Why James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Trilogy Works So Well Without Nova On The Team

Even though Richard Rider, or Nova, is a known part of the team in some of its stories and a big presence on Marvel’s cosmic side, he did not make it into James Gunn’s Guardians Of The Galaxy films. The first set of Guardians in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had Star-Lord Gamora Drax Rocket and Groot. Later films added Nebula Mantis Cosmo and Kraglin. Yondu Udonta a founding Guardian in the comics was in Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. His movie version was more of a difficult hero.

Sadly the Nova series for Disney+ was put on hold. Disney and Marvel are looking at their content plans. The struggles Richard has had to get into the MCU make you wonder: why did Nova not fit into the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie team? Gunn surprisingly has an answer for this. I think it makes sense.

James Gunn Explained Why He Didn't Include Nova In The Guardians Of The Galaxy Movies

His Decision Helped Define Star-Lord's Journey And The Film's Overall Feeling

Back in November 2024 the director talked about his decision to keep Nova out of Guardians of the Galaxy. A user named @_jossvillalobos asked Gunn on Threads: "James, why didn't you include Nova in the Guardians of the Galaxy Movies?" He gave a clear answer: "I only wanted one human being." It is worth noting that Star-Lord, who Gunn is talking about, is only half-human. But neither the audience nor the character knows this during the first movie. Gunn’s rule that the team only had one human character also meant changes for other characters. Both Drax and Mantis have been human in some comic stories. This creative choice was likely made to make Peter’s isolation and long-lasting sadness for his mother feel even stronger.

A big part of the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies was Star-Lord’s complicated feelings about his childhood. Aliens kidnapped him the same day his mother passed away from cancer. Peter spent his later childhood and teenage years with Yondu and his Ravagers. Yondu cared for him like a son. But he was selfish greedy and did not show affection often. This difficult upbringing along with not knowing his real father meant Star-Lord had low self-worth. Since he is the main character we follow in those first movies this is important. Gunn’s choice to have only one human in these films showed Peter’s loneliness and lack of connection. It also made him feel like an outsider. This also helped explain why he was easily swayed by his father Ego’s tricks.

Keeping the human count low also made the MCU feel much bigger. The setting of Guardians of the Galaxy was so different from all the Marvel films before it. This just added to how real the world felt. Having fewer humans on screen gave the whole movie a more alien charm. It made it stand apart from the mostly human cast of The Avengers. This creative choice really helped shape the identity of the Guardians as a unique part of the Marvel universe. It showed us places and beings we had not seen before.

Could Nova Still Join The Marvel Cinematic Universe In The Future?

What The End Of The Trilogy Means For New Characters And A Different Team

Keeping Nova out of the original Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy was the right call. But that does not mean he should never appear in the MCU. He could even be part of a later version of the team. Whether it is the classic Richard Rider or the Sam Alexander version, the character would be a good addition to the series. The ending of Guardians of Galaxy Vol. 3 sets up a new team. This team includes Rocket Groot Adam Warlock Phyla-Vell and Cosmo. It is notable that this lineup does not have a human character.

Putting the Nova television series on hold is a shame. The character has many fans who have been asking for him to join the MCU. But the decision to focus less on just having many characters and more on having good ones might allow Nova to appear in a movie. This could be a solo project or a future Guardians of the Galaxy movie. I think fans would be happy to see him in some form eventually.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3: An Emotional But Uneven Sendoff

How The Final Film Attempted To Bring Closure To The Beloved Team's Story

Making great superhero movie trilogies is tough. Often there is a dip in quality or an ending that leaves viewers unhappy. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 tried to do what most MCU trilogies have not: give all its characters a satisfying ending. For Spider-Man Peter was left alone and broke. Captain America and his friends ended up in prison. Tony Stark gave up a part of what made him Iron Man to finish his trilogy. In Infinity War half our favorite characters passed away. This shows that Marvel trilogies usually do not end with the heroes getting a happy ending where everything goes their way. James Gunn aimed to fix this with his last Marvel film. He wanted to give the Guardians a proper farewell.

The film takes place after Avengers: Endgame. It shows the team on Knowhere rebuilding their lives after Thanos. This looks different for each team member. Some want more connection with friends and others turn to alcohol. Like the first two Guardians films the movie starts with a song. But this time it is not a happy tune or a classic hit. It is an acoustic version of Radiohead’s "Creep." This song plays over a scene of Rocket Raccoon walking alone through Knowhere while the other Guardians connect with each other. This sets the serious mood for the film. It highlights one character’s story in particular. At first everything seems okay for the Guardians. Then Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) shows up. He is ordered to capture Rocket by the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), the man who tortured and made Rocket who he is today.

Luckily for Rocket he is surrounded by the galaxy’s best collection of difficult people. They quickly jump into battle to fight Warlock. But the fight leaves Rocket in a bad state. His life is on a timer. You might think they could just send him to a doctor or heal him. But no. That would be too simple. We find out the High Evolutionary put a kill switch on Rocket’s heart. If his cybernetic parts were touched he would instantly pass away. This sends the Guardians on a hunt to get the override key. This key would save their friend. But doing so forces them to face the man who tormented Rocket and many others. This development certainly raises the emotional risks of the movie. But it struggles to show the urgency needed to hit emotional points. It simply moves into them. Even the emotional moments do not always work because of how unsure the tone is.

Challenges And Missed Opportunities In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

Why Some Character Arcs And Tonal Shifts Did Not Quite Land For All Viewers

The film is two hours and 30 minutes long, making it the longest in the trilogy. It moves through its story very quickly. This makes you wonder how much of the film was cut out. It also makes you think if many scenes needed to be in the movie at all. When it comes to Vol. 3’s tone, the film does not seem to know what it wants to be. One minute it wants us to be excited by the colorful action on screen. The next minute it wants us to cry. This can work but here there is no careful shift in tone. Instead it is a constant back-and-forth of moods. This leads to a general disconnect from any emotional feeling. Unless you feel very connected to most of the characters in this movie, the emotional moments likely will not stick with you. That would not be awful if Vol. 3 did not use them so poorly. When you add the general lack of emotional risks in Marvel movies, the emotion struggles to come through except for a few moments.

Regarding the characters there are many of them. Vol. 3 gives almost every single character "their moment" allowing them to have a final bow. This sounds good in theory. But it does not work in the movie. These moments become repeated and less powerful the more they happen. This becomes clear towards the film’s big ending. Instead of a personal fight between our true main character and the man who tormented him for years we get another big computer-generated fight. This also goes against the personal parts of the film. For some characters, the ones more connected to the story, Gunn’s writing helps them become full, well-rounded people with clear reasons and conflicts. Rocket who gets the most time to shine in this movie is truly well-written. He becomes one of the best characters in the entire MCU. This is not true for every character though. The film’s bad guy for example is very simple. This is true no matter how twisted Chukwudi Iwuji makes him seem. Adam Warlock is another character who gets a raw deal. He is treated like a child even though he is tall and has superpowers.

The Enduring Appeal Of The Guardians And Their Place In The Wider MCU

Despite Flaws The Trilogy's Heart And Commitment Still Shine Through

If one thing is always true about Guardians of the Galaxy movies it is how they use music to move the story and show character feelings. This is true again here. But the music here is used much more often than in the first two films. It is almost as if James Gunn picked old songs he liked and told someone to get the rights. To be fair not every song choice feels out of place. A certain Florence + the Machine song playing near the end was the one scene that made me tear up. Rocket’s comment about the Chitauri in a deleted Avengers: Endgame scene is a good example of this team’s unique place. He said they were "the suckiest army in the galaxy" and wondered why they did not just blow up the mothership. Rocket has dealt with bigger threats like Ronan with an Infinity Stone Ego the Living Planet and the High Evolutionary. This shows the Guardians are veterans of space battles.

Ultimately Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 mostly achieved its goal. It gave every character at least a somewhat satisfying ending. Gunn did this in different ways. He left some characters’ exact futures open. This lets future filmmakers continue their stories. He also made the direct outcome of the film’s events clear and showed what happened to others. What is very clear about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is how much of a family this film’s cast is. They care a lot about this project. Even if every moment does not land or the plot is not as strong as it could be or most performances are simple, the people who made this movie truly care about it. That is about as much as we can ask for.