While James Gunn made it clear that The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special wasn’t going to introduce any major new character to the MCU, he didn’t say that the team wouldn’t experience a few changes. It turns out that the special, set between Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, finds the team not only moving into a new base of operations but also adding one to their number. True to his word, Gunn didn’t introduce a new character but rather brought one on board who hasn’t been seen for nearly a decade.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special reveals that Cosmo, a labrador that was part of the Soviet space program who was introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy, is now working with the Guardians. Last seen with Howard the Duck and The Collector in the post-credit scene to the 2014 film, Cosmo appears early on in the special, working with Rocket on cleaning up Knowhere. Those unfamiliar with the comics may have been shocked to find out that Cosmo is no ordinary space dog.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special immediately establishes a pretty comic-accurate Cosmo by putting her two primary abilities on full display. While working with Rocket, Cosmo uses her telekinesis to lift a pair of panels up to begin repairing a building. After being insulted by Rocket, she drops the panels and speaks to Rocket using her telepathy. In the comics, Cosmo’s DNA was mutated after being exposed to cosmic rays during a failed test launch.
The comics established Cosmo as an incredibly powerful telepath, able to read and manipulate the minds of others and reach out over long distances. Adding Cosmo to the team now is of note as it was Cosmo who formed a new team of Cosmic defenders, The Annihilators, after the dissolution of the Guardians and the death of Star-Lord. Though no plans have been revealed for what comes next for the members of the Guardians who come out on the other side of the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it’s possible the Cosmo could play a similar role in assembling the next iteration of the team.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now streaming on Disney Plus.
