Marvel’s Kevin Feige Teases Nova’s MCU Debut Style

A few years ago, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige told ComicBook.com that Nova had “immediate potential” for a debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It lit a bit of a fire under fans of the character who started itching to see him arrive on the big screen. In fact, the Richard Rider version of the character was cut from a draft of Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Infinity War writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely had a draft of the massive ensemble that started with the character crashing into Earth. Now, Feige seems to have an idea of how the character will first appear in the MCU but he is leaving our knowledge of it open with just a tease, comparing the possibilities to that of Black Panther. 

When it comes to whether Nova will debut in a Marvel Studios movie or Disney+ series which belongs to another character or it will be a self-titled outing, “It’s a good question,” Feige tells ComicBook.com in an interview at a promo event for Spider-Man: No Way Home. “It’s a good question. We have plenty…”

“Well,you know, we oftentimes…. Black Panther is a great example,” Feige says. “We were always working on a BlackPanther standalone, the world of Wakanda,how to dive into that. Then the opportunity for him to appearfirst and Civil War came up. So, so it it always varies.” The full interview can be seen in the video above or on the ComicBook.com YouTube channel!

By the sound of it, the optimistic analysis of Feige’s sentiments is that Nova could be on his way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a movie like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (perhaps that’s who Chukwudi Iwuji is playing?) or The Marvels and a standalone project is already in the works. Then again, maybe Nova’s “immediate potential” teased back in 2018 has shifted around as the studio gained access to new characters like Daredevil, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four.

Still, a version of the character’s origin story is very much in place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nova becomes the Last Centurion of the Nova Corps when Xandar is destroyed. Thanos isn’t responsible for Xandar’s demise in the comics but in the MCU, the Mad Titan destroyed the planet and put the story in motion to have Richard Rider emerge as a new cosmic super hero, Worldmind and all.

Are you ready to see Nova debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Do you want Sam Alexander or Richard Rider? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Instagram! The next Marvel Studios property to hit theaters will be Spider-Man: No Way Home on December 17.