Michael Waldron Says ‘Nova’ Film Will Address ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Plot Thread

Writer Michael Waldron says his upcoming Nova film will address what happened to Xandar off-screen between Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Infinity War.

In a new interview with The Wrap for Chad Powers Season 2 press, Michael Waldron spoke with the outlet about his upcoming stint at Marvel Studios for their Nova film. In the conversation, he is asked if the destruction of Xandar, at the hands of Thanos prior to Avengers: Infinity War, would be addressed in fleshing out the back story to the film’s lead, Richard Rider aka Nova.

“[The writer and the story] would have to reckon with that. Yeah.”

The writer, who also wrote Loki Season 1, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and the upcoming Avengers duology, said he couldn’t speak much about his ongoing relationship with Marvel.

“I don’t know if I can say anything about anything I’m doing with Marvel. But I will say, I love Nova. I love Rich Rider. However we expand the cosmic side of the MCU will be really cool.”

He also shared that his favourite Nova story is Annihilation, stating “I mean, I guess that’s the go-to, right? But the character spans a lot of generations, and I think maybe that’s why it’s taken some time to get him to the screen, is figuring out, where do you start that story? Do you start him on Earth? Do you start in space, as part of the Nova Corps? Whoever does it, I hope they do a good job.”

In the comics, Richard Rider is a human who inherits the power of the Nova Corps (the police body of the Xandarian Empire, first seen in Guardians of the Galaxy) from a dying Corpsman named Rhomann Dey (who is played by John C Reilly in Guardians of the Galaxy). His powers include flight, superhuman strength, durability, and speed, which all originates from something called the Nova Force. Waldron worked closely with Glen Powell on Chad Powers, and given Powell’s career kicking off, many fans are speculating that he may be a good fit for Rider, given their shared charisma.

Xandar, the home of the Nova Corps, first debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, where it was attacked by Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) of the Kree and Thanos (Josh Brolin). It was last mentioned in the mainline MCU in Avengers: Infinity War, where it was revealed Thanos destroyed their planet in order to retrieve the Power Stone, after The Guardians of the Galaxy left it there to be safekept. Other popular actors who held roles in the MCU Nova Corps include Glenn Close as Nova Prime, as well as Peter Serafinowicz and Ralph Ineson as Corpsmen.

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