Nova (Richard Rider)

Nova (real name Richard Rider), is a fictional character and superhero in the Marvel Comics and Universe, appearing as the main protagonist of the Nova comics. He is a member of the Nova Corps, an intergalactic police force who protects the universe from threats.
He was created by Marv Wolfman, and the late John Buscema, and first appeared in The Man Called Nova #1 in September of 1976.
==Biography==
===Origin===
In his senior year of high school, Rich Rider's life was forever changed when a blast from a dying member of the Green Lantern Corps-style Nova Corps transferred his powers and uniform to Rich. Using his new powers, Rich became the superhero Nova, meeting the likes of Thor, Spider-Man, the Thing, Nick Fury, and the Defenders in his career.
However, said career was cut short when he willingly gave up his powers to be with his family on Earth....or so he thought. In truth, Rich's powers were dormant, and when fellow founding New Warrior Night Thrasher threw him off a building to test this theory, Rich was back in action as a long time member of the New Warriors.
===​Annihilation===
Nova briefly travels the US with the reformed New Warriors as part of a reality television show. Rider leaves the group when he is summoned to Xandar alongside the entire Nova Corps, which has been fully mobilized to respond to the Annihilation Wave, a large fleet of insectoid spaceships from the Negative Zone led by Annihilus. The wave decimates Xandar and the corps in a surprise attack. As the only surviving centurion, Rider makes contact with the Xandarian Worldmind, a living supercomputer that regulates the Nova Force and is caretaker of the entire database of Xandarian civilization. The Worldmind uploads itself and the entire Nova Force into Rider, greatly enhancing his abilities. During the Annihilation War, Rider takes command of the United Front, a loose collaboration of soldiers of various races.
In a nearly year-long campaign, Rider resists the Wave's advance across the galaxy until the United Front suffers a swift defeat. He leads a small team into the Wave's conquered territory and eventually engages Annihilus in personal combat, killing him. After the Annihilation War, Rider returns to Earth to rest. Angry that his pleas for help in the Annihilation War were ignored by Earth's superheroes because of a Civil War, after a dramatic meeting with former New Warriors member, and Rider's friend, Penance and feeling out of place on Earth, Rider returns to space.
===​Post-Annihilation and War of Kings===
Attempting to aid the Kree against an invasion from the Phalanx , Rider is wounded and crash lands on a sparsely populated Kree outpost. While Rider's unconscious body recovers, Worldmind deputizes a local Kree commander, Ko-Rel, to guard him. Rider is infected by the Phalanx and joins the Phalanx. Now tasked with killing Rider before the Worldmind falls into enemy hands, Ko-Rel attacks him, only to be killed by Gamora in retaliation. Upon her death, her fraction of the Nova force returns to Rider and enables him to overcome the transmode virus. He flees Kree space pursued by Gamora and a Phalanx-controlled Drax. Seeking a cure for the transmode virus, Rider eventually arrives on Kvch, home planet of the Technarchy. Rider enlists the help of the mutant Warlock and his son Tyro, who cure Rider, Drax, and Gamora of the transmode virus. The five return to Hala to engage Ultron and the Phalanx.
When ambushed by Skrulls during the Secret Invasion storyline, Rider is aided by Kl'rt. He learns about the Secret Invasion and heads for Earth. Rider learns that , the base where his brother now works, is under Skrull attack. Working with Darkhawk , Rider successfully stops the Skrulls' advance. The scientists of the facility extract the Worldmind from his brain and use the supercomputer to jump-start a project known as the quantum flask, which restores Quasar to life. A Skrull warship is about to attack Project Pegasus but is destroyed by a band of alien Nova Centurions who then declare their allegiance to Rider.
Rider learns that Worldmind has been recruiting for the Corps without telling him. When he learns that Ego the Living Planet is among the new recruits, he becomes enraged and tries to battle Worldmind. As a result, he is stripped of his rank and ejected from the Nova Corps. Because his body has become dependent on the Nova Force, Rider will die if he is without it for too long. As a temporary measure, he borrows the quantum bands from Wendell Vaughn and becomes Quasar. Using his new abilities, Rider rescues the Corps from the Shi'ar Imperial Guard. Ego is removed as a Centurion and Rider regains his Nova Prime status, but not before most of the new recruits are slaughtered by the Imperial Guard. Nova agrees to train the remaining new Centurions, including his younger brother Robert.
===Realm of Kings and Thanos Imperative===
A lost Nova Corps ship appears from a tear in space-time known as the Fault. Onboard is Zan Philo, a long-missing Nova centurion who is assigned to train the new recruits. Later, Rider and Darkhawk find themselves inside the Fault, where they are called to do battle for the Sphinx against his younger self. Because of the unstable timestream inside the Fault, Nova is able to return with Namorita , his old girlfriend and fellow New Warrior who had died a few years earlier. Rider returns to Project Pegasus, where he confronts an alternate Quasar who originates from the Cancerverse, a universe within the Fault.
Catching up to the alternate Quasar , Rider returns to the Fault to see the Universal Church of Truth rip it wide open. Assisted by others, he confronts Lord Mar-Vell, the evil alternate version of Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) , but cannot stop him. Entering the Fault to assist the Guardians of the Galaxy, Rider and the Guardians watch Thanos destroy Mar-Vell. Now facing an enraged Thanos, Rider pulls the Nova Force from the rest of the Corps for extra strength. He and Star-Lord are able to hold Thanos back for the few minutes it takes for the Fault to close, trapping all three of them in the Cancerverse. The two heroes continue to fight Thanos for a Cosmic Cube which has the power to send them home. Rider charges the Cube with the Nova Force to create a doorway for Star-Lord, intending to remain behind and keep Thanos from escaping too. Star-Lord escapes, but Rider is unable to prevent Thanos from escaping as well. Because no one is immediately aware Star-Lord survived, Nova and Star-Lord receive a statue in their honor on Hala.
===The return===
The latest Nova, Sam Alexander , locates the Xandarian Worldmind. Rider's consciousness awakens within the Worldmind during the encounter. Through circumstances as yet unrevealed, Rider returns to life, travels to Earth to visit his mother, and learns that his father has died. He teams with Alexander, but odd occurrences suggest that he is still linked to and influenced by the Cancerverse.
==Powers==
During the events of Annihilation, Richard Rider became the host of the entire Nova Force, a vast energy source that he can access to grant himself a number of superhuman attributes. As host to the entire Nova Force, which was previously used to empower all members of the Nova Corps throughout the universe, Rider is now possessed of tremendously augmented strength and durability as well as enormous quantities of energy that allows him to hold his own against other powerful beings such as the Silver Surfer.
*Superhuman Strength: Rider is able to channel the Nova Force for the purpose of increasing his physical strength to vast levels. Early in his career, his strength was between class 50 and 75. After he got the entire Nova Force he is listed well above the class 1000 limit. The full Nova Force grants Rider sufficient strength and power to engage and even stalemate the likes of the Silver Surfer in combat. He has even stated that his best shot can destroy everything within 3 miles, He was even capable of going blow for blow with the likes of Annihilus himself in combat and was able to rip him inside out.
*Superhuman Speed: By channeling the Nova Force properly, Rider can grant himself the ability to run and move at speeds that are beyond the physical limits of the finest human athlete. While the upper limit of his running speed isn't known, he can at least run several hundred miles an hour. He can move at speeds faster than light.
*Superhuman Stamina: Due to the Nova Force's augmentation of his musculature, Rider's muscles produce considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of a normal human. While the full limits of his stamina aren't known, he is able to exert himself physically for at least 24 hours before fatigue toxins impair him.
*Superhuman Durability: Rider's body is highly resistant to all forms of conventional physical injury. He can withstand high caliber bullets, falls from tremendous heights, exposure to extremes in both temperature and pressure, powerful energy blasts, acidic corrosives, and tremendous impact forces without sustaining injury. While employing the Nova Force, Rider can easily withstand the rigors of deep space indefinitely. He can withstand attacks from powerful beings such as Annihilus relatively unharmed. He was able to withstand without any significant damage, the raw energy and power stored in the reservoir in Galactus' ship which contained power siphoned from the destroyed energy of entire planets. He was even capable of withstanding a massive omni-directional blast from an enraged Galactus at near point blank range which was so powerful it encompassed and destroyed more than 3 Solar Systems.
*Regenerative Healing Factor: In spite of his great physical resilience, it is possible for him to sustain injury. On the rare occasion that Rider is injured he can purposely channel the Nova Force to rapidly heal damaged bodily tissues.
*Flight: Rider can use the Nova Force to propel himself through the air at tremendous speeds. Nova is fully capable of achieving faster than light velocities and can enter and traverse hyperspace, which he often does while traveling through space. However, moving as such speeds while in the atmosphere of a planet would cause devastation to the planet itself, so he travels much slower while within a planetary atmosphere; generally at supersonic speeds.
*Energy Beams and Portals: Rider can channel the Nova Force and expel the energy in the form of extremely powerful concussive blasts that he often uses in combat situations. A few of the abilities he has shown are, the ability to manipulate the Nova Force to create hyperspace portals in space such as Space Gates, to release extremely powerful gravimetric pulses and beams, either from specific parts of his body or from his whole body surface, and powerful electromagnetic discharges that can nullify gravity. He was able to lobotomize Ego the Living Planet.
*Xandarian Worldmind: Aside from housing the Nova Force, Rider is also the host of the Xandarian Worldmind. The Worldmind is a sentient computer created to govern and maintain all forms of Xandarian culture. The Worldmind contains all knowledge collected by the Xandarian people including art, science, history, and philosophy. Rider can access any aspect of this technology by communicating with the Worldmind verbally or mentally. As a result, The Worldmind often contacts Rider unbidden and usually offers advice, instructions, insights, recommendations, and even criticisms. Rider's bond with the Worldmind is highly useful, however, also in the fact that the Worldmind is crucial in helping Rider maintain self control when tapping into the full might of the Nova Force.
*Formidable/Skilled Hand-to-Hand Fighter: Rider is a formidable combatant and has been trained by , though he is naturally more comfortable at using the Nova Force's energy generating capabilities during combat. However, he can access the Xandrian Worldmind and instantly gain knowledge of Xandrian hand-to-hand combat techniques which he sometimes uses in combination with his energy powers.
Rider uses the Xandrian Worldmind to help maintain his mood and mental stability. Without it, utilizing the full power of the Nova Force would overcome Rider's mental stability, causing a severe mental breakdown and possibly insanity. Rider was also bonded with so much of the Nova force for so long that the molecular structure of his body cannot survive for more than two days without it or an appropriate substitute, like Quasar's quantum energy.
==Marvel's Disk Wars: The Avengers==
He comes off as a normal university student...trying to challenge Hikaru in math and p.e. With him catching a glimpse of Hikaru talking with Thor, he later-on appears at the Avengers base. Showing his true form as Nova.
This motivated him in wanting to be another cast member of Akira's team. He later becomes Hikaru's 2nd D-fighter.
==Video Games==
===Disney INFINITY===
Nova appears in the Disney INFINITY: 2.0 Edition Ultimate Spider-Man Play-set by protecting New York from Green Goblin and Venom's symbiote forces. 
Nova is also playable in the Avengers and Guardian playsets if you collect all his crossover coins. 
==Trivia==
*Ranked 98th on IGN's "Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time" in 2011.
*Ranked 19th on IGN's "Top 50 Avengers" in 2012.
==Navigation==
Category:Pure Good
Category:Marvel Heroes
Category:Avengers Heroes
Category:Teenagers
Category:Brutes
Category:Freedom Fighters
Category:Last of Kind
Category:Leaders
Category:The Messiah
Category:Fighters
Category:Rescuers
Category:Strong-Willed
Category:Martial Artists
Category:Protectors
Category:One-Man Army
Category:Elementals
Category:Cartoon Heroes
Category:Live Action Heroes
Category:Spider-Man Heroes
Category:Male
Category:Lawful Good
Category:Successful
Category:Guardians of the Galaxy Heroes
Category:Selfless
Category:Legacy
Category:Honorable
Category:In Love
Category:Hope Bringers
Category:Archenemy
Category:Monster Slayers
Category:Adventurers
Category:Officials
Category:Dimension Travelers
Category:Cosmic Protection
Category:Counter-Terrorists
Category:Egalitarian
Category:Tragic
Category:Keeper of Secret Identity
Category:Revived
Category:Disciplinarians
Category:Role Models
Category:Science Fantasy Heroes
Category:War Heroes
Category:Loyal
Category:Knights
Category:Anti-Nihilists
Category:Scapegoat
Category:Predecessor
Category:Vengeful
Category:Good Vs. Good
Category:Harmonizers
Category:Supporters
Category:Protectors of Innocence
Category:Merciful
Category:Saved Souls
Category:Parody/Homage
Category:Comic Book Heroes
Category:Cosmic Entity
Category:Book Heroes
Category:Superheroes
Category:Status Dependent on Version
Category:Right-Hand
Category:Comic Relief
Category:Enforcers
Category:Optimists
Category:Global Protection