For the better part of a decade, the Guardians of the Galaxy reigned as one of Marvel’s most popular franchises through their MCU solo movies and appearances in team-up films. Led by director/writer James Gunn, their three movies combined to gross nearly $2.5 billion and became three of the most beloved movies in MCU history behind Chris Pratt (Star-Lord), Zoe Saldaña (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax), Bradley Cooper (Rocket), and Vin Diesel (Groot). When Gunn left to become the co-CEO of DC Studios, the Guardians’ story came to an end, but reports have teased an expansion to that franchise.
For years, Marvel has been developing a solo project for the fan-favorite hero Nova, which was originally slated to be a Disney+ series. Then, in Jul. 2026, Marvel officially announced a change of plans for the character, opting for a movie rather than a streaming show. While details about this project are still under wraps, it will be written by Michael Waldron, who developed the hit show Loki for Disney+ and will add his expertise to 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars. Now, he has shed new light on what fans can expect on the Nova front.
Speaking with The Wrap, MCU writer Michael Waldron seemingly confirmed that Richard Rider will be the main character in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Nova movie. Unsure if he could say anything specific about the movie, he noted that he “[loves] Nova” and “[loves] Rich Rider,” suggesting Marvel is looking to this character as the leading man in the new movie. He also said his favorite Rider story was the 2006 Annihilation crossover comic before hinting that the Nova Corps being wiped out in Avengers: Infinity War would play a role in the MCU’s new movie:
The Wrap: “You’re doing ‘Nova,’ which is a project that a lot of people, myself included, have wanted for a very long time. Is there anything that you can say about what drew you to that project? What makes you excited to take that character on?”
Waldron: “I don’t know if I can say anything about anything I’m doing with Marvel. But I will say, I love Nova. I love Rich Rider. However we expand on the cosmic side of the MCU will be really cool.”
The Wrap: “Do you have a favorite Richard Rider story? Mine’s ‘Annihilation,’ which I just think is incredible.”
Waldron: ‘Annihilation’ is, I mean, I guess that’s the go-to, right? But the character spans a lot of generations, and I think maybe that’s why it’s taken some time to get him to the screen, is figuring out, where do you start that story? Do you start him on Earth? Do you start in space, as part of the Nova Corps? Whoever does it, I hope they do a good job.”
The Wrap: “The Nova Corps obviously got kind of wiped out, so that’s something that a story is going to have to reckcon with, I’m sure.”
Waldron: ‘They would have to reckon with that. Yeah.”
The Wrap: “They. They sure would.”
Waldron: “They, yeah, someone would have to reckon with that.”
Known as the more popular version of Nova, Richard Rider evolves in the comics from a grounded, insecure teenager into a formidable frontline protector and the leader of the Nova Corps. This comes after a dying Rhomann Dey (played in the MCU by John C. Reilly) selects him to inherit his mantle and cosmic responsibilities. In the aforementioned Annihilation storyline, he is the sole survivor of an attack by Annihilus that decimates the Nova Corps, leading to Rider absorbing the entire Nova Force into his body and integrating with a super-intelligent collective A.I. called the Xandarian Worldmind to lead a resistance and defeat Annihilus.
Considering the Nova Corps was wiped out when Thanos decimated Xandar, some of Nova’s origins could easily be adapted without much extra backstory in his own solo movie. Now, with three movies confirmed for release in 2028 already, the big question now is how long it will take to fully flesh out Richard Rider’s story before he makes his long-awaited MCU debut.
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