James Gunn, the director of the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies, reveals the rationale that the comics character Nova was neglected of the films.

Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn displays why Nova wasn’t contained in the film. Led by way of a sturdy ensemble cast that features Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star Lord, Zoe Saldaña as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon, and Vin Diesel as Groot, the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise kicked off in 2014. On the time, its tone, many new characters, and celestial setting offered a departure from many of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s common fare. With a sequel beneath their belt, appearances in another MCU movies, and an upcoming vacation distinctive and 0.33 installment, the Guardians of the Galaxy have emerge as one of many most cherished superhero firms inside the MCU as a result of their familial bonds and witty humor.
Within the MCU, the Guardians’ core contributors have remained the an identical, despite the fact that the group has added Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Nebula (Karen Gillan) whereas offering frequent appearances from Yondu (Michael Rooker). Nonetheless, quite a few of the comedian e-book characters related to the crew have yet to make their manner onscreen, together with the Nova Corps member Richard Rider, known as Nova. Throughout an look on the Part Zero Podcast, Gunn explains the trigger that Nova wasn’t a part of the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy. See what the director needed to say beneath:
“I by no means had Richard Rider in something. He is simply too large of a personality and he appeared too… I did not wish to… From the start, after I got here on board Guardians, I did not wish to have two human beings. I wished to have one human being in order that he may very well be surrounded on this world of aliens. After which we realized little by little, that each one of those characters are the one of their form, they’re the one human being to them, you recognize?”
Why The Guardians Ensemble Works

Initially a extreme faculty pupil from New York, Rider was appointed to replace Rhomann Dey, the closing surviving member of Xandar’s Nova Corps, upon Dey’s loss of life inside the comics. The teenager was bestowed with the powers of a Nova Centurion, which embody flight, superhuman vitality, and larger resistance to hurt. Although the Guardians group does interact with Xandar and the Nova Corps within the films, Nova is nowhere to be positioned. Regardless of Nova being a fan-preferred man or girl contained in the comics, his youth and different components might need doubtlessly introduced too many parts for the Guardians of the Galaxy films to juggle as a result of it already offers with a big ensemble cast, consequently Gunn’s level out of Rider being “too huge of an individual.”
Whereas Nova teamed up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to fight Thanos within the comics, Nova was absent from the MCU’s battle towards the villain, in all probability because of the motives Gunn outlines above. Gunn’s technique of getting a member of each species on the group has been essential to the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise’s success. The a few custom clashes present many potentialities for humor and introduce audiences to elements of the MCU that could be new to them, however the need additionally speaks to the franchise’s overarching theme of decided household.
Every member of the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy crew has a backstory – usually tragic – that has resulted of their reward loneliness and issue trusting others. Since every particular person is the best thought-about considered one of their form on the group and seemingly unlikely to mesh correctly with the choice “alien” species round them, the payoff of the group’s eventual deep bond and camaraderie is further pleasurable and heartwarming. As well as, having each member represent a particular species, planet, data, and subculture delivered stability to the group when you think about that each member was always a chunk of an outsider. Due to this fact, they linked with the others, one thing that could not have been carried out if the Guardians of the Galaxy crew contained two human beings.