Ever since Guardians of the Galaxy hit theaters back in 2014, fans have been clamoring to see Nova take to the big screen. And while there have yet to be any official plans announced to bring the character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe anytime soon, the character is said to have “immediate potential.”
During the press junket for Avengers: Infinity War, ComicBook got a chance to speak with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige about Nova’s possible involvement in the MCU. As many will note, the character was originally slated to debut in Guardians of the Galaxy, having appeared in earlier drafts of the film, however, he was ultimately cut. Now, as the franchise looks to be focusing more on the cosmic going forward, Feige reveals that Nova is on a board of characters with potential to join the cinematic universe in the future.
RELATED: NOVA: 15 Reasons To Bring The Human Rocket To The MCU
Last August, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn revealed that Nova was often brought up as a character Marvel may want to introduce into the MCU. At the time, he explained that Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 would help to set up the next decade of the MCU, revealing that along with expanding the cosmic universe, the film would also be introducing new characters. While he didn’t outright say Nova was one of those characters being introduced, Feige’s comments today seem to suggest Nova’s headed to the MCU sooner rather than later. “Nova is… if we have a big board with a bunch of characters that have more immediate potential, Nova is on that board,” Feige revealed. “Because of the connection to the Guardians universe, because there are more than one examples to pull from in the comics that are interesting. And you’re absolutely right, he was in the earliest drafts of the [Guardians of the Galaxy].”
What’s most interesting is Feige comment that there is more than one example to pull from in the comics. Of course, as comic fans will note, while there are, indeed, various iterations of the character, the main two are: Richard Rider, the original Nova, and Sam Alexander, aka Kid Nova.
Richard Rider’s Nova, who first appeared in 1976’s Nova #1 by Marv Wolfman and John Buscema, was chosen by Rhomann Dey to succeed him in the rank of Nova Prime after his home, Xandar, was destroyed. As a Nova, Rider was granted the power of improved strength, invulnerability, the ability to fly and a uniform with a life support system and used these abilities to defend New York, before eventually joining the Nova Corps. Interestingly enough, Rhomann Dey has already made the jump to live action, having been portrayed by John C. Reilly in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. As for Sam Alexander, the character, who has enjoyed popularity on Disney XD’s Marvel animated shows, made his first appearance in 2012’s Point One. The character was trained by Gamora and Rocket of the Guardians on how to properly use his father’s — Jesse Alexander — Nova helmet before being sent to Space to try and stop an impending Chitauri attack.
It remains to be seen which iteration of the character Marvel opts to use whenever Nova does finally make his live-action debut. However, those eager to see Nova join the MCU should rest easy knowing he is definitely coming — at some point.
RELATED: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 May Start Filming in Early 2019
Marvel Studios’ slate beyond Phase Three is currently unknown, although a sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming has already been scheduled for a 2019 release. The studio previously announced various release dates without any further information, leading many to suspect the May 1 date is, in fact, for Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3. Other dates that are still without confirmed titles are August 7th, 2020 and November 11th, 2020.
Next up for the Guardians is Avengers: Infinity War, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. That film is set to hit theaters on May 4.