Why Nova’s About to Be the Most Important Cosmic MCU Character

Sooner or later, Nova will be coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to Kevin Feige himself, both Richard Rider and Sam Alexander are in consideration, and will join the live-action world before long. When the character eventually does arrive in the MCU, one thing is for certain — he’ll likely carry the future of the (cosmic) Marvel Cinematic Universe on his back.

Sure, we may be tipping our toes into hyperbole a little, but most would admit the Human Rocket has some heavy lifting to do going into the MCU’s Phase Four and beyond. In fact, Feige himself told ComicBook.com’s Brandon Davis that Marvel Studios isn’t going to shy “away from the cosmic end of storytelling right in the sweet spot of the Nova Corps and Nova himself.”

So — what’s that mean for a character like Rider? It means that it’s increasingly likely the character will become a central figure in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise in a post-Vol. 3 world. At one point, the character was going to make his live-action debut in Avengers: Infinity War as Thanos (Josh Brolin) lay waste to Xandar in order to retrieve the Power Stone.

That means, believe it or not, there’s likely already at least some sort of concept art deep within the halls of Marvel Studios’ visual development department. In fact, some suggest the character could have initially appeared in the original Guardians of the Galaxy alongside the introduction of the Nova Corps.

But that’s beside the point. That didn’t come to fruition, and now we’re looking to the future — and that future is nearly here.

When Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 comes to pass, it’s going to be the end of this iteration of the eponymous group. James Gunn himself has confirmed as much. In fact, the filmmaker has said time and time again the threequel is likely his last with the franchise. Should that be the case, don’t expect Marvel Studios to retire the brand name.

No, Feige and his team have transformed the Guardians from a D-list Marvel Comics team to a household name around the world. Instead, the second trilogy — or any Guardians-centric content post-Vol. 3 — will likely keep the name, and just feature a new roster of cosmic-based talent. Exactly like the case with the Avengers, whenever the House of Ideas gets ready for the inevitable Avengers 5.

Sooner or later, the contracts of Chris Pratt (Star-Lord), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), and crew will expire and they’ll move onto other projects. Some have speculated Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) will meet his untimely demise in the third Guardians flick.

Enter, Nova.

Once the Guardians begin to lose members, look for the likes of Nova and other cosmic-heroes to join the fray. There’s growing speculation a version of the Annihilators could appear under the guise of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Should that be the case, fans could expect Nova to team-up with the likes of Beta Ray Bill, Gladiator, Silver Surfer, and more.

Either way — Nova is about to become the biggest piece of the cosmic MCU puzzle. It’s not a matter of if, but when.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has yet to set a release date.

What other cosmic characters do you hope to see join the MCU at one point or another? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!