Nova, long rumored to appear at some point, will star in an upcoming project for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Moon Knight scribe Sabir Pirzada will serve as the writer for the script, Deadline reports. It has not yet been revealed if the project will be a movie or television series for the Disney+ streaming service. A release date for the project is currently unknown. Like all MCU properties, the series will be produced by Kevin Feige.
Nova, aka Richard Rider, made his comic book debut in a 1976 issue of the Super Adventures series. The hero was created by the superstar comic book writer Mark Wolfman. Rider was a member of the Nova Corps, which, like DC’s Green Lantern Corps, is essentially a space police force. While Rider has not appeared yet in the MCU, the corps showed up in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Given the hero’s heavy involvement in space, a project would bring more of a science fiction than fantasy element to the MCU. The character’s powers include super-strength, flight, and high resistance to injury. Years after Nova was introduced, the mantle was passed down to Sam Alexander, the current Nova in the comics. It is likely that both Rider and Alexander will show up in the future project.
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The project’s villain has not been announced yet. With the massive amount of human and alien characters, the possibilities are numerous. One potential option is the insect-like warlord Annihilus, while another is the planet-devouring being known as Galactus. Both characters are villains comic book fans have waited a long time to see in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Fans Are Ready for Nova to Appear in the Long-Running Franchise
Nova, in the comics, has not had many interactions with the main characters of the MCU that fans have come to love. However, he has come into conflict with the alien shape-shifting race known as the Skrulls. The aliens were introduced to the MCU in 2019’s Captain Marvel film and will play a significant role in the upcoming Secret Invasion show on Disney+. Given the MCU’s propensity for heroes to fight alongside one another, Nova will probably meet up with other characters in the long-running franchise.
As with several Marvel writers, Pirzada got the job for Nova by being a part of the studio’s writing community. He was a part of the writers’ room for the upcoming television series Moon Knight. That project is coming to Disney+ on March 30. Unlike Moon Knight, which delves into both the realistic and fantasy side of superheroes, Nova will be more of a sci-fi production. Another difference is that the former will also take on a darker tone than the latter.
Nova would mark the titular character’s live-action debut. So far, Richard Rider has only made appearances in video games, such as Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. While he may be relatively unknown to those who don’t read comics, the MCU has already turned multiple lesser-known heroes into household names. The Guardians of the Galaxy were an obscure superhero team before their 2014 film. If Nova succeeds, it could be the next relatively unknown character to become popular with comic book and movie fans alike.
Pirzada is represented by 3 Arts and attorney Kim Stenton.
