Kevin Feige Confirms NOVA’s MCU Future and Reveals Whether It’s a Movie or Disney+ Series — GeekTyrant

Nova has felt like one of the biggest missing pieces of the MCU, especially after the Nova Corps made their debut in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. There have been reports for years about a project being in development, but Marvel Studios kept its cards close to the chest.

Now, Kevin Feige has finally cleared things up. During a conversation with Brandon Davis at San Diego Comic-Con, the Marvel Studios president was asked what the studio had officially said about Nova. Feige’s response was exactly what you’d expect from him: “Not a damn thing.”

While that’s technically true, he immediately followed it up with the confirmation fans have been waiting for. Nova is officially moving forward, and it’s going to be a feature film.

That’s a pretty significant shift from Marvel’s original plans. The project was previously being developed as a Disney+ series, with Moon Knight writer Sabir Pirzada attached to write it. That version was ultimately shelved in 2025 as Marvel reevaluated its streaming strategy and scaled back its Disney+ slate.

Instead, the studio pivoted toward giving the character a theatrical debut. Michael Waldron is writing the screenplay and could also end up directing the film.

While Marvel Studios and Waldron’s representatives haven’t commented on the report, Waldron’s Writers Guild of America West listing had already revealed his involvement with the project before Feige’s Comic-Con confirmation.

Waldron is certainly no stranger to Marvel’s biggest stories. He wrote Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, served as the showrunner on Loki, and has also worked on Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Outside of Marvel, his production company, Anomaly, also has an overall deal with Disney.

Nova has long felt like a natural addition to the MCU’s cosmic side. Richard Rider first appeared in Nova #1 back in 1976 as a member of the Nova Corps, the intergalactic police force that movie fans already know from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.

Empowered by the Nova Force, the hero boasts incredible strength, flight, enhanced durability, and plenty of cosmic firepower. Over the years, he’s also gone up against the Skrulls, another alien race that MCU audiences have already met in Captain Marvel and Secret Invasion.

With Avengers: Secret Wars expected to reshape the Marvel Cinematic Universe, introducing Richard Rider afterward feels like a smart way to launch the next era of cosmic storytelling.

There’s another fun bit of casting chatter surrounding the project as well. Waldron has previously suggested that Glen Powell would be a perfect choice to play Richard Rider. There’s no indication Marvel has cast the role yet.

After years of rumors, false starts, and endless speculation, Marvel has finally confirmed that Nova is real and headed to the big screen. Now the only question is who will suit up as Richard Rider when one of Marvel’s coolest cosmic heroes finally blasts into the MCU.