After years of rumors and speculation, Nova joins the MCU in the nearish future. According to Deadline, Moon Knight writer Sabir Pirzada will turn his attention to the Human Rocket for… something. We never know as Marvel Studios’ TV shows and theatrical films weave in and out of each other.
But since the appearance of the Xandarian Nova Corps in Guardians of the Galaxy (led by Glenn Close, no less!), fans have been waiting for an Earthling to don the helmet. In an interview last week, writer/director James Gunn has teased that the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will see the debut of some cool Marvel characters. Perhaps that’s where Nova joins the MCU before shooting off into his own project.
The big question really is… which Nova?
Created by Marv Wolfman, John Romita, Sr., and John Buscema, [amazon text=Nova made his Marvel debut in 1976&asin=B00PSN1MEC]. A couple of versions of the character had appeared in Wolfman’s fanzine Super Adventures a decade earlier, with some input from Len Wein. Both versions had different powers and different origins. When making it to Marvel, Nova appeared as teen-ager Richard Rider, struck by an emerald beam of light that gave him the powers and costume of a Xandarian Nova Centurion. Not that he knew that out of the gate.
Wolfman intended an homage to Spider-Man, but threw in a little Green Lantern. Rider became the superhero Nova, fighting an assortment of rogues, teaming with Spider-Man, Thor, and eventually the fabled Rom the Space Knight. In that last team-up in which they fought the Skrulls, Rider gave up his powers and returned to Earth to live a normal life. Until he got them back.
That version of Nova joined The New Warriors, disappeared again, then showed up for some cosmic crossovers including Secret Invasion, taking a place again with the Xandarians. Having aged out of the “teen hero” mold, Rider was replaced as the Earth Nova by Sam Alexander, a 13-year-old boy whose father was secretly a member of the Nova Corps. [amazon text=First appearing in 2013&asin=078516605X], Sam was created by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness.
Though most attention in the media assumes the MCU Nova will be Rider, it’s more likely that character will be in the past, just as Mar-Vell (Annette Bening) was in Captain Marvel. For the younger generation of fans, Sam Alexander is Nova, appearing in video games, animated series (including Guardians of the Galaxy), and toy lines. If Marvel really wants to focus on the next generation of heroes, Sam is the best bet.
In comics, he’s already affiliated with Ms. Marvel. [amazon text=As a member of the Champions&asin=1302906186], he and Ms. Marvel fight alongside Miles Morales and Amadeus Cho, the teen genius Hulk. (Miles might be coming to the MCU and Cho’s mother appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron.)
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe shows no signs of slowing down while the actors are allowed to age in real time, casting a 13-year-old as a centerpiece hero could be a great long-term investment strategy. It worked for Harry Potter. When Nova joins the MCU, it should be the one that fans still know as a teen-ager.
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