The Nova Force is an oft overlooked power source that is vital to the Nova Corps and their mission. It is the reason for their powers, and thus the reason they're able to be the space version of the police force we all expect them to be.
The Nova Force, like other powers in the Marvel universe, is a power not to be underestimated. It also has a long and complicated history with the comics. And of course, it's also something that fans are desperately hoping to see in the MCU sometime in the near future. But until that time comes, let's focus on what we do know about the mysterious power source.
10 10. Harnessing the Power
The Nova Force, as many fans already know, is an immensely strong power source – and in the Marvel universe, that means somebody was bound to try and use it for their own gains. Thankfully, it was the Xandarians who got their hands on the source first (successfully, at least).
The Xandarians are the race who started and ran the Nova Corps – a superpowered space police force with the ability to take on some of the baddest criminals Marvel writers could think to throw at them. Though they've had their fair share of bad luck along the way.
9 9. He Who Holds the Power
Naturally, any user granted the powers of the Nova Force gets quite the buff to their stats. Though fans have long been convinced that the amount of power each character is given varies. The powers granted have never been specifically defined or limited within the bounds of the comics – so we don't know the true depth of range.
We do know that the Nova Corps are granted abilities related to manipulating gravity fields, can travel safely through space, have boosted healing and strength, and a variety of other abilities that are generally considered the basic package for superpowers.
8 8. Secondary Effects
Something that tends to be easily overlooked at the Nova Force's secondary powers or effects. One of them is fairly obvious – so much so we tend to take it for granted. The members of the Nova Corps can travel through space – without fear of freezing or suffocating.
Additionally, the Nova Force provides a reduced need to eat and drink. This is immeasurably helpful, when you think about some of their missions. Or the risk any member of the Nova Force may face in regards to getting pinned down or captured.
7 7. Traveling Through Space
The members of the Nova Force are able to cover such a huge amount of space (no pun intended) thanks to their abilities to travel around. These abilities include the obvious (superhero flying and the like), as well as one that is even more useful: wormholes.
You see, the Nova Force grants the ability to create, use, and survive wormholes. This means that any member of the Nova Corps travel range is limited merely by their access to the power, and their ability to calculate and plot out the trips.
6 6. Worldmind
The Nova Force, when in the hands of the Nova Corps, is controlled by one entity. This allows for regulation of the force, and in general, keeps things running smoothly. This entity is known as the Worldmind, and is an actual character seen within the comics.
The Worldmind is actually a sentient supercomputer, which is perhaps why they are so perfect for controlling the Nova Force. It has been designed to handle, understand, and distribute the force accordingly.
5 5. Funneled Into One Character
There was one famous point within the Nova series where the Worldmind, and the Nova Force itself, were all being funneled through one character. This character was none other than Richard Rider. Richard was the only Nova Corps member to survive an intense series of events (Annihilation), thus resulting in everything being handed off to him.
This did make him a superpowered version of the Nova Corps – but it also put the Worldmind and the Nova Force at an even higher risk of being lost. There were plenty of side effects to this series of events, so there's no surprise that Worldmind was anxious to see more Corps brought in.
4 4. Trapped
Following everything that happened during the Thanos Imperative, the Prime Member of the Nova Corps (Richard Rider) was trapped within the Canververse. And alongside him went the Worldmind and the Nova Force.
The three of them did eventually escape – but their time in the Cancerverse is sure to have had some negative effects on even the forces themselves. We've already begun to see some of the effects on Nova himself. Time will only tell what it did to Worldmind and the Nova Force.
3 3. Going Offline
Thanks to being trapped within the Cancerverse, the rest of the Nova Corps were faced with some awful consequences. All of them were powered down, thanks to being cut off from the Worldmind and their primary power source.
This was undone once Nova and crew managed to get out of the Cancerverse (you can thank Sam Alexander for that one) – but the severity of this was sure to have scarred (or worse) many a member of the Corps.
2 2. Mistakes Happen
Remember above, when we mentioned that the Worldmind was anxious to get the Nova Corps back up and running? Well, it's true. They actively began recruiting new members – without informing or consulting their Prime. The end result was a massive Corps filled with untrained and untested recruits.
The ensuing devastation was both heartbreaking – and proof that the Worldmind should have taken a bit more time finding experienced soldiers to help fill out the ranks (though perhaps they also would have been slaughtered, in the events that followed).
1 1. An Inconsistency
Eagle-eyed fans will have noticed this one, but there is a slight inconsistency in the manner in which the Nova Force is portrayed. Like all forces within Marvel (and comic books in general), it is generally shown through the use of color.
In this case, the color tends to bounce back and forth between two main colors: blue or gold. Either has been shown to represent the Force, so both are technically canon. Though it is hard to say which one should be considered more official.