Anybody that’s spent some time reading comics from the Marvel Outerverse probably already knows all about Nova, aka Richard Rider. Thus we don’t really need to explain to them how awesome Nova is. To those that don’t know much about Nova—trust us here. Nova would make a perfect addition to the MCU, especially right now.
There are dozens of reasons for us to hope that Nova will appear in the next phase for Marvel, and even more plotlines they could be running with. Though frankly, we’d settle for anything at this point. However, here are our top ten stories we hope to see turned into movies sometime in the near future.
10 Nova: The Origin of Richard Rider
Obviously, one of the first plots we'd need and like to see coming from Nova would be his origin story. There are a few different ways they could do this. One would be to include him in a group first, then go back to him—as seen with Spider-Man. And the other option would obviously be to give him his own origin story first. We're personally rooting for the latter.
Nova has gotten his origin told a couple of times in the comics, there are ample plots and details from which they could pull when it comes to this. Honestly, as previously stated, we'll settle for any origin story at this point, as long as they stay true to the character.
9 New Warriors
Rider has been a member of several superhero teams, some more formal than others. One of his most iconic team-ups would have to be the New Warriors. The New Warriors included Nova, of course, as well as Speedball, Night Thrasher, Firestar, Marvel Boy, and Namorita. While other members were added over time, this was the core team.
Introducing this plot would not only give more room to explore Nova's character, but it would give Marvel a chance to introduce even more heroes, some of whom are very tortured souls. The New Warriors were essentially a team of young heroes who found themselves in way over their heads. The whole plot is thrilling, and the end result would give ample room for character development.
8 Annihilation
Annihilation is one of the bigger events that Nova found himself pulled into. Following the events of New Warriors, Nova was summoned to Xandar to help out with a new and much larger threat. The Nova Corps needed every member of their team in order to take on Annihilus. It was during this war that nearly the entire Nova Corps had been wiped out. That fits in well with what we've been told about in the MCU, so it wouldn't even take that much effort to get to that point. With Nova being the only surviving member, he found himself host to the Worldmind, which was the super-intelligence responsible for the Nova Corps, as well as the entire Nova Force.
7 Phalanx (post-Annihilation)
With Nova being the last surviving member of the Nova Corps, a lot of weight has naturally fallen onto his shoulders. It's up to him to deal with the latest threat: the Phalanx. The Phalanx are a cybernetic hivemind threatening to take over the universe. During a battle, Nova is knocked unconscious, forcing Worldmind to take matters into his—its?—own hand. They deputize another Nova member, Ko-Rel and put her in charge of continuing the fight. She succeeds, but at great cost. This Nova plot would allow Marvel to introduce even more characters and conflict. It could easily be stretched out. And, best of all? It'd call for a Gamora cameo. What more could you ask for?
6 Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion is a major event that took place in the Marvel universe. During it, the Skrulls were invading earth. Naturally, it was quite difficult for the heroes to tell the Skrulls apart from their allies, making for a major conflict. Nova ended up coming back to earth to help with the war, as he was desperately needed. Rider teams up with a lesser known hero Darkhawk to protect Protect Project Pegasus from the Skrulls. Admittedly this plot may be less likely to happen now given that the new take the MCU has placed on the Skrulls. Perhaps there is more going on than meets the eye?
5 Nova Corps
Nova has long been the only member of the Nova Corps, but that wasn't always the case. They could easily use a timeline where the others were alive, or they could focus on the plot that brings the Nova Corps back. The Worldmind went around Rider's back and had begun recruiting new members. Since this was something that needed to be done, it made sense. However, the Worldmind was less selective than they probably should have been. In standing up to Worldmind about its decisions, Nova is stripped of his rank and powers.
4 War of Kings
War of Kings is another major event to take place in the Marvel Universe. And, once again, Nova found himself pulled into the thick of things. The Shi'ar and the Krees have gone to war, and that is never a good thing. Both races are more than capable of a destructive battle, and both don't care much about accidental casualties.
During the War of Kings, most of the new Nova recruits are slaughtered, but Nova is given back his full power and ranking once again. This plot would also set up for a bunch of other events, some of which include Rider's brother, Robbie.
3 Realm of Kings
Realm of Kings was another risk to the universe that Nova was forced to face. In this case, it involved a lot of time travel since the two forces battling were... well... they were essentially the same being, just from different timelines. Since the MCU has officially dived into time travel and alternate timelines, this plot will hopefully be welcomed with open arms. Also, this plot would include the hero we mentioned earlier, Darkhawk. Plus, since the MCU is looking for more heroes to add, this may be a good call.
2 Cancerverse
One of the many times that the heroes of Marvel faced off against Thanos involved something called the Cancerverse. It's another realm, and not a happy one at that. Nova and Star-Lord become the last two members to face off against Thanos in this moment. As a result, all three are lost to the Cancerverse.
But they didn't die. Something happened to all of them, both heroes and villain alike. Something changed them, because, in the Cancerverse, you don't die. This is perhaps a dark path for the MCU to take with Nova's character, and of course, there are the complications with Thanos. However, it would allow for the MCU to explore complex character changes as well as new dimensions.
1 Resurrection
The last plot on our list is Rider's dramatic return from the Cancerverse. Because, of course, something like a different realm wouldn't keep Nova away forever. Nova breaks out, along with the other trapped people in the Cancerverse. However, Nova is different than he had been. Nova, changed and, struggling to understand what has happened to him, returns home to find that a young boy has picked up the mantle of Nova. All things considered, he takes it pretty well. In fact, he steps in and helps the new hero out as needed.
This plot would ideally happen later in the MCU's run of Nova since it would give them the opportunity and excuse to introduce a new Nova to take over. Though that's not to say that Nova has actually retired in the comics because that will likely never happen.