#nova force

This should answer (with fanon) Why the Nova Force was created, why there are so few Nova Force users in the MCU VS the Comics, why Ego called himself a Celestial when he's just a parasitic planet, and a fun solution to the "Kill a Planet and it's population to keep the Universe Alive" problem.

(...this is me mashing my hands in the sandbox and trying to knit the mentions of Celestials of the MCU together into a coherent myth arc. Because I really did like Eternals but they were so...off compared to the other Cosmic Marvel movies. Hope you like it.)

General spoilers for Eternals, GOTG1 and 2, and Captain Marvel under the cut.

When Loeb introduced the Black Novas he made it so they were formed by a criminal who made helmets that hacked into the Nova force and then Jesse busted them and from then on the Black Novas became Xandar’s super blacks ops group. Black Novas only have their power while wearing their helmet which keys into their DNA so only them and their relatives can wear the helmet. We also learn that their powers are kinetic in nature (which is mentioned in Champions and Old Man Quill).

Regular post-Thanos Imperative Adsit corps Novas also rely on gold helmets that are powered by the Nova force.

Before Thanos Imperative however every gold dome Nova who could wield the Nova force didn’t even need the helmet to have powers. They had the Nova force within their bodies. Originally Rich really only uses his helmet to catch radio wave signals and breathe underwater/space. Later when he’s stronger he uses it to communicate with Worldmind and to block psionic and psychic attacks. But he never depended on his helmet for his powers (as a matter in fact he can fly and use his powers without wearing his Nova uniform at all). Also his powers were gravimetric in nature and he could absorb some forms of energy and shoot them out as well as create light.

 I think Jeph Loeb really didn’t know much about Nova’s own comic or lore when he made his Nova comic. Wouldn’t surprise me that he immediately thought “Well they’re Marvel’s Green Lanterns so they must use their helmet for their powers like the Lanterns use their rings” and just went with that and then Duggan and everyone else followed suit which is why we got Novas being powered by their helmets being a thing (And no matter what people say, besides having a similar origin, Nova was originally nothing like Green Lantern until writers slowly turned the franchise into Green Lantern. It’s also why the Nova corps should stay gone besides the fact that Marvel really doesn’t need space cops as much as a United Planets type of deal).

Marvel Tactics

Nova

Sam Alexander

Powers: Helmet grants him access to the Nova force giving him powers of flight, energy manipulation, strength, speed, durability and access to the Xandarian worldmind.

While searching for his missing father, Jesse Alexander, Sam fell off his skateboard and hit his head. When he woke he discovered Gamora and Rocket Raccoon standing over his hospital bed. They too were searching for Jesse and his Black Nova helmet. After discovering Jesse's helmet, Gamora and Rocket Raccoon began to teach Sam how to use a Nova helmet. 

Sometime later, Sam is on a mission to warn planets in the path of the Phoenix force that it is coming toward them. He crashes on Earth, but is able to deliver the warning to the Avengers. After recovering, Nova joins the Avengers and the X-Men against Cyclops, who has become the Dark Phoenix. Thor asks Sam to join the Avengers, and Sam eventually accepts.

After the events of the second superhuman Civil War Sam leaves the Avengers to join the Champions.