MCU Nova Project Lands Major Moon Knight Talent
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown exponentially since "Avengers: Endgame" arrived in theaters back in 2019, as Marvel Studios has given several fan-favorite heroes (and one villain) their own spin-off shows on Disney+. From the grief-stricken deconstruction of love in "WandaVision" to the multiversal shenanigans of "Loki," the streaming service has been the perfect place to prepare audiences ahead of movies like "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."
But the MCU is also about to meet a number of new heroes, because "Moon Knight," "Ms. Marvel," "She-Hulk," and the "Werewolf By Night" Halloween special are all heading to Disney+. It's clear that Kevin Feige and his team at Marvel Studios are committed to introducing new heroes, and that includes "Nova." Yes, the cosmic hero will eventually make his way to the MCU. Fans will know that there have been two characters to use the Nova mantle over the years, the first one is Richard Rider, who is given the full power of the Nova Force by former Nova Prime, Rhomann Dey. The second is Sam Alexander, a young teen whose father was a member of the Nova Corps.
There hasn't been much news about the MCU's "Nova" — and it's not clear which version of the hero the project will focus on — but the production just landed some major talent from the "Moon Knight" series, which is a very good sign.
The Nova project has found a writer
Marvel's "Nova" has taken a huge step forward, as Deadline recently reported that "Moon Knight" writer Sabir Pirzada is developing the project for Disney+. For the moment, it's not clear whether this will be a limited series, or if it'll be a feature-length film, but it will be available on the streaming service. Pirzada recently worked in the writer's room on "Moon Knight," before signing on to develop "Nova" for Disney+ — so he clearly impressed Marvel Studios with his approach to Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac).
As we already mentioned, Marvel hasn't confirmed whether "Nova" will follow Richard Rider or Sam Alexander, but the stage has already been set thanks to the introduction of the Nova Corps in James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy." Unfortunately the organization was unceremoniously wiped out off-screen in "Avengers: Infinity War" when Thanos (Josh Brolin) went to Xandar to retrieve the Power stone. If the Nova Corps has been completely decimated, this might tee up Rider, since he gets his power when Rhomann Dey is the "last surviving centurion" (via Fandom).
This also might not be the case, since Marvel Studios often plays fast-and-loose with the source material, but it's still fun to speculate. Regardless of which hero dons the Nova helmet, it'll be interesting to see where Pirzada's project fits in with the rest of the MCU.