The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an ever-connecting knot that gets more complicated with each release. This can have big implications, like the multiverse reveal in Loki setting up the entire premise for the imminent Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Other times it’s less obvious, like the poster for Rogers: the Musical appearing in the New York of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Either way, the interconnectivity of Marvel projects is what makes the entire franchise so revolutionary.
On that note, MCU leaker Hunter Bolding reported that Marvel was filming something at the TCL Chinese Theater, the classic Los Angeles landmark. This was backed up by a video from Twitter user @PokeDan4, showing Dave Bautista and Pom Klementieff done up as Drax and Mantis outside the theater, as well as a glimpse of James Gunn himself.
Judging by the Christmas trees that were seen, it looks like this isn’t the set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but rather The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, the Disney+ original slated for a Holiday 2022 release. Apparently, it will bring the Guardians to Hollywood for some sort of adventure.
But the most interesting part of this leak is the fact there are posters featuring Eternals’ Kingo hanging in front of the theater. We knew Kingo was a Bollywood star, but this makes it seem like he’s made the jump from Bollywood to Hollywood.
This inclusion means the Holiday Special won’t be exempt from the Marvel crossovers and Easter Eggs we expect from the MCU, especially one that’s slated for a holiday release. Hawkeye, the Marvel show that came out over the course of the 2021 holidays, had no shortage of references to other works, culminating with Rogers: The Musical.
But what does a Kingo poster imply? If there’s some sort of action that brings Drax and Mantis to LA, maybe it could involve the premiere of this Kingo movie and a Kumail Nanjiani cameo, even if he’s just seen within this fictitious movie.
But whether Kingo is just an Easter egg for eagle-eyed viewers or a major player in the Holiday Special’s plot, it shows that Marvel’s self-referential habits aren’t going away any time soon. In fact, it’s only creating a bigger creative well to pull from.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will premiere on Disney+ in Winter 2022.
