The Marvel Cinematic Universe remains ever expanding, and characters that may be a bit more obscure will be sure to make their big screen debut in the upcoming phases. One such character could be Nova, the Human Rocket who uses fantastical powers to face cosmic threats and who was once a key part of the Guardians of the Galaxy team. Here are a handful of up and coming talents who could represent the iconic hero.
There are two characters who have fought under the name Nova, and some comments from Kevin Feige suggest that bothcould make it into the MCU. The original Nova is Richard Rider, a teen from New York selected at random to become the new Nova Prime after the destruction of the Nova Corps home planet Xandar. The second is Sam Alexander, a young teenager who takes the Nova mantle from his missing father and uses it to hunt him down. Fans may remember Xandar and the Nova Corps for their roles in the firstGuardians of the Galaxyfilm, wherin the Prime was Glenn Close’s character Irani Rael. Despite her being the Nova Prime, she is not comparable to the superhero who typically begins existence after the death of the planet Xandar.
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Aidan Gallagher
At just 18 years old, Gallagher possesses talent beyond his age. He is best known for his role as Number Five in theNetflix superhero dramaThe Umbrella Academy.Gallagher plays Five as an intelligent, powerful, self-assured anti-hero. Loads of Gallagher’s screentime as Five is spent delivering cocky one-liners in between superpowered violence. As Nova, Gallagher would be a bit less grim then Five, but just as cocky. He has established he has the charisma and the harsh tone to pull off the character in good times and in bad. Nova is a character that grows up on the page, starting off as a Spider-Man esque quipping show-off, but maturing into a much harder warrior. Gallagher is an actor who can pull off both.
Jason Genao
Not an actor with a ton of credits, but Jason Genao has done well in each of his projects. Currently, he stars as smart-aleck kid Ruby in the Netflix teen dramaOn My Block.The character is a lot of fun, simultaneously providing comic relief amongst the main group of the series and remaining a wise voice. Genao’s other most relevant role was as the teen mutant Rictor inLogan.Rictor was one of many teenagers experimented on by the film’s evil corporation, he gained control over rock and dirt.When Logan and Laura finallymake it to Eden, Rictor serves as something of a leader to the group. Genao is best known for playing a teen with superpowers and a cocky smart aleck, the combination of which makes the perfect Nova.
Kit Young
Kit Young has a sort of irresistible charisma that has made him the star of a show full of stars. Young portrays Jesper Fahey, the captivating gunslinger who quickly becamea fan favorite ofShadow and Bone.Young’s performance is iconic; quirky, seductive, hilarious and still strongly believable in his myriad action scenes. Young would bring a level of fun to Nova that would allow him to stand out against the already extremely colorful cast of the MCU’s cosmic cast. It would be a joy to see Young’s Novaplay off of Rocket Raccoonor Star-Lord and his solo work would keep audiences on his side in his worst moments.
Logan Miller
It really only takes one role to prove an actor can take on something bigger, and Logan Miller certainly has that role under his belt. That’s because Miller has already played Nova for about 2 years of theGuardians of the Galaxyanimated series. Miller’s performance as Nova was of course in voice acting, but Miller has taken on several on-screen roles as well. Miller stars in thetwoEscape Roomhorror films, in which he plays Ben, a humble stockboy at a grocery store who turns to violence to escape a desperate situation. Miller is a talented performer who happens to already have experience in the role, a great pick for the big-screen iteration of the character.
Ryan Potter
Potter got his start on Nickelodeon action sitcomSupah Ninjas,a show he secured the lead role on after one audition based on a flyer in a martial arts class he was attending. From those humble beginnings, Potter has gone on to prominent roles in two big superhero projects. Potter provides the voice of Hiro Hamada, the main character of Disney’s animated superhero filmBig Hero 6.Years later, he portrayedGarfield Logan AKA Beast Boy inTitans.Potter’s roles as Hamada and Logan are both fun-loving cocky superheroes perfectly comparable to Nova. His performances are fun and exciting and he has demonstrated some very impressive chops when it comes to action.
Nova is an exciting character and there are loads of performers that could bring himto the big screen in a wayfans will love. Though no one knows what the MCU has planned for Rider or Alexander, fans can be sure that when the Human Rocket joins the universe, he’ll do so with style.
