You really couldn’t make it up that as the Marvel Cinematic Universe seemingly lurches from one crisis to the next, the only one of its most recent batch of projects to have received widespread critical acclaim and been embraced by audiences the world over was the one written and directed by the guy in charge of DC.
James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 drew the cosmic trilogy to a phenomenal close that won rave reviews and made a killing at the box office, a double-pronged assault the flagging franchise would kill for these days in the face of repeated disappointments in one way or another. Even Loki has suffered a 40 percent drop in viewership across its second season, once more underlining the increasing apathy to the MCU.
On the small screen, numbers are dwindling across the board and a new Marvel Spotlight banner being created to offset potential franchise fatigue has the potential to backfire spectacularly, but Gunn’s final contributions to the MCU have continued doing his former employer a solid by landing awards season recognition, something the rest of the Multiverse Saga will definitely struggle to attain.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special has been nominated for seven Children’s and Family Emmy Awards in the categories of Outstanding Achievements in Fiction Special, Directing for a Single-Camera Program, Music Direction and Composition for a Live-Action Program, Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design, Costume Design/Styling, Hairstyling and Makeup, and Stunt Coordination for a Live-Action Program, with I Am Groot additionally being shortlisted for Outstanding Short Form Program.
As he turns his eyes to making the competition a force to be reckoned with as his ex-superhero sandbox struggles to overcome ongoing negativity, Gunn’s loss could prove to be much greater to Marvel than anybody could have predicted.