Warning: The following includes spoilers for the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney Plus.Following the success of several series for the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Disney Plus, Marvel Special Presentations are becoming part of the normal lineup. Presentations like Werewolf By Night allow Marvel to test the waters with new characters and genres while exploring lesser known parts of the MCU. Presentations like the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special allow Marvel to spend more time with fan favorite characters in a new setting.

The Holiday Special gives Drax and Mantis the spotlight, but it also gives the audience a bit of fun without the high stakes of a galaxy ending event. While the duo try to bring Peter the perfect Christmas present, the special also has plenty of references to other MCU properties and Easter eggs for long time fans of the franchise.

RELATED: Werewolf By Night Easter Eggs

Marvel-Studios-Logo-featured (1)

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe know that the logo is frequently updated with new images of characters as they are introduced to the movies. That’s true here as well. Eagle-eyed fans will spot She-Hulk as the logo forms as well as the character who now acts as the MCU’s Black Panther in their new suit.

Likewise, the comics that are flipped through before the MCU characters appear in the logo feature some interesting faces for fans. Runaways members Nico Minoru and Gert Yorkes, as well as X-Men member Rogue can be seen, though whether the Runaways television series is part of the MCU remains debated, and Rogue is not yet a part of the MCU.

The Guardians Gain Ownership Of Knowhere From The Collector

Knowhere as it appears in space in the MCU

Fans will remember the Collector from his early appearances in The Guardians Of The Galaxy as someone who was interested in the Infinity Stones. They might have believed him dead and gone after his encounter with Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, but that’s not so.

Ownership of Knowhere (a giant skull of a Celestial that has become a mining colony in space where plenty of criminals find work) has transferred from the Collector to the Guardians while they sort out what’s left of his belongings there. That means the Collector is still out there in the MCU at this point in the timeline, but with his primary story function over, it seems unlikely that the audience will see him again any time soon.

Cosmo The SpaceDog

A closeup of Cosmo the SpaceDog in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

In the comics, Cosmo is a dog sent to space by the Russian government, but he’s also experimented on so that he gains the ability to speak and a few other powers. While the backstory for Cosmo isn’t explained, the abilities are present in the Holiday special.

Cosmo is also set to have a large role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, voiced by Maria Bakalova again.

A New Christmas Song

Old 97s as aliens with instruments in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

The Old 97s play a group of aliens who just happen to have a talent for Earth’s musical instruments in the special. The real-life band has been around since 1992, but the first song they perform in the special is a new one. (The final song, performed with Kevin Bacon, is one of theirs from a previously released holiday album.)

The song features a lot of nods to existing holiday media for fans of the season. While there are more traditional thoughts about Santa Claus voiced in the song, there are also things included like, “he used to be a dentist.” That’s a nod to Hermy the Elf, who appears as a character in the animated classic Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. The song is full of slightly misunderstood nods to holiday movies and stories.

An Eternals Nod

A poster for a Kingo Christmas movie on a building in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Very little has been mentioned about the Eternals since their MCU debut. While it’s true that news of the stone Celestial in the middle of the ocean has been out, it doesn’t appear anyone has knowledge of who the Eternals are. That’s especially evident since one of them appears - at least in posters and advertisements - in the holiday special.

Fans can spot signs featuring Kingo (played by Kumail Nanjiani) when Drax and Mantis land in Hollywood. The signs are advertisements for some of his movies. This might be particularly interesting for fans since the last Kingo was seen in the MCU, he was kidnaped by a Celestial to prove Earth’s worth. With the Guardians special currently the latest set project in the MCU timeline (likely occurring in December 2025), that might be good news for his return to Earth.

Avengers Character Actors (And More Characters)

Captain Marvel and Black Widow character actors pose with fans for pictures in Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

When Drax and Mantis set out to find the legendary Kevin Bacon, they come across tourists having their photos taken with character actors in various Avengers costumes. Mantis mistakes one for the real Steve Rogers, and her running to hug him is likely a demonstration of how well she got to know him during the time members of the Guardians were on Earth to help fight Thanos.

Among the other costumed performers, however, are Captain Marvel, Ant-Man, and Black Widow. Black Widow’s is particularly interesting because she’s wearing the costume designed for the character’s solo movie, not one from her Avengers appearances, which is usually the case.

Also spotted among the performers is Jack Sparrow from Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and a Go-Bot from the Transformers franchise.

A Robot Killed Drax’s Cousin

Mantis and Drax holding Christmas lawn ornaments in Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Drax attempts to go after the Go-Bot, which is just a man in a cardboard costume. Mantis explains that a robot killed Drax’s cousin.

Drax’s race has been decimated by the Kree, so it’s likely this is actually a reference to special robots created by the Kree, known as Sentries. While they’ve fought heroes in the comics, Sentries have yet to appear in the MCU.

Suicide Squad Cameos

Flula Borg as Javelin in The Suicide Squad

Director James Gunn is proving himself a creative powerhouse when it comes to reimagining superhero stories. In addition to his MCU Guardians, he’s also the creative force behind the Suicide Squad movies for the DC Extended Universe.

Flula Borg, who appeared as Javelin there, cameos as a bartender that Mantis asks about Kevin Bacon. Likewise, when Drax and Mantis get a look at a map to stars’ homes in Hollywood, Suicide Squad cast members Margot Robbie and John Cena appear on the map.

Santa Claus Conquers The Martians

Kevin Bacon closing the trunk of his car in Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

When Kevin Bacon is at home watching television, he’s watching a very specific movie. It’s Santa Claus Conquers The Martians, a cult classic that was released in 1964. The movie was directed by Nicholas Webster, and actually features a storyline not that far removed from the holiday special. In it, Martians kidnap Santa because, unlike on Earth, there’s no mythic figure on Mars to give their children presents during the holidays.

When Bacon receives a phone call from his wife later in the special, that’s the name of his real life wife Kyra Sedgwick that appears on his phone. It’s also Sedgwick providing the voiceover work for the phone call.

The Bowie

David Bowie in Labyrinth

Peter Quill continues his love affair with 1980s pop culture. His original ship was named the Milano, after actress Alyssa Milano. The current ship the Guardians are flying is named the Bowie, after musician David Bowie.

Peter Saved The Galaxy By Dancing

Peter diving in front of Ronan in Guardians of the Galaxy

When Kraglin explains how much Peter loves Kevin Bacon, he points out that Peter once saved the entire galaxy by dancing, just like Bacon’s character saved a small town in Footloose. That’s enough to warm Bacon’s heart, but it’s also a nod to the first movie.

While Peter doesn’t actually save the galaxy by dancing, his dancing does help to confuse and distract Ronan the Accuser during their big confrontation.

Nebula’s Gift To Rocket

Arm of Bucky in a case in Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

When the members of the Guardians begin exchanging gifts, there are certainly some memorable ones. Nebula gifts Rocket with a familiar arm. It belongs to Bucky Barnes.

Rocket has a penchant for wanting prosthetic body parts from people he meets. He asks for a leg from a fellow prisoner in the first Guardians movie, and he offers to pay Bucky for his arm when they meet in Infinity War. While Bucky refuses, he does fight alongside Rocket in battle against Thanos’ army and gets a new arm with Wakandan technology later. He’s clearly told the story to Nebula if years later, she went out of her way to get Rocket his arm.

Groot’s Gifts To The Guardians

Groot smiling in Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday special

Groot’s gifts to his fellow Guardians members are also unique. He crafts models of the other members from his own twigs. The audience will notice, however, that each gift depicts a scene from the holiday special itself.

Star-Lord’s Guns

The animated version of Peter Quills guns in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Kraglin is under the impression that Yondu hated Christmas, which is what kicks off Mantis wanting to give Peter a great Christmas gift to begin with. That turns out not to be true as Peter reminisces about Yondu changing his mind about Christmas.

It turns out, the first Christmas gift Yondu gave to Peter as a child are the same guns Peter uses in the first Guardians movie while retrieving the Power Stone.

The Mid-Credit Scene

Rocket and Cosmo decorating Groot with ornaments and lights in Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas special

The credits feature Groot draped in a string of lights like a Christmas tree. When he drops the lights because he’s tired of standing still, however, Rocket proclaims that they’ll just have to do another special because Groot has ruined Christmas again. That, coupled with Kevin Bacon telling the Guardians he’ll see them at Easter, is a nod to the possibility of the team getting another holiday special in the future, of course.

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special is available to stream on Disney Plus.

MORE: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Details You May Have Missed