Following the release of Stranger Things Season 5, rumors emerged that star Joe Keery is being eyed for an MCU role. A new update alleges that he won’t be in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but fans think they know the perfect Marvel superhero for him.
Keery is best known as fan favorite Steve Harrington, whose paternal (or maternal, fans would argue) instincts saw him looking after the Stranger Things kids while fighting off monsters with his nail-studded baseball bat.
This is far from his only creative endeavor, as he also makes chart-topping music under the stage name Djo. But earlier this month, Keery’s name came up for an altogether different reason, with Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman hearing that he’s on Marvel’s radar.
Fans were quick to suggest he’d be ideal for Spider-Man’s Harry Osborn, but this week, Richtman posted, “He’s not in Brand New Day. He was a type for a role and they seemingly cast Eman Esfandi in that part. However, he is being eyed for another role in the MCU.”
Marvel fans have perfect superhero role for Stranger Things star Joe Keery
Although it’s just speculation at this stage, that doesn’t mean fans can’t share their theories, and one Marvel superhero in particular keeps coming up: Richard Rider, aka Nova.
Rider is a long-running Marvel Comics character who first appeared in 1976 as an ordinary teenager from Earth chosen to inherit the powers of the Nova Corps – an intergalactic peacekeeping force – after the fall of planet Xandar.
His access to the Nova Force gave him superhuman abilities including enhanced strength, flight, and resistance to injury, pushing him from a regular teenager into one of Marvel’s most powerful cosmic heroes.
While Nova has frequently headlined his own solo series, the character has also played a significant role in team titles, most notably as an original member of the New Warriors.
Despite the Nova Corps appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy, the MCU has yet to introduce an on-screen version of Richard Rider himself. James Gunn even explained a few years back why he left Nova out of the lineup.
Speaking to Phase Zero, the director said, “I never had Richard Rider in anything. He’s just too big of a character… From the beginning, when I came on board Guardians, I didn’t want to have two human beings.
“I wanted to have one human being so that he could be surrounded in this world of aliens. And then we realized, little by little, that all of these characters are the only of their kind – they’re the only human being to them, you know?”
With the MCU continuing to expand with the upcoming Avengers movies Doomsday and Secret Wars, Nova remains a notable gap in the franchise. Keery’s age, existing fanbase, and experience playing an everyman character who evolves have led fans to suggest him for the role.
In response to Richtman’s post, one wrote, “I can see him as Nova,” while another said, “Richard Rider my goat, it’s time for Nova to make his appearance.” A third added, “Nova? He would be great in that role,” and a fourth chimed in, “Nova it is.”
Another shared a separate post, which reads, “Marvel Studios is reportedly in talks with Joe Keery for a role – with Nova being heavily speculated. Nothing confirmed yet, but fans are already imagining the cosmic fit.” Alongside this is fan art showing Keery in the Nova costume.
Similar fan-made art was shared the first time Keery’s name was raised for the MCU. “With the rumors about Joe Keery at Marvel, I remembered this fan art of Joe as Nova (Richard Rider). It would be an interesting casting choice,” they wrote.
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