Who is Richard Rider aka Nova? Comics origin and powers explored as MCU project in the works with Moon Knight writer

After a lot of rumors, Nova, aka Richard Rider, is now confirmed to appear in the upcoming MCU project. As reported by Deadline, Marvel Studios will be developing the awaited project with Moon Knight's writer Sabir Pirzada.

However, it's not yet announced whether it will be a film or a Disney+ limited series. Like other Marvel projects, Kevin Feige will be producing it.

Written by Marv Wolfman and drawn by John Buscema, the fictional character was introduced in The Man Called Nova #1 in 1976. He has also been a star of his own books and appeared as a supporting character in the book, The New Warriors.

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Who is Richard Rider in Marvel comics?

Nova is a member of Nova Corps (Image via Marvel)

In the Marvel comics, Richard Rider is a teenager who was selected by the dying member of the Nova Corps named Rhomann Dey to replace him. In doing so, he also gave Rider several superpowers that included supersonic speed and superhuman strength. Even after receiving these abilities, he wasn't aware of using them.

Also, by getting new powers, Rider considers himself a superhero and teams up with other superheroes such as Spider-Man and Hulk. He fought several supervillains and eventually became a member of the intergalactic police force Nova Corps.

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Discussing the powers and ability of Nova aka Richard Rider

Richard Rider gained his uniform and superpowers from a Nova Corpse Centurian. These superhuman powers include light-like speed, flight, superhuman speed, and durability. Apart from these, he can also absorb the energy directed towards him and can utilize them as beams that are released by any part of his body, especially his hands, to attack the enemies.

A dying Nova-centurian gave Nova a uniform and superpowers (Image via Marvel)

The Nova Corps uniform is not a random uniform; in fact, it is a life suit that protects the character from any extreme weather conditions. The helmet that he wears has night vision sensors, heat imaging sensors, radio, and telescoping sights. Besides these, the helmet also has a visual heads-up display to track energy signatures.

The extraordinary thing about the helmet is that he can keep the helmet inside his pocket whenever he is in his civilian form as it can get transformed into a fabric whenever not worn.

So far, the project has been announced by Marvel Studios, and the creators are still tight-lipped on any details on Nova. So, there's no release window for the project as well.