Though the Nova Corps has already popped up in the MCU by way of Guardians of the Galaxy and may even show up again if some theories are to be believed, Nova himself has so far remained absent from the saga. Still, the rumors are ongoing that Marvel Studios has a Richard Rider project in mind, and a recent statement from Vice director Adam McKay will only help fuel the speculation.
Though the Anchorman helmsman is a credited co-writer on 2015’s Ant-Man, McKay isn’t especially thought of as a major MCU insider, but in his encounters with the team at Marvel Studios, it seems he may have picked up on a little hearsay:
“When I was in the fourth or 5th grade I got into Nova of all people, and I think they’re kicking around a Nova idea now too.”
While it’s worth remembering that Marvel is probably “kicking around” a lot of ideas right now, there’s certainly reason to hold out hope that a Nova appearance is on the schedule. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, for instance, acknowledged earlier this year that the character has “immediate potential,” largely thanks to his Guardians connections.
That being said, if James Gunn’s old series is supposed serve as Richard’s gateway into the MCU, then we could be in for a long wait given the setbacks plaguing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. And while McKay himself claims that he was approached to take over from Gunn to helm the threequel, Star-Lord and the gang apparently aren’t at the top of the Big Short director’s list of Marvel characters he’d like to adapt.
“But Silver Surfer man, that’s the one I want to do. I would do anything to do Silver Surfer, because visually that would be just be…You could do what the Wachowskis did with Speed Racer, with the Silver Surfer. At the same time, there’s a great emotional story in there man. Where a guy has to make the choice to save his planet…you know Norrin Rad has to save his planet…that, that would be the one. But I think Fox has the rights to that one…”
With the Disney/Fox deal on the horizon, it seems almost inevitable Silver Surfer will be showing up in the MCU sooner or later, whether McKay’s the one to introduce him or not. As for Nova, the door is always open for Richard’s big screen debut, and until the day that Marvel Studios takes that opportunity, the fans will be waiting.
