Nova (Sam Alexander)

Nova (Sam Alexander) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, a space-faring member of the intergalactic police force known as the Nova Corps, was created in 2011 by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Ed McGuinness, based on the original Nova Richard Rider. The Sam Alexander version of the character first appeared in the Marvel Point One one-shot in November 2011 before starring in his own series beginning in February 2013.

For other comics characters named Nova, see Nova (comics).
Sam Alexander
Textless cover of Nova #10 (August 2016).
Art by Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceMarvel Point One #1 (November 2011)
Created byJeph Loeb
Ed McGuinness
In-story information
Alter egoSamuel Alexander
SpeciesHuman
Place of originEarth-616
Team affiliationsNova Corps
New Warriors
New Avengers
Avengers
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Champions
PartnershipsNova (Richard Rider)
Notable aliasesSam
AbilitiesAccess to the Nova Force via helmet grants:
Superhuman strength and durability
Flight
Energy projection
Telekinesis
Universal translation
Ability to breathe underwater and survive in space

Publication history

Sam Alexander first appeared in Marvel Point One #1 (November 2011), created by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Ed McGuinness. The character was named after Loeb's son, who died after a three-year battle with bone cancer at the age of 17.

Fictional character biography

Sam Alexander is a sixteen-year-old living in Carefree, Arizona with his father, mother, and little sister. His father is always drunk and often talks about his supposed life as a Nova Centurion, and shirks his duties as janitor at his son's school. Sam's mother is a Latina homemaker. When Sam comes home from school to find his father missing, Sam accidentally injures himself and wakes up in a hospital. There, Rocket Raccoon and Gamora reveal Sam's father really was in the Nova Corps.[1] After putting on his father's helmet, Sam travels to the moon, meeting Uatu the Watcher, who reveals an invasion fleet of alien ships belonging to the Chitauri. Upon returning to Earth, Rocket Raccoon and Gamora train him and tell him to scout the fleet.[2]

Sometime later, Sam is on a mission to warn planets in the path of Dark Phoenix is coming for them.[3] He crashes on Earth, but is able to deliver the warning to the Avengers.[4] After recovering, Nova joins the Avengers and the X-Men against Cyclops, who has become the new Dark Phoenix after Jean. Thor asks Sam to join the Avengers, and Sam eventually accepts.[5][6] Afterwards, he encounters the previous Nova's recurring enemy Diamondhead, but easily defeats him.[7]

During the events of "Infinity", Sam learns from his crush, Carrie, that she knows he is Nova. Shocked, he flies into the sky, but accidentally removes his helmet and lands in a coma. He wakes up to Justice and Speedball, who offer him a spot on the New Warriors.[8] He next faces off against Kaldera, an agent of Proxima Midnight and defeats her in combat.[9] Sam becomes cocky and prideful and begins to feel above the New Warriors and disregard his mother's rules. He gets into an argument with Carrie and gets mad at Justice and Speedball. He eventually speaks to Uatu who gives Sam some advice and he returns to Earth to agree to his mother's rules and joins the New Warriors.[10]

During a day of training with Uatu at the Watcher's moon base at the start of the "Original Sin" storyline, Uatu reveals that Sam's father Jesse Alexander is alive. Sam leaves where he is happy with the information he just learned.[11]

Following the Civil War II storyline, Sam leaves the Avengers to join the Champions. The team heads to Lasibad, Sharzad to rescue a group of women and girls being attacked by terrorists.[12]

Powers and abilities

Sam Alexander wears a helmet that gives him access to the Nova Force, which grants him superhuman strength and durability, flight, energy projection, telekinesis, universal translation and the ability to breathe underwater and survive in space.

Collected editions
  • Nova Vol. 1: Origin (collects Nova Vol 5 #1-5, Point One #1 (Nova story), Marvel Now! Point One #1 (Nova story)) September 2013, ISBN 9780785166054
  • Nova Vol. 2: Rookie Season (collects Nova Vol 5 #6-9, #10 (A story)) March 2014, ISBN 9780785168393
  • Nova Vol. 3: Nova Corpse (collects Nova Vol 5 #10 (B story), #11-16) June 2014, ISBN 9780785189572
  • Nova Vol. 4: Original Sin (collects Nova Vol 5 #17-22) January 2015, ISBN 9780785189589
  • Nova Vol. 5: Axis (collects Nova Vol 5 #23-27) April 2015, ISBN 9780785192411
  • Nova Vol. 6: Homecoming (collects Nova Vol 5 #28-31, Annual #1) November 2015, ISBN 9780785193753
  • Nova The Human Rocket Vol. 1: Burn Out (collects Nova Vol 6 #1-6) June 2016, ISBN 9780785196501
  • Nova The Human Rocket Vol. 2: Afterburn (collects Nova Vol 6 #7-11) January 2017, ISBN 9780785196518
  • Nova Vol. 1: Resurrection (collects Nova Vol 7 #1-5) August 2017, ISBN 9781302905293

In other media

Television
  • The Sam Alexander incarnation of Nova appears in the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series, voiced by Logan Miller.[13][14] This version has no family and is the last of the Nova Corps, due to former member Titus wiping the rest out trying to get another helmet. He was trained by Rocket Raccoon and joined as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy (Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, and Groot). He left the team for Earth and joined a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. Trainees consisting of Power Man, Iron Fist, White Tiger and Spider-Man. He serves as Spider-Man's rival on the team throughout seasons one and two. In season three, Sam unlocks his full power as Nova Prime during his fight with Titus and the Chitauri that are on his side. For most of season four he is on a mission to protect Madame Web with Nick Fury. In the series finale "Graduation Day" [Pt. 1 and 2], Nova, Iron Fist, Power Man and White Tiger are with Spider-Man for the last time to find Doctor Octopus and protect Aunt May, and fight the Scorpion and Crossbones, and defeat the two. Then at the graduation ceremony, he is trapped with the team in contracting shield in the Triskelion and in the end is released by Spider-Man.
  • Nova appears in Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers, voiced by Suganuma Hisayoshi.
  • Sam Alexander appears in the Guardians of the Galaxy animated series, with Logan Miller reprising his role.[15] In this show, he learned about the Nova Corps from his father Jesse Alexander who went missing one day. He first appears in the episode "Back in Black" where the Nova Centurian Helmet that is in his possession is being sought out by the Nova Corps. Rocket Raccoon and Groot try to take on the bounty for it where they end up fighting Sam until Star-Lord breaks him up. As Drax the Destroyer trains him in combat, Sam detects a signal that leads him to a secret lab on Spartax where Mantis is and she manipulates him into freeing the Universal Believers' patriarch J'son. In the episode "Knights in Black Helmets", Nova accompanies J'son and Mantis to a Xandarian spaceship inside the stomach of a space whale that stores the Nova Centurian Helmets. During a fight with the Guardians of the Galaxy, J'son does events that manipulate Sam into finding the real Nova Centurian Helmets after the one Mantis tried on turned her to stone that crumbled into dust. During this time, Sam is shown a footage where his father fought Thanos to prevent him from getting Adam Warlock's cocoon. Sam then helps the Guardians of the Galaxy fight J'son who gets away with the Nova Centurian Helmets. In the episode "Nova Me, Nova You", Sam flees back to Earth after the Nova Corps catches up to the Guardians of the Galaxy. While at his school, J'son attacks as Sam works to fight him with the Guardians of the Galaxy's help. When J'son later plans to target Sam's family, he and the Guardians of the Galaxy fight J'son even when the Nova Corps arrive. Before J'son can go supernova a second time, Sam flies him into the atmosphere where he explodes. As Star-Lord is unsure if J'son survived, he and the Guardians of the Galaxy persuade Rhomann Dey to let Sam train on Earth even after mentioning how they found out about Jesse's past. Even his mother agrees with them.

Video games

Toys
  • Sam Alexander is featured in the Marvel Super Heroes LEGO theme based on his appearance in the Ultimate Spider-Man TV series.[20]
  • A Sam Alexander Nova toy was available in the Ultimate Spider-Man 6-inch toyline in 2013.[21]
  • Sam Alexander as Nova is available for the Disney Infinity 2.0 video game as a figure and playable character.[22]
  • In 2017, the Sam Alexander Nova appeared as part of Hasbro's Marvel Legends toyline.

Books

In the children's book Spider-Man: Attack of the Heroes, Nova is mentioned as having teamed up with Spider-Man multiple times. Nova is among the heroes replaced by the Chameleon. This causes many to believe the replaced heroes (Iron Man, the Thing, and Daredevil) have "gone bad". Nova is later freed by Spider-Man.

Reception

The first issue of Nova debuted to positive reviews, including a perfect score at IFanboy.com.[23] Reviewing for Multiversity Comics, Matthew Meylikhov called the series a "rather exciting prospect" and gave the issue a "Buy" rating, but derided its pacing.[24]

References
  1. Nova Vol 5 #1
  2. Nova Vol 5 #2-3 (March 2013-April 2013), Marvel Comics
  3. Marvel Point One one-shot (November 2011). Marvel Comics.
  4. Waid, Mark (w), Immonen, Stuart (a), Gracia, Marte (col). Avengers vs. X-Men: Infinite 1 (April 2012), Marvel Comics
  5. Avengers vs. X-Men #12. Marvel Comics
  6. All-New, All-Different Avengers #1
  7. Marvel NOW! Point One #1
  8. Nova Vol. 5 #8
  9. Nova Vol. 5 #9
  10. Nova Vol. 5 #10
  11. Waid, Mark (w), Cheung, Jim; Medina, Paco Medina (p) (Various) (i). Original Sin #0 (June 2014). Marvel Comics
  12. Champions Vol. 2 #1-3
  13. http://marvel.com/news/story/18223/spider-man_his_ultimate_friends_nova
  14. http://marvel.toonzone.net/news.php?action=fullnews&id=770
  15. https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/07/06/guardians-galaxy-star-lord-father-nova/
  16. "Marvel Costume Kit 5". Sony. Archived from the original on December 29, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  17. "New Heroes Revealed at NYCC 2012!". Marvel Heroes. 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
  18. Ng, Alan (November 28, 2017). "Marvel Future Fight Players Backlash After Netmarble Intros Loot Box". Product-Reviews.net. Archived from the original on 2019-08-27.
  19. "Champions Character Pack DLC Review – LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2". Bricks To Life. 2018-01-18. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  20. http://marvelsuperheroes.lego.com/en-us/products/default.aspx#76005
  21. Hasbro USM official images, toyark.com, 15 July 2012
  22. Archived 2017-01-04 at the Wayback Machine, infinity.disney.com, 23 September 2014
  23. NOVA #1 review, ifanboy.com, 22 February 2013
  24. Meylikhov, Matthew, 21 February 2013, "Review: Nova #1," Multiversity Comics, accessed 22 February 2013
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