Lifelong fans of Marvel Comics, the ones who were there long before the MCU was even a concept, know all too well that we’ve only really scratched the surface of what is to come. It seems like only yesterday we were singing the praises of the first Iron Man film, and today, we’re already well into phase five and well on our way to phase six. For lifelong Marvel fans, that means finally seeing more of their favorite heroes making their full-blooded introductions to the larger MCU world, even if they’ve already been a part of it.
With the first MCU Fantastic Four film still well underway, despite delays, many fans are now turning their attention to Daredevil: Born Again. Set to follow the first series, this one is reportedly going to be even darker and grittier. However, as excited as most fans are to see this iconic character take another step toward future integrations into the next batch of Avengers, the show also caused another popular character’s upcoming MCU movie debut to be indefinitely postponed.
According to Marvel, Daredevil: Born Again and other shows like it have forced them to rearrange the schedule they initially had planned for characters like the very popular space warrior, Nova. Here’s a look at why Nova, among others, will now have to wait for their introduction to the MCU.
The MCU Was Beginning to Fly Too Close to the Sun
Daredevil: Born Again
- Release Date
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March 4, 2025
- Franchise(s)
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Daredevil, Marvel Cinematic Universe
For some time now, Marvel has sought to integrate high-quality TV series into their MCU offerings. The idea is to tie all of this into the larger MCU without relying on theatrical releases alone. For the most part, they have been able to admirably accomplish this. Shows like Loki, WandaVision, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier have been used wonderfully as precursors to set up larger storylines and angles covered by the films that followed them. They have also been a great way to introduce new characters to the MCU and, in some cases, were successful in creating cult followings for them that led to larger projects in the making.
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However, what these series also did was saturate the MCU with too much content to follow. This leaves the average viewer needing to dedicate days and weeks of their lives just to stay abreast of all the new developments and interconnected stories. At the same time, in order to make sure these series pack the same action-packed, CGI-heavy thrills as the films, they require massive budgets and are very expensive to make and choreograph. The time, cost, and logistics of intertwining so many shows and movies has been a massive and exorbitantly expensive enterprise.
By the time the release of Daredevil: Born Again came around, Marvel had some serious thinking to do about how best to roll out the next batch of heroes and their stories. Unfortunately, for characters like Nova, that means having to wait even longer to join the party.
What ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Means for Other MCU Shows
The idea of Nova joining the MCU had already been announced just under a year ago now. His MCU debut was envisioned to show up in his own show or as a standalone film. Frankly, either would likely have been great. More recently. However, the Nova idea began to solidify, and it was heading toward being among a range of shows Marvel was planning to bolster its Disney+ MCU offerings. Others, like Strange Academy and even a Terror Inc. show, were also discussed.
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However, with Born Again giving Daredevil a second wind and the likes of other major releases like Fantastic Four, Blade, and others still to come, Marvel has decided to pause its more expensive shows. As Nova is an intergalactic traveler, it’s hard to imagine a show about him that does not require a bunch of expensive SFX and VFX features to be plausible. The decision certainly makes sense from that POV. However, it’s unfortunate because Nova is such a cool character!
What Makes Nova So Cool as a Marvel Character?
Also known as Richard Rider, Nova is a character who has held some prominence in Marvel comic books since the ’70s. He was chosen at random by the Xandarian known as Rhomann Dey when he was dying. Bestowed with the powers of the Nova Corps, he inherited abilities of super strength, flight, and robust durability. If that’s not enough, he also has a healing factor. And if you’re wondering why “Xandarian” sounds familiar, that’s because the planet Xandar played a prominent role in the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Nova is an inherently cool character and has built quite a fan following for himself over the decades. According to Nerdist, who make a great case for why Nova’s MCU introduction should be a movie, the rumored plot of his debut sounds downright tantalizing:
“The rumored vibe was “Top Gun in space,” and John C. Reilly and Glenn Close would likely have returned to their roles as Nova Corps elite. John C. Reilly’s Nova Centurion Rhomann Dey was the character in the comics who passed on the Nova title to Richard Rider. Together the Nova Corps would have to face the threat of Annihilus and his Annihilation Wave from the Negative Zone. Annihilus is one of the last, great Marvel Comics villains still awaiting a live-action debut.”
There’s no telling at this point how long we’ll have to wait to see Nova in the MCU. However, if all the rumors about Marvel’s plans for the character are to be believed, it will be worth the wait and then some! Until then, we still have the likes of Daredevil: Born Again to hold us over. Daredevil: Born Again is streaming now on Disney+.