The MCU is finally going Nova.
Earlier in March, a new production listing for an “Untitled Marvel Space Project” to be produced by Marvel Studios appeared in Production Weekly. Speculation that it might revolve around Marvel’s teenage spaceman superhero Nova was confirmed shortly afterward by Deadline.
Nova, originally conceived in the Marvel Comics universe as a cross between star-spanning heroes like Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock with the teenage angst, fish-out-of-water characteristics of Peter Parker, was a favorite of 1970s comic readers and later went on to be embraced by a new generation of fans when he joined the Marvel teenage supergroup the New Warriors.
Here’s what we know about Nova and how he might look in the MCU.
Nova will most likely be a Disney Plus show
Although there’s been no hard call on whether Nova will immediately jump into the big leagues with a cinematic debut or start off in the Disney Plus farm team as a series, it’s likely that the character will start off with an eponymous series on Disney Plus, as that seems to be an increasingly popular trend with the introduction of newer Marvel characters.
Nova was first hinted at it in Guardians of the Galaxy
Although the actual superhero Nova hasn’t appeared in any form in the MCU yet, a large part of the character’s roots have already been established. The Nova Corps, the military/police force of the planet Xandar, play many pivotal roles in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. Not only does the Corps imprison Peter Quill at the outset of the movie, but the destruction of Xandar and its subsequent defense by the Nova Corps is a major set piece of the film’s end sequence.
Potential Nova guest stars from the film might include Glenn Close’s Nova Prime aka Irani Rael, the leader of the Corps, and Peter Serafinowicz as Garthan Saal, aka Supernova. Practically guaranteed to appear in some form or another is Rhomann Dey, played by John C. Reilly, but more on that later. It’s implied that the Corps and Xandar were destroyed by Thanos during his search for the Power Stone in Avengers: Infinity War.
Nova will be scripted by Moon Knight writer Sabir Pirzada
Although no one has been announced as producer or showrunner — other than Kevin Feige, of course — it has been announced that Sabir Pirzada, a member of the Moon Knight writing team, has been tapped as Nova’s screenwriter. Pirzada has previously worked on the TV series Roswell, New Mexico and Person of Interest. Pirzada has also written for the Marvel Comics title Marvel Voices: Identity Vol. 2 featuring Ms. Marvel, Shang-Chi, Wong, and Guardians of the Galaxy member Mantis.
Nova may be the Richard Rider version
It seems most likely that the series will focus on the original Nova, Richard Rider. Debuting in his own comic title in The Man Called Nova #1 in 1976, Rider is selected by the dying Nova centurion Rhomann Dey (played by John C. Reilly in the MCU) and given a uniform that grants him access to the Nova Force, granting him superhuman strength and durability as well as the ability to fly and absorb energy directed against him, which he can then release as a power pulse. Rider briefly loses his powers but regains them after the comics universe version of Nebula destroyed that version of Xandar.
Or it might feature Sam Alexander
After the comics version of Richard Rider was lost into another dimension while fighting Thanos, the Nova Force found a new recipient on Earth: Sam Alexander, son of a Latinx mother and a father who, unbeknownst to his family, was a former Nova Centurion. Sam is alerted to his superhero destiny by Guardians Gamora and Rocket Racoon, going on to fight a manifestation of Dark Phoenix before joining up with the New Warriors like his predecessor.
Although Rider is the longest-running Nova, it may be that aspects of the two different Novas will be combined in an amalgam unique to the MCU.
Nova may open the MCU door to a New Warriors series
The New Warriors has been a popular Marvel Comics franchise since the 1980s. Although the group has appeared in some of Marvel’s animated series and was even considered for a sitcom developed by Marvel and ABC (later shelved), the group currently has no footprint in the MCU. Nova could potentially run point for a group series that could include Speedball, Night Thrasher, Firestar, Marvel Boy, and Namorita, none of whom have appeared in the franchise yet (although Namorita’s cousin, Namor, is set to debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, if not sooner).
