Richard Rider

Latest revision as of 04:24, 21 October 2024

Nova Corpsmen Richard Rider in Nova v4 #36.

Richard Rider is a male comic superhero who features in Marvel Comics.

Biography

Origin

Richard Rider in Nova v1 #1.

Richard Rider was the eldest son of Charles Rider and Gloria Rider with him having a younger brother named Robbie Rider. (Nova v1 #1)

He came to be a student at Harry Truman's High School where during this time he had a girlfriend named Ginger Jaye. During these years, he was regularly bullied by fellow student Mike Burley who was a rival for Ginger's affections. (Nova v1 #1)

Nova

At the time, his world was being approached by the dying Nova Corpsmen Rhomann Dey who sought a successor to defeat the villain Zorr. Thus, upon arriving at Earth's orbit, he randomly chose a denizen to continue the fight with this being Richard who was struck by energy that left him in a temporary coma. He was empowered with the abilities of the Nova-Prime with him being briefed remotely by Dey of the coming danger. Initially, he did not notice any overt changes to himself until suddenly he manifested the power of being a Nova Centurion. Whilst testing his powers, he received a police report and encountered the villains Zorr rampaging in the city. He struggled to fight the extraterrestrial conqueror whilst trying to save people that were in the way of his rampage. The villain was only stopped by Rhomann Dey used the last of his powers to slay his foe with him perishing in the process on-board his ship. Rider then resolved to continue operating as the superhero now known as Nova and to protect the people of Earth. (Nova v1 #1) He continued to operate as a hero whilst attempting to learn about his new powers leading to his first encounter with his own supervillains namely the Condor and Powerhouse. (Nova v1 #2) In his personal life, his father faced a lot of pressure from the community due to his role as a principal. Whilst as Nova, he encountered the crimelord Diamondhead who managed to evade capture by the Human Rocket. (Nova v1 #3) He next encountered Thor who had been infected by the abilities of the Corrupter causing him to attack Nova until he was freed whereupon the two heroes defeated the transformed supervillain. (Nova v1 #4) His fame led to writers at Marvel Comics wanting to make a version of him in their publications with Nova also battling the threat of Tyrannus who intended to use his Earth-Shaker robot to bring down cities on the surface to his underground realm. (Nova v1 #5) He later responded to an incident when he found out that the Condor and Diamondhead had formed an alliance together where they freed Powerhouse whereupon they captured Nova intending to use him against their enemy the Sphinx. Condor used his equipment to brainwash Nova after learning that he had powers and technology of alien origin but the changed Richard Rider ended up taking over their criminal gang. (Nova v1 #6) Under the guidance of the Condor, the somewhat amnesiac Nova was convinced to rob a facility to provide parts for a ship to go into space and pillage the Nova Corps starship in orbit to take the advanced weapons for use against the Sphinx. The Sphinx used his powers to remotely activate the ships defensive systems to attack the intruders with Rider regaining his memory leading to his comrades taking the weapons and fleeing. At that point, the massive Nova Corps ship launched into deep space sending Richard Rider elsewhere in the cosmos. (Nova v1 #7) The ship was prepared to depart when Rider managed to connect with its computer and it gave its origin to him. It had the ship return to near Earth orbit showed holographic locations of people he inquired about whereupon he found out that his friend Caps was about to be drowned. Richard was directed to a shuttle and returned to Earth where he saved Caps who revealed that his supposed long dead uncle had returned as Megaman who wanted revenge on him. As Nova, he battled Megaman who put the Rider house on fire forcing Richard to having to choose to save his family over his friend Caps who had been kidnapped by the supervillain. (Nova v1 #8)

New Warriors

He was abducted by the vigilante known as Night Thrasher who took Rider to the roof of a building and let him drop. This resulted in Richard tapping into the remaining Nova Force in him and restoring his abilities with him initially angry at Night Thrasher who confessed that he did not know if Rider still had his abilities. He revealed that he had tracked Richard in order for him to return to being Nova and joining a superhero team he was forming known as the New Warriors. (New Warriors v1 #1)

During a fight against Asylum, Rider was faced with his own fears and the tensions that affected him recently. He then went for his date with Laura Dunham where he confessed that he kissed Namorita his teammate had kissed him and that he liked her also. This made him unsure about the status of his own relationship with Laura as he liked her as well. Their talk though was interrupted when Rider sensed the arrival of Garthaan Saal on Earth leading to him becoming Nova to confront the mad Xandarian who sought to claim the sliver of the Worldmind's power within Richard. (New Warriors v1 #40)

Annihilation

Rider was on Xandar when it came under attack from the extradimensional forces of the Annihilation Wave that had emerged from the Negative Zone. Their forces ravaged local space and devastated the ranks of the Nova Corps with Xandar left in ruins. An unconscious Richard Rider was contacted by the Xandarian Worldmind as he was the sole surviving Nova on the ruined planetoids. Rider was tasked with going to the hub to recover the Worldmind which downloaded itself into his body along with the Nova Force. Richard was at first hesitant in taking the power of the Nova Force after what happened to Garthan Saal but the Worldmind assured him that it would regulate its output. This left Rider the holder of the remaining legacy of Xandar with the Worldmind directing his actions though he retained his own will which initially caused him to lash out against the Annihilation Wave despite the artificial intelligence's warnings to avoid further conflict. Whilst on the Orienta shard, he encountered Drax and his companion Cammi who were among the only survivors of the planetoid. (Annihilation: Nova v1 #1)

He was later invited by Steve Rogers to join his Secret Avengers strike force for select assignments with his first mission being to investigate a Roxxon Energy Corporation dig site on Mars. The facility was abandoned but Rider was attacked by advanced weapons though he fled into a cavern where he came possessed by an ancient mystical crown. (Secret Avengers v1 #1) Upon wearing the Thorned Crown, Rider became possessed by it and sought to achieve its goals that involved mind controlling people on Mars whereupon the were tasked with digging a site. Their excavation was interrupted by the Secret Avengers with the possessed Rider easily defeating the three heroes that confronted him and produced breathable air on the planet for his minions. It was then that Commander Rogers arrived with his allies along with the Archon who sought to stop the excavation but the possessed Rider easily defeated the construct. (Secret Avengers v1 #3)

Guardian of the Galaxy

The Cosmic Cube was now powerless thus leaving Rider all along within the Cancerverse with only the Worldmind to keep him company as the pair were hunted by the denizens of the Cancerverse. Whilst there, he suffered countless deaths only to live as the concept of death did not exist in this universe. Eventually, he was so desperate to escape this living hell that he decided to sacrifice the Nova Force and the Worldmind by using their energy to power the inert Cosmic Cube. This allowed him to use its power to open a briefly portal back to the normal universe allowing him to go back home. A piece of the Cancerverse though remained trapped within him as he emerged back in the normal universe whilst the Worldmind became corrupted and joined the demonic denizens of that dimension. (Nova v7 #6)

He headed towards Earth to find his brother Robbie when he encountered the Fraternity of Raptors. Rider was saved by Darkhawk who revealed that Richard's brother Robbie had been turned into the Dark Starhawk and was being used to destroy mankind's home planet. Powell intended to kill Robbie whilst Rider sought to save his brother from the Raptors. They were overpowered but Starhawk turned against the Raptor Gyre in order to re-order the universe according to his own grand design. Darkhawk then struck him and removed the Raptor Amulet in him whereupon he disappeared. In the aftermath, Richard was angry with Chris for nearly killing his brother and warned him never to come back into space otherwise he would lock him in the deepest prison he could find. (Infinity Countdown: Darkhawk v1 #4)

Rider was at a bar when he encountered Annihilus who had emerged from the Negative Zone and was looking for the aid of the Nova Corps. It was then that they were attacked by Annihilus's former crew with Nova quickly learning that they had become infested by the beings of the Cancerverse. To eliminate the threat, he pushed the ship into the sun to destroy the possessed beings and from Annihilus he learnt that the Many-Angled Ones had begun to invade the Negative Zone. Thus, Annihilus was looking for allies to aid him in fighting back this invasion though Rider was not willing to help the villain. Attempts at opening the portal back to the Negative Zone failed with Richard instead going to Earth to use the Fantastic Four's gateway. Nova then journeyed into the Negative Zone to help fight the Many-Angled Ones and came to learn that the inhabitants of the Cancerverse could die within that dimension. Thus, he reasoned that it was the only place to fight their enemy as in Earth-616 the infested would be unstoppable. Rider was nearly captured by the Revengers and infested where in desperation he fled the scene as he did not wish to become possessed by the demonic beings again. (Annihilation - Scourge: Nova v1 #1)

Afterwards, he was part of the new Guardians initiative that looked to respond to galactic emergencies and threats. He was part of the team sent to the Kree/Skrull Alliance Throneworld that was the sacred ruined planet of Hala which came under attack from the Progenitors. Working together, they managed to defeat the giant aliens and warned them against further attacks. (Guardians of the Galaxy v6 #13) It was then that the team was attacked by Doctor Doom who then used a body swapping technique to take over Emperor Hulkling's form which he used to fight the Guardians. He was only defeated when he was tricked into Rocket's body where he admitted defeat but revealed that he had sensed a coming threat to the cosmic balance which forced him to act. Star-Lord then invited him to join the Guardians in order to offer a united front against the coming danger. (Guardians of the Galaxy v6 #14)

Overview

Personality and attributes

Nova Prime in Nova v4 #11.

He came to be referred to as the Human Rocket on account of his speed. (Nova v1 #2) Rider was designated as Nova Corps Operative 11249-44396. (Annihilation: Nova v1 #1)

Before getting his powers, he developed a kind of inferiority complex as he felt everyone else was more successful than him. (Nova v1 #1) Even with his abilities, he was noted for being very insecure with him masking this behind a confident persona. None of his arrogance was able to cover up the amount of responsibility he put on his shoulders. (New Warriors v1 #40)

After gaining his powers, he became committed to using them to helping others and not himself along with not using them for stupid purposes as he felt he was empowered for a reason namely to be a hero. (Nova v1 #1)

Initially, his greatest fears was losing his powers and leaving the people he cared about unprotected. (New Warriors v1 #40)

Rich's father Charles Rider was a principal at a high school. It was known that his father had a temper though he loved his children. His father was said to not tolerate fighting in the house and did not want to see his son behave as a ruffian. He was expected his sons to obey a command that he had given them. Richard's mother Gloria Rider operated as a civilian dispatcher at the police department. His younger brother Robbie Rider was noted for his affinity towards the sciences. (Nova v1 #3)

At high school, his girlfriend was Ginger Faye who found Richard to be cute and always offered support to him whether it was silent or more overt help. (Nova v1 #5)

He came to admit that he really liked Laura but he became conflicted after Namorita kissed him. (New Warriors v1 #40)

Rider had a tendency to call the Xandarian Worldmind as 'Dad' which he attributed as a slip of tongue as the artificial intelligence reminded him of his own father as both were stubborn. (Annihilation: Nova v1 #1)

A catchphrase he was fond of saying when he was surprised as "Blue Blazes!". (Nova v1 #2)

Powers and abilities

Empowered by the Nova Force in Annihilation - Scourge: Nova v1 #1.

Among the things transferred to him included advanced knowledge which allowed him to solve equations even though he never the answer to such questions at high school. The power of being a Nova Centurion allowed him to fly through the sky and space at high speeds. It also gave him increased strength and endurance with the ability to handle blows that could fell an ordinary human being. Nova's helmet was capable of taking into numerous communication frequencies such as police bands allowing him to discern disturbances in an area. (Nova v1 #1) The eye-lenses of the helmet were specifically coated to pick up all light-waves allowing it to see invisible objects such as Nova spacecraft. (Nova v1 #7) The helmet was built to recycle air supply preventing the user from being drowned and allowed for deep space operations. (Nova v1 #4)

Whilst travelling at Nova-Speed, he was noted for being incredibly fast for ordinary opponents. (Nova v1 #2) He retained his powers both in and outside of his uniform where he maintained his enhanced Nova-Strength allowing him to effortlessly pick up heavy weights. He was also shown to be invulnerable allowing him to be unharmed by weapon fire with projectiles bouncing off his body whilst vehicles could be destroyed by smashing into his body. (Nova v1 #3) Projectile weapons were shown to simply ricochet off his body. (Nova v1 #5)

This manifested as a powerful high energy burst that projected outwards and was able to render super-powered beings unconscious within its range. (New Warriors v1 #12)

For a time, Rider possessed a Nova Corps starship that belonged to his predecessor with it being a massive craft. It responded to the helmet's star which could provide an automatic signal to allow him entry. The enormous ship was said to possess technology more advanced than any on Earth. The vessel contained powerful hand-held weaponry and sentries tasked with protecting it from intruders. (Nova v1 #7)

After the Annihilation, he came to be the host of the Xandarian Worldmind and its vast knowledge. (Annihilation: Nova v1 #1)

The Nova-Force was too powerful for a single wearer to bear its full power but for a time Richard Rider came to hold it with its output being regulated by the Xandarian Worldmind. (Annihilation: Nova v1 #1)

Notes

• The Nova Richard Rider was created by Marv Wolfman and John Buscema where he made his first appearance in Nova v1 #1 (September, 1976).

Alternate Versions

• In Spider-Girl v1 #7 (1999), an alternate version of Richard Rider appeared in the Marvel Comics 2 reality that was designated as Earth-982 in the Multiverse.
• In Mutant X 2001 v1 #1 (2001), an alternate version of Richard Rider appeared in the Marvel X reality that was designated as Earth-1298 in the Multiverse.
• In What If? Annihilation v1 #1 (2007), an alternate version of Richard Rider appeared in a What If reality that was designated as Earth-14026 in the Multiverse. After Drax failed to revive Galactus and Annihilus' Annihilation Wave remain unimpeded, Nova and his allies had been trying to fight the Wave until it reaches Earth. Nova arrived to Earth to warn its heroes, but came at the climax of the Superhuman Registration Civil War and was outraged to find the heroes fighting over secret identities when such a massive threat was coming. Although Nova managed to convinced the heroes and villains to unite in fighting against the Wave, Earth was greatly devastated. It was only that Nova convinced the Inhumans into intervening in the war that the initial wave was completely destroyed, though Earth would not be able to survive more of Annihilus' forces. Uatu the Watcher helped the heroes in providing them the Terminus nexus that would shunt the Annihilation Wave into a black hole by setting it off on Earth's Moon. After tricking Annihilus to sending his forces to the Moon, Nova decided to stay on the Moon to set off the device by himself while knowing that he will die doing so in which he bestowed the Xandarian Worldmind to Uatu; however, Captain America and Iron Man volunteered to stay as well to fight off the Wave while buying Earth time. The three sacrificed their lives in setting off the Terminus device and saving Earth in the process.
• In Heroes Reborn v2 #7 (2021), an alternate version of Richard Rider appeared in the new Heroes Reborn reality that was designated as Earth-21798 in the Multiverse.

In other media

Television

• In Silver Surfer, a unnamed non-voiced character resembling the Richard Rider Nova appeared in the background of the animated television series in the episode "Learning Curve Part 1".

Video games

• In Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, the Richard Rider Nova appeared as a playable character in the crossover fighting video game where he was voiced by actor Troy Baker.
• In Marvel Heroes, Richard Rider as Nova appeared as a playable character in the MMORPG video game where he was voiced by actor Troy Baker. When Doctor Doom gained control of the Cosmic Cube, Nova returned from space to aid SHIELD and a huge alliance of heroes to fight his allies and take him down. In the aftermath of the battle, the Cube's powers were absorbed by Loki, who used it to bring an army lead by Malekith to distract Asgard's defenders while he stole the throne. Nova continued to help the heroes as they fought through Norway to reopen a Bifrost portal to Asgard, where he aided in defeating Malekith and a Cube-Empowered Loki both. After Loki's defeat, the God of Mischief revealed that Surtur was coming for Asgard, and would destroy everything if they did not work together. Reluctantly, Nova fought alongside Loki, and was able to defeat Surtur.
• In Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, the Richard Rider Nova appeared as a playable character in the setting of the fighting video game where he was voiced by actor Benjamin Diskin.
• In Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, the Richard Rider Nova appeared as a non-playable character in the setting of the video game where he was voiced by actor Robbie Daymond. Nova aided the heroes searching for the scattered Infinity Stones in an attempt to stop Thanos from reclaiming them.
• In Marvel: Future Fight, the Richard Rider Nova appeared as a playable character who appeared in the setting of the mobile video game. Richard Rider was an everyday New York teenager before he was chosen by the last survivor of the Nova Legion to become his successor as Nova Prime. After defending his city for a time, he was called into space to protect the newly rebuilt Xandar, home of the Nova Corps. With the ability to access the Super Intelligence known as Worldmind, Nova has defended the universe against numerous threats, as few can match his power and even fewer his speed.

Appearances

• Nova v1: (1976)
• New Warriors v1:
• Annihilation v1:
• Annihilation: Nova v1:
• Nova v4:
• Secret Avengers v1:
• Nova v7:
• Infinity Countdown v1:
• Infinity Countdown: Darkhawk v1:
• Guardians of the Galaxy:
• Annihilation: Scourge v1:
• Annihilation - Scourge: Nova v1:
• Guardians of the Galaxy' v6':

External Links

• Marvel Database Entry
• Comicvine Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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