MCU Fans Cast Ryan Gosling as the First Live-Action Nova
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the surest things in Hollywood when it comes to franchises that make money.
Every MCU film is a bonafide hit. Because of this, plenty of elite acting talent has expressed interest in taking part in the fun.
One actor fans have talked about potentially joining the MCU is Ryan Gosling. One role they think he’d be good for is the role of Nova. But who is Nova, and would Gosling be a good choice to play him?
Who is Nova?
According to the official Marvel website, Nova (a man named Richard Rider) is selected to join the Nova Corps, a group that functions as something of an intergalactic police force. When that entire group is wiped out by an event known as the “Annihilation Wave,” Rider absorbs all their power. It’s then up to him to patrol the galaxy on a quest for justice.
If the name Nova Corps sounds familiar, you may be a Guardians of the Galaxy fan. The group plays a pivotal role in the first film, so an introduction to Nova would be an easy transition based on the group’s history and would be a welcome change for the MCU.
Ryan Gosling’s history with superhero movies
Gosling is one of Hollywood’s premiere performers — an A-Lister in a time when it’s much harder to make that list. He’s shown the ability to perform well in big-budget blockbusters as well as small indie films. Gosling’s tremendous range indicates he’d be a fine choice to play a superhero.
He’s shown he can play anything from a romantic lead (The Notebook) to a replicant with a heart (Blade Runner: 2049).
If Gosling were to be cast in the MCU, it wouldn’t be the first time the studio’s met with him about a role. In 2014, Cinema Blend reported Gosling met with Marvel to discuss a potential role as Dr. Strange. While the role ultimately went to Benedict Cumberbatch, the studio thought highly enough of his work to at least consider him for a major part in their universe.
There’s of course the question whether Gosling would take such a role. After all, Nova isn’t a household name among Marvel characters the same way Spider-Man or Captain America is.
That said, Marvel has a knack for taking lesser-known characters and making them household names (see the entire Guardians of the Galaxy roster for an example of this). Here’s why Gosling as Nova could be genius.
Why Ryan Gosling would be a great Nova
Screen Rant compiled a list of MCU castings fans would love to see. On that list was Nova. As Marvel moves into more cosmic properties in the next few phases of their cinematic universe, the inclusion of Nova is all but assured. But would Gosling be a good fit for this role?
In a word? Absolutely. Gosling has shown he has the range to play just about any part. There’s no reason to think he’d have any difficulty absolutely knocking it out of the park. There’s also an answer to the question whether Gosling would want the role or if he’d deem it too minor.
For this part, Marvel casting Gosling would be an indication that they have big plans for the character. In short, they’d essentially be using Gosling’s star power to indicate that this is a major character fans should pay attention to. And that they would, for two main reasons: 1) Gosling is a legit star who grabs attention easily, and 2) MCU fans tend to eat up everything Marvel puts out.
Will Gosling play Nova in the MCU? No one can be sure. But could it be a great casting choice both for the actor and the studio? There’s no doubt about it.
