Marvel’s Nova project has received its first update in two-and-a-half years, with a new showrunner in place.
Nova first appeared in The Man Called Nova #1 in 1976 as a space-faring superhero who takes his powers from a cosmic energy source known as the Nova Force. Real name Richard Rider, Nova is a member of the Nova Corps — an intergalactic peacekeeping force that has already appeared in the MCU in Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
In the comic books, Rider is a New York high schooler who’s chosen by a dying Rhomann Dey to take over as the head of Nova Corps. Given a Corps uniform and the powers of a centurion, he takes up the mantle ‘Nova’ and becomes a superhero in his own right — teaming up with Spider-Man, Thor, and later, The Avengers. Nova’s powers include the ability to fly, super strength, speed, endurance, and the ability to absorb energy directed against him and release it as gravimetric pulses and beams.
Check out IGN’s article on everything you need to know about Nova for more.
Marvel Studios was reported to have cemented plans to add Nova to the Marvel Cinematic Universe back in May 2022, with Moon Knight writer Sabir Pirzada in place. At the time, it was unclear whether Nova was a movie or a Disney+ TV show. But Deadline has now reported that former Criminal Minds showrunner Ed Bernero is now on board as a writer and a showrunner, with Nova confirmed as a series for Disney+.
That’s all the information we have right now. There’s no indication when Nova will release or who will play the titular character, but at least fans know production has finally started.
Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige had said back in 2018 that Nova had “immediate potential” as an MCU character. “Nova is… if we have a big board with a bunch of characters that have more immediate potential, Nova is on that board,” he said. “Because of the connection to the Guardians universe, because there are more than one examples to pull from in the comics that are interesting.” Feige also confirmed that Nova was originally in early drafts of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
In the shorter term, the MCU continues in 2025 with Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and Phase Six starter The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Image credit: Marvel via Getty Images.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
