For years now, Nova has been at the top of most Marvel fans’ lists of priorities for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the fact that Kevin Feige keeps teasing the character’s debut without any actual results isn’t helping the anticipation.
During a press run for Deadpool & Wolverine, the Marvel president was once again questioned about the state of the untitled Nova project by ComicBook.com and his answer provided more details than we have possibly ever had. According to Feige, Nova’s introduction in the MCU will happen in a series and not in a film, as was previously thought.
The Marvel boss also confirmed the show will focus on the first, most famous Nova, Richard Rider, but that we’ll have to hold on to our butts because it’s nowhere near production. “It’ll be three or four years out,” Feige offered.
It’s coming together. Richard Rider, yep.”
That’s a long time to wait still, considering fans nearly saw all their dreams come true during Avengers: Infinity War, where an earlier cut of the film reportedly included footage of Thanos destroying the planet Xandar, with the writers also considering throwing the beloved Nova Corps leader as the last remaining survivor in the mix. An early Infinity War concept considered using Richard Rider as a stand-in for the Silver Surfer as the one who informed the Avengers that Thanos was coming. That job ultimately landed on Bruce Banner’s bulky green shoulders.
Before that, fans of the Nova lore had already been teased with the inclusion of Xandar and the Nova Corps in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Many thought that was a sign Richard Rider would soon come. Fast forward ten years, and, if Feige’s plans pan out, we’ve still got another four to go.
Richard Rider’s comics origins date back to 1976 in Marv Wolfman, Joe Sinnott, and John Buscema’s Nova comic where the character appears as a Long Island teenager who is passed down Nova-Prime powers by a moribund Nova Centurion. Richard is tasked with avenging the Nova Corps after they were decimated by Zorr. His journey then takes him on multiple intergalactic adventures, crossing paths with The Guardians of the Galaxy, Thanos, the Black Order, and multiple other characters now known to fans of the MCU.