Is Marvel Killing Nova After His Disney+ Series Was Delayed?

Nova lost his Disney+ series, and his future in the Marvel Universe looks even shakier after a new teaser for Jonathan Hickman‘s next comic. Fans have been waiting to see Nova debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that day appeared to be getting closer after Brad Winderbaum, Marvel’s head of streaming, animation, and television, confirmed a Nova project was in development last year. However, those dreams were quickly dashed last week when Marvel Television paused work on three series, including Nova. But fret not, because Nova is a part of superstar writer Jonathan Hickman’s next Marvel series. Though, even that alludes to Nova not having a long lifespan ahead of him.

Marvel’s latest teaser for Jonathan Hickman’s mysterious project titled Imperial features a gold Nova helmet on a red background with the tagline, “Jonathan Hickman Presents the End of the Beginning.” The Nova helmet sits atop some rock rubble with smoke resonating from it, giving off the impression that things aren’t looking good for our cosmic champion. This is probably one of the busier weeks for Nova considering his Disney+ series got delayed and now he’s taking part in Hickman’s “Universe-sweeping project,” but for now his status remains up in the air on both fronts.

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Which Nova Is Part of Jonathan Hickman’s Imperial?

The Nova helmet in artist Marco Checchetto’s Imperial teaser is gold, which is the same color worn by the most recognizable Nova, Richard Rider. He’s been a member of the New Warriors and Guardians of the Galaxy, and most recently sided with Storm and her team on Arakko in X-Men Red and Jean Grey’s fight against Thanos in Phoenix. Since Imperial is encompassing the vast cosmic side of the Marvel Universe, it makes sense to have Rider’s Nova be a part of the series.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the younger Nova, Sam Alexander, can’t be a part of Imperial. Sam dons a black Nova helmet that was previously worn by his father as part of the elite Supernovas. He’s been both an Avenger and a Champion alongside his teenaged superhero friends Miles Morales and Ms. Marvel.

Why Is Marvel Delaying Nova’s Disney+ Series?

When Marvel changed its strategy for streaming shows, it impacted everything already in the pipeline. That resulted in Marvel Television pausing production on Nova, Strange Academy, and Terror, Inc. Sources state the projects could see the light of day, even though they haven’t been officially greenlit.

Marvel previously handled television like it does big-budget movies: announcing a slate of upcoming features that fans would eventually get as time moved on. However, that process has since changed, with Marvel going the traditional route with TV by bringing in showrunners to help steer the ship. So there could come a day when Nova is back on the table. But right now, all resources are being put towards things closer to being released, such as Vision’s Disney+ series.

Marvel TV Boss Addresses Change in Release Strategy

Speaking to ComicBook about the premiere of Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel Television boss Brad Winderbaum opened up about the plans for the franchise’s TV titles moving forward.

“Moving forward our priorities have shifted,” Winderbaum said. “We’re making shows as shows that can exist as annual releases, more like television.”

Winderbaum went on to elaborate on the shift in Marvel’s approach to TV. There are a lot of projects in some phase of development, but shows aren’t going to be given the green light unless they can sustain multiple seasons. That’s a huge difference from the previous model, which used TV projects to essentially introduce characters and storylines for future movies.

“Certainly we are writing much more than we produce. We’ve gone back to a more traditional television model,” he continued. “It feels a little different because we’re Marvel and there’s a little more of a spotlight on us. So the rumor mill starts to fly and certain things we have in development get more attention than a normal TV studio making other content. But we’re not going to make something until it’s ready and we’re not going to make something that can’t sustain many seasons, so that’s going to be the biggest driver.”