Rumors that Marvel Studios would bring Nova to the small (or big) screen have been around for years now. Despite the introduction of the Nova Corps back in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, the main character that bears that name has yet to be added to the ever-expanding roster of MCU adaptations. In 2018, rumors turned into hope as head honcho Kevin Feige mentioned Nova had “immediate potential,” which then turned into a project in development around 2022.
Created by Marv Wolfman and John Buscema in 1976, Nova debuted in his own solo comic series as Richard Rider, a teenage student who was given cosmic powers by a dying Nova Corps leader. Richard eventually grew to become a legendary space hero through the years. Then, in 2013, after Richard’s (temporary) death, Marvel released a new Nova title starring Sam Alexander, a teenager who would become the next Nova after being given a mysterious “Black Nova helmet,” which led to the discovery that his father was also a member of the Nova Corps.
For a long time, fans wondered whether Richard or Sam would be the face of the MCU adaptation, and even Feige himself replied with a “yes and yes” when approached with the question in 2021. He later mentioned Richard Rider only in 2024 and confirmed the project was in development as a TV show.
With all that said, there is more than one direction a Nova project could go, and here are three of them.
1. Nova as a Mentor
Many fans have speculated that Richard Rider would embody the role of the older, retired mentor, not unlike the way Marvel Studios approached the character of Hank Pym in the Ant-Man franchise, while Sam would be the protagonist. With Richard Rider confirmed in the spotlight on the show, those theories have been put to rest, but that doesn’t mean Rich can’t still act as a mentor to a younger Nova.
In the comics, Rich and Sam teamed up for the first time in Nova (2017) #2. While Rich did act as a sort of mentor, he wasn’t sidelined as a retired hero. Instead, he had just come back from the dead and was ready to don the helmet again. Unfortunately, his resurrection wasn’t without traumatic consequences that came to bite him in the ass, causing Sam Alexander to get tangled up in the chaos. The result? A relationship more akin to a big brother/little brother dynamic.
That team-up approach would likely not work well in a movie considering both characters have their distincts lives, families, and friends to be developed; but it could fit well into the episodic nature of a TV show if done properly. Richard Rider could already be an established hero whose path crosses with a younger Nova’s, leading to fun moments and plenty of superhero action.
2. Nova as a Space Hero
Richard Rider has kicked ass on Earth, but his most famous era was during his long (should I say semi-permanent?) stay in space. It happened in Annihilation after the death of every member of the Nova Corps—except himself—when the forces of Annihilus brought about the destruction of the planet Xandar. This war-ridden era served as Rich’s rite of passage into both a legendary space hero and a traumatized man. As the only one left with the Nova Force coursing through his body and the one carrying the Xandarian Worldmind with him, Rich felt responsible for the universe going forward. He rarely visited Earth after that, dealing instead with more wars and missions that came in the wake of the first Annihilation.
The story of a cosmic hero dealing with the fallout of a planet’s destruction and the resulting sense of guilt could work well for a TV show, especially considering Thanos did destroy Xandar (off-screen) in Avengers: Infinity War. That would also be the perfect opportunity to take us viewers back to the cosmic side of the MCU. Earth’s side of Rich’s life could be explored in later seasons through flashbacks, or as he returns to Earth and reconnects with his family.
All in all, Richard’s era as a space hero is when the character could truly shine and mature; it’s the era that turned many readers into Nova fans—and Marvel Studio’s version of the character deserves the same treatment and reception.
3. Nova as a Friendly Neighborhood Human Rocket
New fans might not know this, but Nova didn’t start out as a star-farer at all. In fact, Richard Rider only saw space for the first time in Nova #23, two issues before the end of his first solo series. Before he became the famous space hero he is today, Rich was something closer to a street-level hero in the vein of Spider-Man. His first stories dealt with balancing the superhero life with family and high school.
Richard became Nova when a dying Nova Prime named Rhomann Dey picked him to transfer his powers and mantle in a desperate attempt to stop a coming threat. That threat was the Zorr, an alien warlord who’d attacked Xandar and killed many of its people. Richard stopped Zorr, but now he had the mysterious helmet and the powers that came with it, which would come in handy for other dangers, as Rider gained his own small gallery of villains with the likes of the Condor, the Sphinx, and Diamondhead.
Let’s not forget Rhomann Dey was in the MCU, played by John C. Reilly in Guardians of the Galaxy. He is not a Nova Prime here, that title belongs to Irani Rael, played by Glenn Close. With Thanos bringing destruction to Xandar in Infinity War, this would be the perfect opportunity to have a Richard Rider chosen to be bestowed the Nova Force.
This more grounded approach to the character could be another compelling (if not the best) way to do a Nova TV show. After all, before the big intergalactic fights and the trauma, we had Rich’s friendship with Bernie and Caps Cooper; his love for his first girlfriend Ginger; and his relationship with his parents and younger brother Richard. Maybe Marvel Studios should allow the character to walk before he can fly (no pun intended).
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