Marvel Shows Faith in Nova After Disney+ Series Was Delayed

Richard Rider is finding a second life as Nova, and it has nothing to do with a potential Disney+ series. Nova is one of the heroes who has long been rumored to be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, whether through a Disney+ show or on the big screen. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and others have spoken glowingly about Nova, so it’s only a matter of time before he makes his big debut. Just as it seemed a Nova series was around the corner, production was paused earlier this year. But don’t fret, true believer, Nova isn’t being disregarded, at least in the comics.

Nova is one of the central characters in Imperial, a four-part event series from writer Jonathan Hickman and artists Iban Coello and Federico Vicentini. Imperial is intended to usher in a new era of cosmic storytelling, setting up new status quos for Hulk, Black Panther, She-Hulk, Star-Lord, the Shi’ar, Skrulls, Kree, and many more. We’re only two issues into Imperial, but there have already been major ramifications for the larger Marvel Universe. Richard Rider’s Nova is working with Star-Lord to get to the bottom of whoever is committing these political assassinations, and his story will continue in an Imperial spinoff series.

Nova Gets a New Comic Series While We Wait For His Disney+ Show

Richard Rider will star in Nova: Centurion, written by Jed MacKay (X-Men) with art by Álvaro López (Predator: Black, White & Blood). The announcement was made at the Marvel Comics: Next Big Thing Panel at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend. Nova: Centurion was one of two announced Imperial spinoffs, with the other being Planet She-Hulk by Stephanie Phillips (Phoenix) and Aaron Kuder (Daredevil). Nova is also appearing in an Imperial War one-shot written by MacKay that should help set the stage for Nova: Centurion.

Fans may have been skeptical about Nova’s future after news broke that his Disney+ series was being delayed. However, it’s clear that Marvel has big plans for the Human Rocket. Just because a streaming show is paused doesn’t mean it will never come out. Nova was paused because Marvel Television is changing its release strategy. Marvel previously handled television in a similar manner to its big-budget movies: by announcing a slate of upcoming features that fans would eventually receive over time. However, that process has since changed, with Marvel going the traditional route with TV by bringing in showrunners to help steer the ship.

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Nova: Centurion is a positive move for Nova’s future in the MCU. By having a new comic available for fans to read, it helps prepare the audience and get them familiar with Nova. So by the time he does appear in the MCU, there will be a backlog of recent comics for fans to buy. It’s a win-win situation. Plus, there is always the possibility that Nova: Centurion is used as inspiration for a Disney+ series.

Brad Winderbaum, Marvel’s head of streaming, confirmed to ComicBook in 2024 that Nova’s Disney+ series was in development. “We love Nova. We are in really early development on Nova,” Winderbaum told ComicBook.

“We have a new system behind the scenes at Marvel Studios,” Winderbaum said. “We’re more like a traditional studio now. We’re developing more than we actually will produce. There are plans to develop Nova. I love Nova, too. I love Rich Rider, too. I hope it gets to the screen. The world is always chaos. There’s always things. You gotta conjure these things to make them happen but I would love to see a Nova show, one day.”

Richard Rider will offer his cosmic services to the highest bidder in Nova: Centurion. “With the Xandarian Worldmind, the sentient repository of an entire extinct people’s culture and history, relying on regular (and expensive) energy infusions, Richard Rider is for hire,” the description of the first issue reads. “A deep-space drifter weighed down with the truth of the terrible lie that the new Galactic Union was built upon, Nova is a corps of one. But how long can he keep his hands clean handling dirty money?”

Nova: Centurion #1 goes on sale November 19th. Let us know your thoughts on the comic as well as Nova’s future Disney+ series in the comments below!