Marvel Finally Reveals How Nova Escaped The Cancerverse

Fans were ecstatic to learn that Richard Rider was making a return to the Marvel Universe. He’s since teamed up with Sam Alexander in the current series, but fans have wondered just how he came back from the dead. Marvel has finally revealed just what happened to Rider in Nova #6, and how he managed to make his way back to earth. Spoilers are incoming for Nova #6, so if you haven’t read it yet you’ve been warned.

In Nova #6 Rider returns to the Cancerverse to find that his old friend Worldmind has taken over, meshing with the corrupted lifeforms that live there. It all links back to how Rider originally escaped, which all started in Guardians of the Galaxy #20. Back then, Nova, Star-Lord, and Thanos were all stranded in the Cancerverse, a universe where death has no meaning. As the name implies, it isn’t a nice place, and Rider used the Cosmic Cube in conjunction with his own power to become a door between universes. He sent Quill back to earth, but it took the Cube’s power, leaving him stranded in the Cancerverse with nothing but the Worldmind to keep him company.

Worldmind is a sentient supercomputer that resides in the Nova force, cataloging the history of the Nova Corps as well as providing aid to Rider. While the deed was heroic, it meant a life of agony and pain for Rider. Since death doesn’t exist, the creatures there would kill Rider constantly, only for him to wake up later to keep trudging on. They fought together for a long time, but it became too much for Rider to take, and he eventually figured out a way to get out. The only thing is it took giving up the Nova force, putting all he had into the Cosmic Cube to form a portal out, leaving the Worldmind in the Cancerverse as a result.

If you haven’t read the issue yet, you should, because the book will hit you right in the feels. You can view the spoiler images in the gallery, and the full issue is in comic shops now. Nova #6 is written by Jeff Loveness and Ramon Perez with art by Scott Hepburn and a cover by Dan Mora. You can view the issue’s official description below.

“SECRETS REVEALED! How is Richard Rider back from the Cancerverse?! What happened to him while he was there?! Will Sam Alexander be able to save Rich from the monster inside himself?!”

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