Last October, there were rumblings online that Marvel Studios had cast Blue Beetle star Xolo Maridueña in its planned Nova TV series. We didn't pay too much attention to it at the time, though many fans gave the notion of the Cobra Kai star joining the MCU a thumbs up.
Whether it's as Richard Rider or another member of the Nova Corps, Maridueña would be an exciting addition to the MCU. While he has DC Studios' animated Blue Beetle series on the way, there's no word on Jaime Reyes' live-action future and many actors have starred in Marvel and DC projects at the same time.
That Hashtag Show recently spoke to Maridueña and asked if he's heard anything about a possible starring role in Nova.
"I mean, that would be cool too," the actor responded. "Look, yeah, that'd be great. Shit, I'm ready for whatever work is coming my way, bro. I'll hit up some push-ups for whoever wants me to do some."
We'd by no means take that as a confirmation or even an indication he's heard from Marvel Studios, though he does appear to have been caught off guard to some extent. Unless Nova is set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, then official casting news could be a while off.
Last year, Brad Winderbaum - Marvel Studios' head of streaming, animation, and television - said, "We love Nova. We are in really early development on Nova. We have a new system behind the scenes at Marvel Studios. We're more like a traditional studio now. We're developing more than we actually will produce."
"There are plans to develop Nova. I love Nova, too. I love Richard Rider, too. I hope it gets to the screen," he added. "The world is always chaos. There's always things. You gotta conjure these things to make them happen but I would love to see a Nova show, one day."
Since then, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has confirmed, "It's happening, it's coming together. Richard Rider, yep." He'd go on to confirm it will be "a show" and revealed that, as of last summer, "It's three or four years out."
Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist John Romita Sr., Richard Rider first appeared in The Man Called Nova #1 in 1976. He gained his powers when the last surviving Centurion of the Nova Corps, Rhomann Dey, transferred his abilities to him to battle the villain Zorr.
Rumour has it Marvel is open to casting any ethnicity in the title role and that we'll see Nova lead a team against Annihilus' Annihilation Wave.
Who do you think could play the MCU's Nova?