Did Peter Quill Name Drop Richard Rider Nova In Guardians Of The Galaxy?

It’s been almost three years since Guardians of the Galaxy hits theaters and became one of the biggest surprise hits in cinematic history.

Despite millions of eyeballs staring at the fan-favorite film which follows Peter Quill and his misfit band of anti-heroes around the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s cosmos, the film’s director James Gunn promises there is on Easter Egg hidden somewhere in the film which no fans have spotted. Since the word of this hidden gem got out, fans have scrutinized every inch the Collector’s warehouse, faces in the prison, and the details of Thanos’ Sanctuary.

Thousands of tweets and messages have been sent to Gunn in the mean time, to which he often responds and debunks fan theories.

On Saturday night, a theory started buzzing on social media.

Just before Drax’s message prompted Ronan’s arrival in Knowhere, the Collector’s warehouse was destroyed thanks to Carina’s grabbing of the Infinity Stone. Upon learning the Stone’s power, Gamora responsibly suggested they take the dangerous object to Nova. At first glance, viewers assume Gamora is referring to the Nova Corps, which have been established as protectors of Xandar.

However, Quill’s stuttering response sounds like it starts with, “Rider…” before he says, “Alright. Okay.”

Is Quill mumbling a version of “Right,” before jumping into “alright. okay,” or is he referencing the iconic Marvel Comics character Richard Rider who dons the title and helmet of Nova? The character is best known for his run in with Thanos which saw him disappearing from the books for decades as a result.

Originally, the character of Nova was included in drafts of Guardians of the Galaxy‘s scripts, leanding a bit more credibility to the theory.

It didn’t take long to get the answer. Gunn quickly took to Twitter to debunk the Richard Rider reference theory (and crush some fan dreams).

Looks like the search for the Guardians of the Galaxy Easter Egg continues!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits on May 5, 2017.

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