Avengers Writer Michael Waldron Endorses Glen Powell For MCU Nova Role

Although the show’s development remains on hold, a Marvel Cinematic Universe itself already knows who should lead Nova. Talks of Richard Rider’s debut in the MCU have swirled since the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie introduced the Nova Corps. James Gunn previously indicated that the reason he didn’t actually introduce the character in said film was wanting Star-Lord to be the only human in his story.

However, even the MCU continued to build out its cosmic side with everything from Captain Marvel to the last two Thor movies and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, it was finally announced that a Nova solo show was in development at Disney+ in early 2022 with Moon KnightSabir Pirzada’s writing. News on the show subsequently went quiet until December 2024 when Criminal Minds Ed Bernero himself was brought on to replace Pirzada as writer and showrunner.

During a recent interview with The Playlist for his Hulu comedy Chad PowersMichael Waldron was asked about his thoughts on who should play Richard Rider in the Nova series. The writer, who started his MCU journey with Loki season 1 before expanding to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Avengers: Doomsdayaffirmed he would cast Glen Powell as the hero, joining the crowd fan-casting the star in the role. “He’d be a pretty good Nova” Waldron said with a grin.

In the years since the Nova show was said to be in the works, fans of the character have submitted a wide variety of names for their picks to bring Richard Rider to life in the MCU. However, while everyone from Ryan Gosling to Miles Teller and Henry Cavill have been cited as good picks for the character, Powell has also been situated high on said lists, particularly amid his increasing star profile the past few years.

While one could argue that, with the two having just worked together on Chad Powersthat’s where Waldron’s pick of Powell as Nova comes from, there are some good reasons why his choice carries weight. For starters, the two were co-creators of the Hulu sports comedy, and as such, he has a good insight into Powell’s creative mindset and work ethic on a set.

Moreover, Waldron remains a close voice in the world of the MCU. He most recently penned the highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsdayworking with the Russo bros’ frequent collaborator Stephen McFeely, to start planning the shift to having Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom serve as the main villain to close out The Multiverse Saga. Additionally, he is said to be writing its sequel, Secret Warswith McFeely, showing Marvel’s continued trust in Waldron.

With all that in mind, though, Powell’s potential MCU debut in Nova still has to overcome the main hurdle of the show’s development. Reports indicated back in February that Marvel had paused development on it and a few other projects amid studio reevaluations. However, with Kevin Feige confirming the following July the show is “three or four years out“, Powell’s dance card may eventually find Nova included on it.