Marvel Studios' upcoming saga will follow its strategy of pushing Loki to the forefront by introducing a character of similar importance after the Multiverse Saga. Following his death in Avengers: Infinity War and the return of his Variant in Avengers: Endgame, Tom Hiddleston's Loki played a vital role in expanding the MCU's lore behind the Multiverse in his Disney+ series by introducing concepts such as the Time Variance Authority (TVA), the Void, and the Citadel at the End of Time.
Loki Season 2 ended with the God of Mischief transforming into the MCU's God of Stories after he became the one holding together countless different timelines across the Multiverse. His new role means he is part of the long list of Marvel characters who will return in 2026's Avengers: Doomsday, making him a vital player in the grand scheme of things as the Avengers go up against Robert Downey Jr.'s Dr. Doom.
Ahead of the next two Avengers movies, Alex Perez of The Cosmic Circus shared details about Nova's importance in the MCU's future saga, noting that the character is "a key point for the next saga in the same way Loki was for the Multiverse Saga."
While this is good news for fans of the character, Nova's introduction in the larger MCU is still being put on the back burner. In February 2025, Deadline shared that development for three upcoming MCU Disney+ series is being paused, namely Strange Academy, Terror, Inc., and Nova.
This came despite the fact that Marvel hired Ed Bernero as Nova's showrunner in December 2024. Nova being put on pause means that further progress in its development may not happen anytime soon. Still, this new report about the character's future offers promising hope about his MCU trajectory.
Here’s How Nova Becomes Important in the MCU’s Next Saga
Nova (aka Richard Rider) has been an important figure in Marvel's cosmic side of things in the comics, and this new report about his significance suggests that he could be the one who ties everything together in the upcoming saga.
At this stage, it looks like the next MCU saga will be headlined by the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. With Nova serving as the narrative's driving force and positioning himself similarly to the gargantuan importance of Loki from the Multiverse saga, it is reasonable to assume that the next saga could see Annihilus as the main villain.
In Marvel Comics, Annihilus is the ruler of the Negative Zone, an antimatter-filled parallel universe, who tormented the cosmic side of the Marvel universe. A 2006 crossover event titled, Annihilation, written by Keith Giffen and editor Andy Schmidt, brought cosmic heroes together to take a stand against Annihilus.
Richard Rider was vital in assembling a team that would eventually confront Annihilus and oppose the Annihilation Wave. In the MCU, Nova could inform the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Avengers about the looming threat, helping them assemble against the forces of Annihilus.
The rumored MCU team-up movie involving another team called the Annihilators could also pave the way for Nova to be included, and this could be where the villainous Annihilus could be introduced.
