Marvel Studios developing 'Nova' project with 'Moon Knight' writer - but will it be a film or TV show?

Ever since the MCU introduced Xandar and the Nova Corps in the first Guardians of the Galaxy nearly a decade ago, fans have wondered when the hero known as Nova would make his Marvel debut. Well, that time is finally upon us because Marvel Studios is currently developing a Nova-centric project with Moon Knight writer, Sabir Pirzada, reports Deadline.

Right now, however, it's unclear if the final product will be a feature film or a Disney+ television show.

Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely did have an idea to introduce Richard Rider in Avengers: Infinity War with a scene in which Thanos (Josh Brolin) decimates the Nova Corps to get his big purple hands on the Power Stone. This was ultimately scrapped due to an already complex plot involving so many different characters and parallel storylines.

Rider, who is essentially Marvel's answer to Green Lantern over in the DC Universe, first hit the comic book scene in 1976 by way of co-creators Marv Wolfman, and the late John Buscema. In the source material, he's a human high schooler who transforms into a cosmic superhero when a dying Xandarian by the name of Rhomann Dey (played in the MCU by John C. Reilly) bequeaths his powers to a worthy successor.

As such, we could easily see Markus and McFeely's pitch coming back into play in the mystery Nova project, which might very well be set during the events leading up to Infinity War. Just say Richard was A) somewhere far off in the galaxy, honing his newfound abilities or B) snapped out of existence as a way to explain where he was during Avengers: Endgame.

When asked when the hero might turn up in the MCU, Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige sort of sidestepped the question by talking about Black Panther. "We were always working on a Black Panther standalone, the world of Wakanda, how to dive into that," he told ComicBook.com in late 2021. "Then the opportunity for him to appear first and Civil War came up. So, so it it always varies."

Speaking with CB several years earlier, Feige touched on the studio's plans for character. "We have a big board with a bunch of characters that have more immediate potential, Nova is on that board," he explained. "Because of the connection to the Guardians universe, because there are more than one examples to pull from in the comics that are interesting. And you're absolutely right, he was in the earliest drafts of the [Guardians of the Galaxy]."

Moon Knight premieres on Disney+ next Wednesday (March 30).