Richard Rider Nova Movie Possible Says James Gunn

Thank you, James Gunn!!!

Finally, the news that Marvel COSMIC fans and readers of Cosmic Book News (and myself) have been waiting to hear for literally years!

In an Facebook Q & A, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn was asked by a fan if there are plans for Nova in the MCU, with James Gunn replying they are considering introducing the real Nova!

That means Richard Rider Nova!

Long story 

Richard Rider became an A-list Marvel Comics superhero with the release of the Annihilation event in 2006 by Keith Giffen and editor Andy Schmidt. Following Annihilation, both Giffen and Schmidt departed Marvel, but editor Bill Rosemann took on Marvel COSMIC along with Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning who penned the Annihilation: Nova miniseries. Rosemann and DnA then went with a Richard Rider Nova series in 2007, which was followed by the Annihilation: Conquest event, leading to the 2008 Guardians of the Galaxy series that inspired Gunn’s movies (and many more stellar comics including the return of Wendell Vaughn as Quasar, much to Marvel COSMIC fans’ delight).

Science-fiction writer Nicole Perlman was a part of the Marvel Studios writers group who were tasked to write scripts however they see fit. Perlman took a liking to DnA’s Guardians of the Galaxy series and wrote a script based on the comic. Eventually James Gunn read the script and rewrote it, which became the Guardians of the Galaxy movie.  

COSMIC BOOK NEWS

Cosmic Book News was actually created to help promote Marvel COSMIC, Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy and Wendell Vaughn Quasar, who was killed off during Annihilation. I grew up reading Mark Gruenwald’s Quasar run, and Wendell Vaughn became one of my favorite characters. When news of Quasar’s death hit the fans, we gathered together and petitioned Marvel Comics to bring the character back. Prior to CBN, I actually helped run the “Bring Back Wendell Vaughn as Quasar” campaign, and like-minded fans like myself (coined by Rosemann as the “rabid Quasar fans”) along with the QuantumZone.org, sent the Marvel Comics offices the now famous Quasar cake in addition to t-shirts, real snail-mail letters and fan art! Marvel Comics responded in kind by bringing back Wendell Vaughn as Quasar!

With Quasar back, I then came up with the idea of Cosmic Book News (Marvel COSMIC Comic Book News); I created forums specifically for Marvel COSMIC; we regularly conducted exclusive interviews with the artist and writers; we offered them tips about the characters; we directly sent our reviews to the editor and creators; participated in podcasts with the creators, and posted exclusive weekly previews and monthly solicits. In short, we became known as the go-to site for Marvel COSMIC, Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy, Quasar and more. I then transformed the site into what it is now, which has been read by literally millions and millions of people.   

The Cancellation of Marvel COSMIC

Editors and big wigs at Marvel Comics were a part of the Marvel Comics Creative Committee that were involved with the movies, including Marvel Comics’ Joe Quesada, Dan Buckley and Brian Bendis. When they heard Gunn and Marvel Studios were going forward with the Guardians of the Galaxy movie (around 2010-2011), they cancelled and fired Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Bill Rosemann, Brad Walker, Andrea DeVito and more from the entire Marvel COSMIC line that inspired the multi-billion dollar Disney franchise. And get this, they put themselves on the books. Brian Bendis took over Guardians of the Galaxy and totally butchered the characters. Likewise, head of Marvel TV Jeph Loeb, who is chums with the MCCC, replaced Richard Rider with a teen angst wannabee character that Marvel COSMIC fans absolutely loathed.

Marvel COSMIC fans boycotted the replacements and things went quickly downhill for Marvel Comics. Loeb was announced off of the Nova replacement title with the second issue’s publication and sales were never near Richard Rider’s own title. The most recent replacement saw sales less than 50% of Richard Rider’s sales. Regarding Guardians of the Galaxy, Bendis was given A-list Marvel Comics artists and literally dozens of variant covers to sell the book. Bendis is off of the title, and Guardians is now selling less than the 2008 comic. Kevin Feige has since fired the Marvel Comics Creative Committee from being further involved with the movies, and his MCU has nothing to do with Loeb’s Marvel TV. Richard Rider has now returned to the Marvel Comics as well.

Richard Rider Nova in the MCU

Regarding Richard Rider in the MCU, fans have been begging James Gunn for Nova ever since word hit he was directing Guardians of the Galaxy. About a year ago, James Gunn called yours truly out on a Facebook live video.

“I know you want Nova, Matt McGloin,” James Gunn said. “You go on here every time and say that you want Nova. You know, there are a lot of other characters out there… and I know you do. It’s become quite apparent that you are very excited about Nova, and that’s what you want, but that’s not happening right at this moment.”

The good news is that with Marvel Studios’ Phase 4 plans going forward, and with James Gunn spearheading the Marvel COSMIC Universe of movies for the MCU, it now seems as if–now is the time for Richard Rider Nova! (Richard Rider Nova was actually a part of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie Marvel Legends action figure line–and was the best-selling of the bunch!)

Around the 14:20 mark below, Luis Ordaz (spelling?) asks James Gunn, “Is Nova (Richard Rider) contemplated for Marvel’s Cosmic Universe?” Gunn responds:

“Yes. Definitely. Nova comes up occasionally. He is someone we might use. One of the things I am doing with creating Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it will take place after the next two Avengers movies, and it will help set up the next ten to twenty years of Marvel movies. It’s really going to expand the Cosmic Universe. We are going to set up new characters. It will be the last movie of this version of Guardians of the Galaxy.”

While James Gunn doesn’t specifically state a Richard Rider Nova movie is in the works, we can take it as a good sign that Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige are aware of the character, are talking about the character, and that it is Richard Rider! Cross your fingers, guys! Now hopefully Gunn introduces Wendell Vaughn Quasar into the MCU at some point! (I’ve also put the forums back up, though read-only at this time).