The MCU’s Nova Movie is More Important Than Avengers: Doomsday

A new space opera is on the horizon for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it could be argued that Nova is Marvel Studios’ most important movie yet. Over the last 18 years, several movies have explored the cosmos of the MCU, with the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: Ragnarok, Captain Marvel, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and more taking us into the far reaches of space. There’s only one movie forging a path into the cosmos in the MCU’s future, however.

Marvel Studios has never shied away from exploring space-faring heroes and villains as well as those firmly grounded on Earth. This even dates back to 2008’s Iron Man, when JARVIS questioned whether Tony Stark would want to visit other planets. Since then, Thor, Captain Marvel, the Eternals, the Fantastic Four, and more have opened the door to exploring other worlds, but it has, so far, been the Guardians of the Galaxy leading the charge. This may soon be about to change.

Marvel Studios Is Developing a Nova Movie for the MCU

Back in March 2022, Sabir Pirzada (Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel) was announced to be writing a Marvel Studios television series focused on the character of Nova, a space-faring warrior from Marvel Comics. Disney’s decision to scale back content output meant that the development of this project was slowed down in 2023, but Ed Bernero (Criminal Minds) was hired as writer and showrunner in December 2024, shortly before the series’ production was paused in February 2025, leaving its fate uncertain.

In July 2026, it was confirmed that Michael Waldron (Loki, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) was writing a new MCU movie centered on Nova. Waldron is also in the running to direct the upcoming movie, which is set to focus on the Richard Rider iteration of the cosmic hero from Marvel Comics. Michael Waldron’s Nova movie is expected to be part of the MCU’s Phase 7, released after Avengers: Secret Wars alongside the likes of X-Men, Black Panther III, Ghost Rider, and more.

First introduced to Marvel Comics in 1976’s The Man Called Nova #1, Richard Rider was a human high school student who was selected by Nova Corpsman Rhomann Dey to inherit the helmet, costume, and powers of a Nova Centurion after the destruction of Xandar at the hands of the intergalactic pirate Zorr. After taking on a roster of Earth-based villains as Nova, Rider was called into space and later became a member of the New Warriors, the new Nova Corps, the Secret Avengers, and more.

Over the last five decades, Richard Rider’s Nova has become one of Marvel’s most prominent heroes, both on Earth and in space. There have been conversations about Nova joining the MCU for several years, but the confirmation that Michael Waldron is penning a new Nova movie is very exciting. In fact, given the recent state of cosmic stories in the MCU, it could be argued that Nova is the most important upcoming movie in Marvel Studios’ slate, which raises anticipation even further.

Nova Is the MCU’s Most Important Cosmic Movie Ever

By paving a path into the future of cosmic adventures in the MCU, Nova may become the franchise’s most important project to date. The movie will surely be set somewhat on Earth, with Richard Rider realizing his destiny of becoming a Nova Centurion, but it would be fantastic for Michael Waldron and Marvel Studios to hark back to the Nova Corps we have already seen in the MCU. The intergalactic police force was first introduced to the MCU in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

The Nova Corps, led by Irani Rael’s Nova Prime (Glenn Close) in Guardians of the Galaxy, initially arrested Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and Groot (Vin Diesel), and sent them to the Kyln. The Nova Corps later teamed up with the Ravagers and the Guardians of the Galaxy to thwart Ronan the Accuser’s (Lee Pace) plan to use the Power Stone to destroy Xandar, and subsequently took the Infinity Stone into their protection.

It was confirmed in Avengers: Infinity War that Thanos claimed the Power Stone for himself by decimating Xandar, but we have never seen this sequence play out in the MCU. There are hopes that the upcoming Nova movie will finally show this scene and the fallout from it, with Rhomann Dey (John C. Reilly) perhaps leaving his costume to Richard Rider after Xandar’s decimation. This would be wonderful to see play out in one of the MCU’s most important movies to date.

After 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and filmmaker James Gunn’s departure from Marvel Studios, it’s uncertain what the future holds for the MCU’s cosmic stories. The space-faring side of the MCU could have been finished after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ended, but Nova is paving the way for brand-new stories in this corner of the franchise. Nova could open the door to a whole new slate of space operas and sci-fi adventures, allowing it to redefine Marvel Studios’ cosmic landscape.

What the Future Holds for the MCU’s Cosmic Adventures

Right now, Nova is confirmed as the MCU’s only upcoming space-faring movie, while the likes of X-Men, Ghost Rider, Black Panther III, and Shang-Chi 2 will expand the Earth-based stories of the MCU in Phase 7 and beyond. Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars will explore alternate worlds and epic cosmic catastrophe, but the future of the cosmic side of the MCU is looking fairly scarce. Nova could open the floodgates, however, paving the way for many more space operas in Marvel’s future.

Among them could be an unconfirmed sequel or spinoff from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Chris Pratt has already been confirmed to be returning as Peter Quill’s Legendary Star-Lord, who returned to Earth and reunited with his grandfather in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. He could be the focus of a solo movie in the MCU’s future, while there could also be spinoffs exploring Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Nebula (Karen Gillan), and the new Guardians of the Galaxy team itself.

Aside from this tentpole property for the MCU’s cosmic side, we could also get space-faring sequels to The Marvels, Thor: Love and Thunder, Eternals, and more. Additionally, Marvel Studios’ upcoming X-Men reboot may establish new adventures in the MCU’s cosmos, as the X-Men team have strong connections to extraterrestrial heroes and villains in Marvel Comics, perhaps most notably the Shi’ar and the Phoenix Force. Richard Rider’s Nova could just be the first in a whole new line-up of cosmic heroes in the MCU.

There are many cosmic heroes in Marvel Comics who haven’t yet made their way into the MCU. Richard Rider is just one of them. It would be fantastic to see Nova open the door for more space-faring heroes to make their live-action debuts, including the likes of Beta Ray Bill, Quasar, Blue Marvel, Moondragon, Gladiator, and more. Marvel would benefit from expanding the MCU into the cosmos even further after Avengers: Secret Wars, and bringing Nova into the fold is the perfect catalyst.