Nova (comics)

Nova is the name of two fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe.

The first Nova is Richard Rider, a teenager who was picked at random by an alien, a member of the Nova Corps of the planet Xandar who was mortally wounded and needed to transfer his powers to another as a replacement.

Rider gained great strength, resistance to injury, ability to fly and a uniform that has a sealed life support system.

He functioned briefly as a superhero until he called to the planet Galador to protect it from harm. Eventually he wished to return home and when he was told he must relinquish his powers to do so, Rider agreed.

For years, Rider lived as a normal person struggling with a disrupted education while wishing he could regain his powers. During this period, Xandar was destroyed by the alien Skrulls. The superhero Night Thrasher deduced that a high stress situation could reignite Rider's powers and put it to the test by dropping him of a building. The theory proved correct with Rider instantly coming back to full power before he hit the ground.

Since then, he has resumed his superhero career on his own, as a member of the New Warriors and as an occasional member of the revived Nova Corps.

The Nova name has also been used by Frankie Raye who was a superhero who agreed to be a herald of Galactus and served for years. She originally had fire-based powers like her boyfriend, the Human Torch, but was upgraded to the power level of the Silver Surfer when she because Galactus's herald. When Richard Rider resumed his Nova identity alongside the New Warriors, he was briefly called "Kid Nova" to distinguish himself from Raye.