perfect present is a galaxy away."

Released November 25, 2022 0h 44m ★ 7.1TMDB ○ Optional

On a mission to make Christmas unforgettable for Quill, the Guardians head to Earth in search of the perfect present.

Watch note

Mantis is revealed as Peter's half-sister. The Guardians give Peter Knowhere as a Christmas gift. Fun — but zero Doomsday relevance.

Watch These First

16 titles lead into GOTG Holiday Special — 36 hours in total, 12 of them essential.

Captain America: The First Avenger Essential 2h 4m ★ 7.0
Thor Essential 1h 55m ★ 6.8
The Avengers Essential 2h 23m ★ 8.1
Iron Man 3 2h 10m ★ 6.9
Thor: The Dark World 1h 52m ★ 6.5
Captain America: The Winter Soldier Essential 2h 16m ★ 7.7
Guardians of the Galaxy Essential 2h 1m ★ 7.9
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 2h 16m ★ 7.6
Avengers: Age of Ultron Essential 2h 21m ★ 7.3
Captain America: Civil War Essential 2h 27m ★ 7.4
Black Panther Essential 2h 14m ★ 7.4
Spider-Man: Homecoming 2h 13m ★ 7.3
Doctor Strange Essential 1h 55m ★ 7.4
Thor: Ragnarok Essential 2h 10m ★ 7.6
Avengers: Infinity War Essential 2h 29m ★ 8.2
Avengers: Endgame Essential 3h 2m ★ 8.2

Create a watch plan for these 16

Opens the planner with just these titles, so you can set your own pace.

Where It Fits in the MCU

GOTG Holiday Special sits at position 139 of 165 in the MCU's story-chronological order, placing it within the Phase 4 — Multiverse Opens (2024–2025) era. It is rated Optional — can be skipped without losing the main thread. Watching in story-chronological order provides the most coherent character development experience — individual arcs build naturally toward the franchise's major crossover events, with each film's post-credits scenes carrying forward into what follows.