Is Mark Hamill Teasing His MCU Debut In Guardians of the Galaxy's Holiday Special?

While the next adventure involving the Guardians of the Galaxy is still a ways off, the group will be coming back in full force upon their return.

The James Gunn-led films will be capped off with a third installment in addition to spinning off into several other projects. The Guardians will be primed for their threequel through their appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder, which will find the team giving the Asgardian a lift to his next destination.

The MCU's very own talking tree will also get a project of his own with the I Am Groot series of shorts debuting exclusively on Disney+. The most unusual of these projects is arguably The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which will find the outer space adventurers in a festive-themed outing. Little is known about the project, but James Gunn gave fans their first look at the script.

Following a recent tweet, evidence could suggest that Luke Skywalker himself may find himself among the Guardians of the Galaxy in the future...

MARK HAMILL'S POTENTIAL MCU DEBUT

Star Wars' Mark Hamill recently responded to a tweet from director James Gunn about the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, saying he has "a very bad feeling about this:"

While this is likely a tongue-in-cheek joke considering Hamill's involvement with the original Star Wars Holiday Special, his acknowledgment of the project is still a bit peculiar. Could Mark Hamill be teasing an appearance in the Holiday Special?

James Gunn directly replied to Hamill's tweet, saying that "these things ALWAYS go well." Perhaps this is a wink and a nod to the two working together.

Mark Hamill and James Gunn also had an interaction on Twitter back in 2018 regarding a potential appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 from the Star Wars actor.

Gunn mentioned that Hamill was his neighbor, so he could come around to discuss this possibility anytime. Hamill enthusiastically agreed to the idea, saying he "would be happy to do so, both as a good neighbor & an unemployed actor:"

This eventually led to the two actually meeting in May 2018, as evidenced by a post on Gunn's Instagram, as seen below:

James Gunn was asked again about a potential Guardians 3 appearance for Hamill in November 2019. Via ComicBook.com, a fan asked Gunn whether he and "Mark Hamill [were] still in talks for him to appear in Guardians 3." Gunn coyly denied this, saying that Hamill "is [his] friend," and that they "have never had these talks [the fan] speak[s] of."

LUKE SKYWALKER JOINS THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY?

While the various comments are up for interpretation, James Gunn's wording about his discussions with Mark Hamill could be quite telling.

The director seemed to deconfirm an appearance from the Star Wars actor in Guardians 3, but this doesn't necessarily rule out a potential role in the Holiday Special. At the time, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special had yet to be announced, so James Gunn would not have been able to mention its existence anyway. However, Gunn also could've used the lack of public knowledge about the project to his advantage in this situation.

The question is: was the prospect of a Guardians Holiday Special on the table back in May 2018 when Gunn and Hamill met? Given that Marvel Studios projects are conceptualized well in advance, it is entirely possible that Gunn knew about the project going into the meeting and floated the idea to the Star Wars alum.

Gunn is known for including actors to add a sense of authenticity to the setting or nature of his projects, such as Sylvester Stallone and David Hasselholf's minor roles in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. An inclusion from Mark Hamill would therefore be welcome, ultimately bringing the whole idea of the Holiday Special full circle. 

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is expected to premiere on Disney+ in late 2022.