There's a great deal of excitement to finally see Nova in the MCU. James Gunn decided against introducing Richard Rider in Guardians of the Galaxy because he wanted Star-Lord to be the movie's only human, and the Nova Corps has been largely sidelined ever since.
We've known for some time now that Marvel Television is working on a Nova TV series; however, it's not expected to hit Disney+ until after Avengers: Secret Wars is released in 2027.
Scooper @MyTimeToShineH has chimed in today to reveal, "Marvel reached out to writers and asked them to pitch for Nova [TV] show with Annihilus as the main villain in mind. They also requested the story to feel 'young and sexy,' capturing the energy of 80s military movies."
"One pitch was essentially Starship Troopers, with Richard Rider in Casper's arc as a sort of cocky jerk who falls in love with Namorita, joins the Nova Corps, and gets assigned to a backwater 'Outer Rim'-like planet that becomes the first phase of the Annihilus wave."
"In the pitch they treated the Annihilation Wave like the bugs in Starship Troopers, really leaning into the theme of how the Nova Corps uses propaganda to police the galaxy and recruit members," the insider concluded, teasing the Fantastic Four villain's role in the show.
Fired X-Men '97 showrunner Beau DeMayo chimed in moments later to confirm this intel is legit, though it sounds like the pitch might be a little out of date (some ideas may make it into whatever Nova eventually becomes, of course). DeMayo would go on to outline his idea for the show, with a story that played out over multiple seasons. You can read that below.
The information shared today does sound like a fun approach to this character and, ironically, it's what many fans want DC Studios' Lanterns to be. Instead, we're getting a grounded story set on Earth. In the case of Nova, if the plans are this ambitious, might it make more financial sense for it to be a movie instead?
As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.