Gunn's Holiday Special Ruined Guardians of the Galaxy 2's Emotional Ending
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is what many fans of the franchise have been waiting for. But did they get a real Christmas present?
The end of The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was about Yondu's sacrifice, which made the ending truly tragic and emotionally charged, because as we know, Peter's childhood with Yondu, who kidnapped him, was terrible – at least according to Quill's memories of the fear and awe he felt as a child.
He took the first opportunity to escape. But Yondu saved him at a high cost – his life. That sounds like a very selfless and emotional ending.
But the GOTG Holiday Special shows something that is hard to grasp. Young Peter remembers giving Yondu a gift and receiving a pair of blasters in return. And then we see them fly off into the galaxy after a father-son fist bump. Considering everything we know about Yondu from Peter, it was strange to see such a bond between them. And it makes Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 so much weaker, because the father saving his son is completely natural. Although we all know who Peter's biological father is.
After watching the special, redditors were puzzled. They admitted that they had no idea that Peter Quill and Yondu had such a relationship, but they do not see it as detrimental to the finale of The Guardians 2. They were "happily shocked, much like Peter was," as one of the comments reads. In general, the holiday special was well received and praised.
It seems that fans really loved the twist that the showrunners had in store for them. They say the heartwarming ending with Yondu's gift to Peter makes the blasters all the more meaningful. Many GOTG fans noted that James Gunn 's special brought a lot of Christmas cheer, it was funny, and it was just what everyone needed to have a good laugh.
Among other things, fans were happy to see Drax and Mantis. "The two funniest Guardians" made their day by trying to kidnap Kevin Bacon to cheer up Peter. The fact that they would kidnap a human to cheer up Quill makes the scenario heartwarming, they say. Some go even further, saying they would like to see an entire movie about Drax and Mantis screwing around on Earth, as long as it remains consistently entertaining.
The only serious problem redditors have with the holiday special is that it is too short. "I wish it was a little longer, because I want the rest of the Guardians to have more to do," said one commenter.