This Look At Ryan Gosling As The MCU's Nova Is Everything
Rumors surrounding Ryan Gosling joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe have circulated online for what seems like the last 10 years. This time, courtesy of Netflix's "The Gray Man," Gosling was rumored to play Richard Rider, aka Nova.
Shortly after the rumor mill exploded with reports of Gosling as Nova, MTV News' Josh Horowitz sat down with the actor and asked him about the rumors. Gosling said that he would love to play a superhero and, without name-dropping, revealed he had previously turned down multiple superhero roles. Before Horowitz could get the word Nova out of his mouth, Gosling said, "I don't know anything about Nova if that's what you're gonna ask me about," instantly debunking any reports that suggested otherwise.
Gosling did, albeit somewhat jokingly, say that he would play Captain Canada — a highly obscure but real superhero. If that wasn't enough news for MCU fans, Gosling later revealed he would be interested in playing Ghost Rider. An interesting choice in character for Gosling, whose wife Eva Mendes starred alongside Nicolas Cage in 2007's "Ghost Rider."
However, thanks to Andrew Garfield's masterful performance convincing fans he wasn't in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," fans are still hopeful that Gosling could suit up as Nova one day.
Ryan Gosling looks ready to take off as Nova
The fan art of Ryan Gosling as Nova comes from artist clements.ink and shows the actor in an incredible live-action take on Richard Rider's costume. The art perfectly blends Nova's comic book look with the suits the Nova Corps wore in "Guardians of the Galaxy." After looking at this, fans might start wishing that Gosling was lying when he debunked the rumors.
Marvel Comics introduced the first Nova, Richard Rider, in "The Man Called Nova #1" in 1976. Rider was the last surviving member of the Nova Corps and imbued with the full power of the Xandarian Worldmind. Since his debut, the character has become a fan favorite among comic book readers, playing a significant role in the "Annihilation" story and joining teams like the New Warriors, the Secret Avengers, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel later created a younger Nova, Sam Alexander, who worked alongside Rider.
Fans were quick to attach Gosling's name to Marvel Studios' "Nova" ever since Deadline reported that the project was in the works. The report didn't specify if the project focused on the Human Rocket was a feature film or if a Disney+ series would jump into the cosmic side of the MCU.
Marvel Studios has yet to announce any Nova project officially. However, Kevin Feige previously stated that the character has immediate potential and was in early drafts of "Guardians of the Galaxy." Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely also nearly introduced Nova to the MCU in "Avengers: Infinity War." An early idea for the movie had the character come to Earth to warn the heroes of Thanos, a role that later went to the Hulk (via ComicBook.com).