It has been three days since the Disney+ premiere of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and director James Gunn has started answering fan questions regarding the Marvel Studios Special Presentation. For fans who have already watched the 42-minute holiday-themed special, one of the most talked about scenes is Nebula’s surprise Christmas gift for Rocket.
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If you need a reminder, Rocket tried to buy Bucky’s vibranium arm during the Wakanda-set battle scene in Avengers: Infinity War. When Bucky ignores his inquiry, Rocket promises to himself that he’ll get that arm someday. Now, in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Nebula fulfills Rocket’s wish by gifting him Bucky’s Wakandan-made left arm, which has ignited the fans’ curiosity about how Nebula obtained the gift from the Winter Soldier.
Gunn took to Twitter to finally answer this question, revealing that Nebula’s advanced alien technology overpowered an unwilling Bucky and allowed her to take the arm.
She took a trip to earth and tore it off his body because she was feeling so Christmasy.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 26, 2022
I’m not sure how a cyborg with advanced alien technology tearing off a human’s arm because of an overabundance of Christmas-Spirit is forced inclusion, but now it’s canon sorry.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 26, 2022
“In The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, the Guardians, who are on a mission to make Christmas unforgettable for Quill, head to Earth in search of the perfect present,” reads the synopsis. “The Marvel Studios’ Special Presentation stars Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, and Pom Klementieff, featuring Vin Diesel as Groot and Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Sean Gunn and The Old 97’s with Michael Rooker and Kevin Bacon.”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is once again written and directed by James Gunn. It features the return of Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Sean Gunn, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Bradley Cooper, and Vin Diesel as they reprise their respective roles as Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Kraglin, Nebula, Mantis, Rocket, and Groot. They will be joined by MCU newcomers Will Poulter, Chukwudi Iwuji, Daniela Melchior, Maria Bakalova, and Nico Santos.
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The space-traveling team was previously seen in this year’s Thor: Love and Thunder, where they teamed up with Chris Hemsworth’s Thor for some intergalactic adventures in the film’s first act. Though Groot was the focus of the recent Disney+ series of shorts titled I Am Groot, the team can now be seen in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s release on May 5, 2023.
