Paving The Way For Nova
There are so many Infinity Stones for Thanos to get hold of in Infinity War that, to save on time, he already has one when the film begins. We’re briefly told by Thor that Thanos snatched the Power Stone when he “decimated” Xandar last week. The Guardians look particularly hurt by this, as they previously saved the planet from devastation back in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
What’s significant about Thanos’ attack on Xandar is that it’s home to the Nova Corps, the interplanetary police force. Seeing as they’re nowhere to be seen in Infinity War, we imagine the Mad Titan has severely depleted their numbers. Which means that the film might just provide the perfect origin story for Richard Rider AKA Nova.
In the comics, Rhomann Dey – played by John C. Reilly in GotG – travels to Earth after the Corps’ destruction and gives the Nova Force, their power source, to Rider. Nova has frequently been teased by MCU filmmakers over the years, too.
Most interestingly, Kevin Feige recently said that Nova has “immediate potential” in the franchise. As such, we really wouldn’t be surprised to see a movie revolving around him on the Phase Four slate.
Ant-Man And Hawkeye’s Absence
Infinity War unites pretty much every MCU hero – except for two of them. OG Avenger Hawkeye and recent recruit Ant-Man are nowhere to be seen in the movie. The only hint we get as to their whereabouts is a brief statement from Black Widow about how Clint Barton and Scott Lang managed to make a deal with the government that let them return to their families.
Scott’s absence obviously sets up his starring role in the next MCU movie, July’s Ant-Man and the Wasp. The sequel to the 2015 solo film appears to be set closer to Captain America: Civil War than Infinity War, so there might be a reason that’s revealed in the upcoming pic which explains why he isn’t free to help out with the battle against Thanos.
Hawkeye, meanwhile, might be unavailable in this movie, but we know he’ll be involved in Avengers 4 thanks to set photos and videos that reveal that the character will sport a new look. That confirms that Clint survived the climactic events of Infinity War. Perhaps we’ll find out if Scott did, too, in Ant-Man and the Wasp.