Many of Marvel Comics' best characters have now appeared on screen in live-action thanks to the ever-growing MCU, but there are still plenty of heroes and villains from the company's long publication history who have yet to grace the big screen. One of those characters is the Marvel hero Nova, who one fan depicts through this impressive fan art.

In the comics, Nova is the superhero alter ego of two characters: the first and original Nova was Richard Rider, a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Nova Corps, similar to the Green Lantern Corps of DC comics. The second was a young boy named Sam Alexander, a teenager from Arizona who takes up the mantle after learning his father was a member of the Nova Corps.

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The Nova fan art was done by an artist who goes by the name datrintiart on Instagram. It specifically depicts the Sam Alexander version of the character. The artist has done two pieces in this post, one with the character's helmet on, and one with it off. This is a pretty good blend of comic book and MCU aesthetics, as the artist has replicated the character's comic-accurate costume, but also designed it to have a particular MCU look. If you check out their Instagram, you'll be treated to other impressive paintings depicting characters such as Supergirl and Green Lantern.

While neither version of this character has appeared in the MCU, the Nova Corps played a big role in Gunn's first Guardians of the Galaxy film, at first being adversaries to the outlaw superhero team but then aiding them in their fight against Ronan the Accuser. The character has also appeared in numerous animated TV shows and video games, including the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series and Lego Marvel's Avengers. 

Kevin Feige himself has actually confirmed that both versions of this character will appear in the MCU, but how and when remains uncertain. It's possible that Gunn's upcoming third and possibly final Guardians of the Galaxy film will at least tease one of these characters. It was established in Avengers: Infinity War that Thanos had decimated the planet Xandar, the homeworld of the Nova Corps, meaning that at least half of the Nova Corps was probably killed. Perhaps these characters will be remnants of the once-great Nova Crops, hoping to work with, or maybe against, the Guardians of the Galaxy. Until then, you can check out this fan art which gives you a pretty good idea of what Nova might look like in the MCU.

While the MCU started with mostly earth-based characters (apart from Thor), James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy came out in 2014 and the MCU suddenly entered new territory, opening up the possibility of seeing new cosmic characters from Marvel's extensive roster. So, there's always a chance for Rider or Alexander.

You can watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and 2 streaming on Disney Plus.

MORE: A Nova Movie Could Fix This Big MCU Problem

Source: datrintiart | Instagram