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Quote1 Amazing. It's everything dad talked about. The speed. The power. It is like being a human rocket! Quote2
Sam Alexander as Nova Vol 5 Logo[src]

History

Origins[]

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.[6] After discovering Jesse's helmet, Gamora and Rocket Raccoon began to teach Sam how to use a Nova helmet. While training with Gamora and Rocket Raccoon, Sam flew to the Moon.[3] There, he had an encounter with Uatu The Watcher who showed him an incoming Chitauri armada that was headed towards Earth.[10]

Sam was trained by both Gamora and Rocket Raccoon how to properly use his helmet in order to one day live up to his father's legacy. He was eventually able to beat them both and was deemed worthy to apprehend the Watcher's task. They sent Sam as a scout to gather information on the invading force. Right when he found the Chitauri, somewhere near Jupiter, they fired, leaving Sam "unconscious."[12] When the Chitauri went to extract Sam into their ship, he revealed to them he was faking and quickly sped off. He went through one of the enemy ships and found the Ultimate Nullifier. He took it and then attempted to run through the mothership, disabling all soldiers. He was thwarted by Titus, a former Nova and ally of his father. Despite what Sam's father had told him, Jesse left the Supernovas when they needed him most and many of them lost their lives because of him. Titus was shot in the eye and arm and then made a trade with Chitauri, his life for all the Nova's secrets and weapons. Sam was infuriated and radiated a light so powerful that it stunned Titus and many Chitauri and escaped to Earth.

Samuel Alexander (Earth-616) from Nova Vol 5 5 0001

Sam Alexander wielding the Ultimate Nullifier

Titus followed him there and was eventually stopped the Ultimate Nullifier. Sam had developed a friendship with Uatu and revealed to him that he is the only person he feels comfortable talking to. When Sam returned home he expresses his doubt of his fathers supposed death. Whom is being held captive by the Chitauri on another planet.[13]

Avengers vs. X-Men[]

At some point before the Avengers' war against the X-Men, Sam came to the planet Birj, trying to warn its people of the coming of the Phoenix Force. Instead, he battled Terrax, who refused to leave his planet.[14] He managed to escape the destruction caused by the Phoenix, and fled to Earth, to warn of the coming of the Phoenix Force.[14]

Samuel Alexander (Earth-616) and Avengers (Earth-616) from Avengers vs

Sam's arrival

Sam eventually arrived on Earth, though he accidentally crashed into a plane. Stunned, he crash-landed on the ground and was discovered by the Avengers, although Hawkeye mistook him for a different Nova. Injured, all Sam could tell the Avengers was that "it" was coming, before falling into a coma. Unknown to him, a small portion of the Phoenix Force's energy was left on his uniform, which Iron Man analyzed and managed to confirm that the cosmic force was heading towards Earth.[15]

After he recovered from the landing, Nova joined the Avengers and the X-Men in the final battle against the Dark Phoenix, who commented on his possible alien heritage.[16] Although he too couldn't help to defeat the Phoenix, his bravery led to him being offered a place in the Avengers by Thor. On his way back home, Sam was ambushed by Diamondhead, who bore a grudge against Sam's predecessor Richard Rider and, by association, anyone in the Nova Corps. Though Diamondhead was easily able to shrug off Sam's attacks due to him lacking the power and experience that Rider had, Sam was ultimately able to fend off his aggressor by blinding him with a flash of light and leaving him stranded on a high plateau in the desert.[citation needed]

Post-AvX[]

Samuel Alexander (Earth-616) recalling his life from Nova Vol 5 6

Sam Alexander reminiscing on his recent past as the Nova

Nova asked his Mom if he could be an Avenger to which she initially replied "no." After a small speech by her, she finally decides not to stand in his way and that if he wanted to still fight crime, she wouldn't stop him. In his everyday school life, Sam was also having some trouble settling into regular life. When he found himself in a confrontation with school bully Karl, he forgot how normal he really was. In one instance, Karl threw a punch at Sam. Sam leaned back, dodging it, but fell on his back forgetting he couldn't fly. He found it even more difficult to keep his secret identity from his crush, Carrie.[17]

The same night that his mom talked to him about being Nova, he decided to go out for some fun by looking for villains in New York. While there, he met up with Spider-Man. Spider-Man then gave him some advice about crime fighting. Following this advise, he went back to the skate park that he destroyed and tried to be a hero for the people who were burdened with the job of cleaning it all up.[18]

Infinity[]

Sam Alexander (Earth-616) from Nova Vol 5 8 001

Sam Alexander accidentally removing his helmet mid-flight

After the skate park was rebuilt Sam encountered his crush, Carrie. Sam was caught off-guard when she told him that she knew that he was Nova. He then flew away in such a rush that he made a stupid mistake of accidentally removing his helmet mid-flight and fell straight out of the sky. When he awoke from the minor coma he had suffered, he found New Warrior members Justice and Speedball trying to persuade him into joining their team. He initially refused, however, after learning that they were good friends of Richard Rider, he agreed to see what it was like.[19]

His first "mission" as a member, didn't go so well. He faced a threat like no other, who threatened everything he loved. Kaldera, slave of Proxima Midnight, was sent to Earth to kill Sam because of his title as Nova. She offered Sam the choice of Brakk-Tar, meaning a battle without using any powers nor weapons. He agreed and went by her rules, until she called his mom a "cow". After insulting her and calling her a bully, he decided to not fight fair and used his powers to fight her. In a desperate plan to escape, Kaldera teleported herself back into Thanos' Ship and Nova followed. He won and Kaldera was sent off far away from Earth while Sam was reunited with his family and team members.[20]

New Warriors[]

In the wake of the Kaldera incident, Sam's arrogance grew, making up exaggerated stories of how he was granted the Silver Surfer's surfboard and then high-handedly defeated Doctor Doom after he wiped out all the Avengers and X-Men with Mjolnir, Thor's hammer, to impress his mother and prove her restrictions on his dual life were completely unnecessary. He also brushed off the newly reformed New Warriors as a bunch of nobodies who were beneath someone of his talents. After that, his mom let both Justice and Speedball rest at his house until they could decide who else to recruit into their team, making him very annoyed. He became even more aggravated when his crush, Carrie, came over to confirm her suspicions about Sam being Nova. He was going to tell her she was correct until she cut him off and made it seem like Sam didn't trust her. Carrie then ran away from Sam and he felt like everybody was suddenly changing. Sam was so angry that he flew to the moon to find Uatu, the only person who he felt comfortable talking to. After venting his frustrations and demanding any form of guidance, the Watcher showed him visions of his predecessor Richard Rider and how he grew from an upstart hero like Sam, to a founding member of the original New Warriors, and to the hero of the Annihilation War. Uatu also showed him how the Avengers neglected Richard Rider and the New Warriors needed him. Sam being put on the spot by Uatu realized his wrongs and went back to his mother and agreed to all her conditions and officially joined the New Warriors as a reserve member.[21]

Finding the Missing Nova Corps[]

Samuel Alexander (Earth-616) from Nova Vol 5 10 002

Sam Alexander becoming blind

Sam was later seen responding to a distress call, he rescued a starship from hostile forces and escorted them back to their homeworld. Meanwhile, Sam's mom and principal were talking about Sam's tendency to not show up to school. The principal also told her that the house won't be getting anymore money from her husband because he hadn't been showing up to school either. While flying home Sam experienced some problems. He quickly sped up and began to become blind until he crashed into Earth.[21] Sam was then escorted to Doctor Kettlewell's office by his mother. Dr. Kettlewell assured Sam he wasn't blind, but was having optical migraines due to the amount of hits he had taken to his head. Sam then returned to school, only to get into another fight with Karl and wind up in the principal's office again. He was let off with a warning and returned to his next class when he started to experience his "blindness" again. He realized it was a map of some sort and shouted with joy, unaware of where he was at the moment. His teacher sent him to see Principal Philbin again. He realized detention wasn't working for Sam and instead made him join the chess team. Sam joined and sat through a "boring" lesson on pawns by Mrs. Schaefer and then left home in a hurry. The first chance he got, Sam flew off to find out what the map was for.[22]

Samuel Alexander (Earth-616) from Nova Vol 5 11 001

Sam Alexander viewing his map of lost Novas

After tracking down one of the coordinates, Sam encountered the corpse of K'thol, a former gold dome. He was quickly attacked by alien spiders and was able to fend them off until he grabbed K'thol's Nova helmet. A message was sent to Sam about his cause of death and how these very spiders killed K'thol for no reason. Infuriated, Sam struck all the spiders down and continued on his journey to locate all other Novas and uncover the truth of the missing corps. Unknown to Sam, by playing K'thol's message, Nova bounty hunter, Cadivan, found him on his radar and started planning to attack him and add another helmet to his collection.[22] After tracking down one of Cad's Nova Helmets, Nova went face to face with man responsible for killing countless Novas. After being deemed unworthy of battling, Cadivan sent Sam away from his ship and within seconds Nova was tasked with intercepting a distress call.[23]

Captain Skaarn[]

Samuel Alexander (Earth-616) from Nova Vol 5 12 001

Sam finds the Novamobile

After following the distress signal to its origin, Sam found a huge Nova ship that was being attacked by unknown ships. After disarming the ships, Sam boarded the spacecraft and was surprised to find no Novas. Instead, he found Captain Skaarn who was thankful for Nova coming and rescuing him and claimed to be in his debt so stood there to answer any questions he may had. Captain Skaarn also told Sam how his "battery" was fried and needed a jump-start to start moving again and then took Sam to see what the problem was. Sam was startled when he found another dead Nova, as the battery. The Nova was attacked by a microscopic infection and although his mind was dead, his body lived on. Captain Skaarn's Tinkerer was able to send an electrical impulse throughout the Nova's body, thus powering the ship, however, as his flesh decayed so did his ability to power the ship.[23]

Samuel Alexander (Earth-616) from Nova Vol 5 12 002

Nova powering the Novamobile

Nova originally rejected the suggestion that he powered the ship, but after being swayed by Skaarn's "daughter", Jinin, he agreed to do it and was successful. After Sam left, Skaarn then gave Jinin her food for pretending to be his daughter, but tricked her by throwing her in his slave pit where they all attacked her for her food. Afterwards, Beta Ray Bill was revealed to have been on board Gron's ship and Captain Skaarn and his crew were evil and because Nova helped them and defeated the good guys, Beta Ray Bill swore to end Sam.[23]

After tracking Sam down to his school, Beta Ray Bill broke up a fight between him and Karl. Freaked out, Karl ran away and hit his head on a light pole. Taking his frightfulness as him knowing he did something wrong, Beta Ray Bill assumed he was the Black Nova whom saved Skaarn. While Beta Ray Bill was distracted Sam was able to put on his helmet and attacked Beta Ray Bill.[7]

Samuel Alexander (Earth-616) and Beta Ray Bill (Earth-616) from Nova Vol 5 13

Sam fighting Beta Ray Bill

During their fight Sam realized Captain Skaarn was evil and swore to Beta Ray Bill he didn't know this and demanded he joined him to stop Captain Skaarn. Sam, however, had to babysit Kaelynn while his mother had her first day of work. So he got Carrie to do it for him while him and Beta Ray Bill went looking for Captain Skaarn.[7]

When asked by Sam where he was headed, Skaarn had previously said "nowhere", according to the young Nova who thought that the captain was not being forthcoming in his answer. Beta Ray Bill, though, realized that Skaarn was actually on his way to Knowhere, the scientific observatory built inside the severed head of a Celestial at the end of the universe. Instructing Sam to stay put outside, Beta Ray Bill went inside looking for Skaarn. While bargaining for a giant War Bringer, Skaarn was confronted by Beta Ray Bill after shooting the War Bringer's owner. Threatening to kill his prisoners, the Korbinites, Beta Ray Bill agreed to withdraw. Outside, Sam battled and defeated a War Bringer after which he and Beta Ray Bill took Skaarn to his ship. Skaarn teleported Beta Ray Bill to another realm. Sam, however, managed to stay behind, by projecting an image of himself, tricking Skaarn into believing that he also was sent away. While trying to figure out a way to bring his ally back, Sam heard a voice inside his head that lead him to an injured Cosmo, the psychic dog that is in charge of security for Knowhere.[24]

Skaarn (Earth-616), Beta Ray Bill (Earth-616), and Samuel Alexander (Earth-616) from Nova Vol 5 15 001

They were too late

After rushing the poisoned Cosmo to the infirmary, Sam managed to save him using the Nova Force. Sam then hurried to confront Captain Skaarn, who just thirty seconds earlier left Knowhere leaving behind three rogue Spaceknights, known as the "Disavowed of Galadoria". Planning to rob a secret weapons vault, the knights were to teleport directly into the vault using the Continuum Cortex while Skaarn launched an assault head-on. Sam fights the knights and teleported them to the Cortex' last used coordinates where Beta Ray Bill is. With Skaarn's assault on the vault still 8 hours away, Sam uses the Continuum Cortex to get back to Arizona, and his school, to avoid getting suspended. Back on Knowhere, Sam reunites with Beta Ray Bill and teleported to the vault, but realizing that they're too late, as Captain Skaarn somehow has managed to take over the vault.[25] While Beta Ray Bill tried rescuing the Korbinites, Sam took Skaarn on alone. After threatening Sam's world, Sam became enraged and gave Skaarn everything he had. He imagined Skaarn was Moffet and attacked him until he believed he was dead. He took his sword and threw it into a dying star, thinking it would simply destroy it. After Beta Ray Bill heard this he quickly searched for it and recovered it before it fell into the wrong hands again. Sam then took the almost dead captain to Cadivan who in return gave him his helmet. Jinin who expected Sam to make money off the bounty hunter was very upset with Sam for doing that. She smacked him and claimed that he made a new enemy. Sam then went to the site where it all happened and made a tribute to the dead Nova who powered Captain Skaarn's ship.[26]

Back Home[]

Samuel Alexander (Earth-616) from Nova Vol 5 17 001

Kaelynn with the Nova Helmet

Glad it was all over, Sam returned home only to be devastated with the news that his family would lose their home.[26] Sam tried to help his mom out with money in any way possible. He crafted a boulder made of a solid gold for her to sell, but his plan backfired when the boulder began emitting radioactive energy and ruining her crops. After constantly trying to help his mom, he agreed to watch Kaelynn while she worked. In his sleep, Kaelynn picked up his Nova Helmet and put it on. After making a large sound and breaking the wall, Sam calmed her down and took the helmet back. He was able to convince her that the wall was broken already and she hurried off to bed.

After his mom's return, they had a huge fight and Sam flies away in anger. His mom tried to warn him that the neighborhood watch was trying to catch him, but was too late to catch Sam before he left. Sam saved an oil rig from a bad fire and saved an old man and woman from imminent death before returning home. Sam and his mom exchanged secrets of the eviction notice on the house and that the neighborhood watch is after Sam and eventually made up. Sam told his mom that he knew that Jesse was alive and that next time he saw the Watcher that he will find out where he is.[27]

High Evolutionary[]

Evolutionaries, Herbert Wyndham (Earth-616), and Samuel Alexander (Earth-616) from New Warriors Vol 5 1 001

High Evolutionary attacking Nova

While the High Evolutionary was capturing heroes from all over, he encountered Sam. He rendered Sam unconscious and was very pleased that he was able to catch a Nova.[5] When Sam woke up, the Evolutionary conversed with him and declared that a human Nova was his only chance at saving humanity. The Evolutionary had originally thought that humanity should artificially evolve and strove towards that end, but had been recently convinced that that wasn't the case: apparently the Celestials had their own plan for humanity's evolution and would eradicate all life should they judged it had gone astray in any way. To avoid that, he had reconfigured his first machine to eliminate all "impure" humans that were "threatening humanity's future" with their mere existence. Sam's helmet's Worldmind was needed to focus the machine on all super-powered life on Earth so they could be given the mercy of a quick and painless death.[28]

Sam and the High Evolutionary's conversation was cut short when they were interrupted by his Evolutionaries. They came with Scarlet Spider, Hummingbird, and Water Snake, all unconscious.

Kaine Parker (Earth-616), Samuel Alexander (Earth-616), and Evolutionaries from New Warriors Vol 5 3 001

"I am the help."

After mistaking Scarlet Spider for Spider-Man several times, Kaine was able to talk to the spiders in the High Evolutionary's base and get them free. Barely given a second to plan a strategy, the Evolutionaries attacked and Sam was asked to go off for help and warn the world. Letting his ego get the better of him, Sam ditched his quest and came back claiming to be all the help they needed.[29] After being overrun with Evolutionaries, Justice and Speedball came, with new heroes Sun Girl and Mark. They quickly gained the upper hand, but lost it just as fast when the High Evolutionary rendered Sam unconscious. Sam being the only one who knew how his machine worked made them useless for when he activated it. Everyone on the team was quickly dying, except for Sun Girl, the only one without natural powers. She blasted the High Evolutionary and his machine, saving the day and prompting the High Evolutionary and his remaining Evolutionaries to retreat. Afterwards, everyone else was offered a place on the team and Sam went back home.[30]

After the fight against the High Evolutionary, the New Warriors went up against many other foes such as demons, The Avengers and Lash's Inhuman Tribe.[31] For all of these missions Sam was absent due to personal problems and was only able to show up at the end when everything was solved. Sam went to their home base where he saw that Speedball had left him a message saying he sucked.[32] Following that, the team got out to Prague to relax at a nightclub bar while Justice was trying to convince Scarlet Spider to remain in the team. They were denied entrance because of Sam's clear underage appearance until Hummingbird enthusiastically "mindblasted" the bar's bouncer with her mysterious Aztec demigod powers.[33]

Aracely Penalba (Earth-616) and Samuel Alexander (Earth-616) from New Warriors Vol 5 11

Speedball's assessment of Nova and Hummingbird

As the High Evolutionary set to once more annihilate the super-powered population of Earth, the New Warriors attacked his flying base ship by surprise. With great coordination, they were able to stop him, but not without losing one of their own in the process. But just as they were wrapping things up, the Eternals arrived.[34] Their leader Zuras instructed the other Eternals into helping the High Evolutionary. Sam and the rest of the New Warriors were paralyzed, watching aghast as Scarlet Spider was mercilessly beaten until Speedball courageously lead them to counter-attack. Sam battled one of the Eternals inside and outside the ship and managed to thoroughly and impressively defeat her. Nevertheless, by the time he returned to the ship, the rest of the New Warriors were lying on the ground and he was quickly overpowered by all the other enemies. The team was put in a new version of the High Evolutionary's machine to feed their individual energy and genetic signatures to it.[4]

Herbert Wyndham (Earth-616) and Samuel Alexander (Earth-616) from New Warriors Vol 5 11

As the machine activated and its energy wave swiped Earth to kill all super-powered off-shoots of humanity, Hummingbird revealed that there was actually no Celestials coming up to judge Earth: during the fight she had seen in Zuras' mind that he had lied to everyone about the Celestial's intentions. But restrained as they were, the team was unable to act on this information while Zuras managed to silence them or deflect any suspicion of his persona from his peers.[35]

Samuel Alexander (Earth-616) and New Warriors (Earth-616) and Eternals (Earth-616) from New Warriors Vol 5 12

Sam telling everyone what's going on

However, Justice, who had been dealt with separately from the rest of the team, returned to the fight and freed his teammates, damaging the High Evolutionary's machine in the process. Justice then convinced the rest of the Eternals and the High Evolutionary that Zuras had indeed been lying. The leader of the Eternals was forced to admit the Celestials weren't coming, albeit blaming the attempted genocide entirely on the High Evolutionary with the excuse "he had been tricked by him too" and conveniently silencing his unwitting pawn with an energy blast before the High Evolutionary could defend himself from this accusation. Amid lingering suspicion, the Eternals left, warned by the New Warriors not to come back. Sam is then seen happily walking away with the rest of his teammates from the crashed ship, throwing his helmet to the air in celebration of their victory.[35]

Original Sin[]

After stopping Tomazooma, the Avengers praise Sam for his efforts and Sam asks them about Uatu. After being told about Uatu's actions, Sam decides to visit him and ask the questions has in mind. He then rushes to Uatu on the moon who shows Sam why he only watches, and then tells Sam that his father is alive.[36]

Samuel Alexander (Earth-616) from Original Sin Vol 1 0 001

Sam finding out his dad is alive

Sam flies home where he and his family pay respects at the tribute Sam made towards all the deceased Novas. After this he goes to visit Uatu to gain further knowledge of his dad's whereabouts. He finds the Watcher dead and took off, passing by some Avengers on the way. When he finally lands in New York he sees all the superheroes fighting Exterminatrix, and hundreds of Mindless Ones. Right when it was Sam's time to shine and stop her he froze and all the other superheroes got a crack of her before he could even move a muscle. While standing there in self pity, The Orb released one of the Watcher's eyes and watched as every superhero was told on powerful sin relating to them. For Sam, he saw two Novas fighting and then one of them summon a silhouette of another Nova who killed the other one. This shaded Nova was revealed to be Sam's father, Jesse Alexander. Jesse was approached by Adomox, who congratulated him on his work. Sam was distraught and realized he couldn't wear his Nova Helmet anymore.[37] After wallowing in self pity for a while, Sam decided it was better if he flew away to find answers. He met up with Rocket Raccoon and together went to visit Adomox for the truth. Adomox set off the alarm and released a poison into the air that only he had the cure for. Meanwhile, Adomox told Sam stories of the Supernovas to stall him and let the poison make its way into them. He told him that the Supernovas were formed on the belief that the Nova Corps wasn't strong enough. The Supernovas stole the Nova Corps' power for their own selfish desires. After stalling for long enough he revealed to them the poison he let out. He told them that if they wanted to live that they would reprogram an old helmet so he can get his powers back.[38] Sam made his way to the station where Adomox told him he could reconfigure a Nova helmet. In the same place Sam found all Nova service records, including the one that proved his dad's innocence. Sam also packed the Nova helmet with some weapons that when someone other than Sam put it on they would get electrocuted. After Adomox laid on the floor in pain, Sam demanded the location of the antidote for the poison. After he refused to give it up, Sam's old friend Cosmo came in and read Adomox's mind for the serum. After curing him Sam saw his dad's current status on a planet called Chitauri Prime where he was a gladiator and fought in a coliseum for the Chitauri's amusement.[39]

AXIS[]

Sam was among the heroes present during the battle against Red Onslaught after he used his powers to spread hate across the world.[40] Days later, Captain America called a meeting in the Avengers Tower and gathered all the heroes who were or had been Avengers. Informing the guests about the Red Skull's disappearance, Captain America told them that only somebody with Avengers clearance would be able to free him and everyone in the room was a suspect. Spider-Man's spider-sense triggered, and he quickly escaped Stark Tower through the window, yelling at Sam to fly them to safety, but they were attacked by Queen Medusa and Captain America. Spider-Man and Nova managed to escape with the help of Magneto. He then took Spider-Man and Nova to the Avengers Mansion, where Steve Rogers informed them about the effects of the inversion, including Kluh's rampage across Arizona. Without thinking, Sam took off to confront him.[41]

Sam arrived in Carefree and engaged in combat against Kluh. Kluh attempted to bite off Sam's arm before being blasted up the nose. Irritated, Kluh hit Nova so hard he crossed the Atlantic and crashed head-first into the Eiffel Tower and continued his rampage.[42]

Post-AXIS[]

After learning that Sam's mother works at a local diner, Carnage took her hostage there in order to get his attention, but, tired of waiting, he decided to kill her. Sam arrived before he could do so and took him away from the diner to an empty area in order not to hurt anyone. While fighting, Nova tried to convince him that he wasn't Sam Alexander, but the maniac didn't believe him. After being wounded by the Nova Force, Carnage fled in order to heal as the police arrived. In the next day, already healed from his burns, Carnage attacked Sam again, this time at his school.[43]

While attacking Sam at school, Carnage saw another person as Nova flying around the area, thus making it impossible for the boy to be Nova (unbeknownst to him, that was Sam's younger sister wearing his helmet while carrying their mother). Enraged, Carnage followed the false Nova, but lost sight of her. He then started to attack innocent people to try and get Nova's attention, which he got. A new battle ensued between them both. Carnage was taken by Nova to the sky and then punched him into the parking lot below, the impact setting off the cars' alarms, dizzying Cletus and the symbiote. Realizing Carnage's weakness to high sounds, Sam threw Carnage into an Anthrax show nearby, a heavy metal band which Cletus was a fan of. As the symbiote screamed in pain, Cletus fled from there to the road, but was attacked by Nova again. He threw a car at Sam, who caught it midair, and took advantage of it to punch him. Ready to finish off his opponent, Carnage was hit by a truck. He was then tied in metal plates by Sam and left by his symbiote as he revealed he wanted to kill Nova because he wanted to erase any memory of his good deeds, from the time he had his moral axis inverted, from anyone who remembered it. He was left by Sam in Ryker's Island.[44]

Black Vortex[]

On an adventure with the Guardians of the Galaxy and the X-Men, the group discovered an ancient artifact known as the Black Vortex, which enhanced the abilities of the user. After the destruction of Hala, and in an attempt to keep it from Thane, Mister Knife, and the Slaughter Lords, Nova took the Black Vortex back to his apartment on Earth. However, his sister tried to take the Black Vortex. After this, and after the Collector showed up at his doorstep, Nova decided the Black Vortex wasn't safe on Earth. He took it to Spartax to look for the Guardians and the X-Men, but was captured by Thane and had the Black Vortex taken from him.[45]

Joining the Champions[]

For a brief time, Nova became a member of the Avengers alongside other two teenager superheroes, Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel.[46] Sam's relationship with Ms. Marvel was particularly rocky at the start, since when they first teamed-up, Sam backpedaled rudely on revealing his identity to her.[47] In a short time, the three young heroes became close friends.[48][49] Following the second superhuman civil war, Nova, Spider-Man, and Ms. Marvel quit the Avengers, feeling that the team wasn't living up to their standards. They founded the Champions, a group of proactive teenage heroes that wished to foster a better tomorrow through hope and wisdom.[50]

When the recently-reinstated Nova Corps confronted the Chitauri warlord Warbringer to protect the Power Stone in Xitaung,[51] they sent a distress call to all Novas. Sam received the message, and the Champions convinced him to let them join him in answering the call. The young heroes intercepted Warbringer in Chitauri Prime, where he attempted to carry out a genocide against the members of his own race loyal to the throne usurper, Thanos. The Champions decided to prevent the mass-murder of the Chitauri despite the fact they were evil,[8] and managed to defeat Warbringer. Unfortunately, when the Champions handed over Warbringer to the Nova Corps, Nova's helmet was confiscated by Commander Scott Adsit.[52]

Master of Weirdworld[]

Nova sunk into a depressive state following the loss of his helmet. He remained with the Champions and tagged along in their adventures despite his inability to jump into action.[53] While on a mission in Tanzania, the Champions encountered the Man-Thing, and during the confrontation, Sam and the Wasp were dragged through the Nexus of All Realities into Weirdworld.[54] They landed amnesiac and transmuted by the land's magic, with Sam gaining the ability to channel the power of rare energy crystals. The two young heroes were tracked down by the Master of the World, a villain of the Champions who was keeping track of the team's activities and investigated Sam and Nadia's disappearance.[55] The Master of the World took them under his wing, employing Sam's power to explore Weirdworld in a journey of conquest, and becoming a father figure to him. Sam became the Master's loyal apprentice, Nova Knight.[55]

When the rest of the Champions arrived at Weirdworld, they intercepted the Master of the World's attack on a crystal deposit that he intended to use to force his will on the land. During the battle, Ironheart convinced Sam to renounce his powers and identity as Nova Knight, returning to his normal self. Following the Master of the World's escape, the Champions were returned home by the Man-Thing.[2]

The Return of Nova[]

By the time the Champions expanded into a worldwide initiative, Amadeus had taught Sam to pilot the Champions Mobile Bunker to be of use for the team, but he remained disgruntled by the loss of his powers.[56] When Kaldera returned to Earth to have a rematch against Sam and found him powerless, she offered to help Sam retrieve it from the Nova Corps.[57] The duo infiltrated the Spirit of Xandar, but discovered Sam's helmet had been returned to Earth during the Thieves Guild mass heist on the superhuman community,[58] and it was since then in storage at a military base in Iowa.

When Sam and Kaldera arrived at the base, it happened to have become the scene of a confrontation between the Champions and the Freelancers. While Kaldera unwittingly joined forces with the Champions to take down the Freelancers, Sam snuck into the base and retrieved his helmet. With his powers as Nova returned, Sam confronted Kaldera, but decided to cut their fight short by trapping her in a force field, expressing that securing her was more important than either her honor or his pride since she was a murderer. The Nova Corps arrived shortly afterwards, and detained her. Adsit attempted to lay claim to Sam's helmet again, but Sam stood his ground, forcing Adsit to leave with his hands empty.[1]

Personality

Sam was a disbeliever, thinking his dad's stories of being an intergalactic policeman were nothing but nonsense and subsequently viewing his dad as a loser. Despite this, he still cared for his father. Sam, being only 16 years old, is still a child and acts immaturely in some situations. He also is very arrogant due to his powerful abilities.[citation needed]

Attributes

Power Grid[82]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Some Training:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/Multiple Types:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Superhuman:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Warp:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Supersonic:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Superhuman (75-100 ton):Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Super-Genius:Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Normal

Powers

Sam has shown the ability to see the map of dead Novas even without his helmet, though it is unknown if he has any direct connection to the Nova Force.[22]

Abilities

Sam can speak some Spanish due to his mother using the language frequently.[10] He has also started to teach himself Morse Code, though his understanding of it is still imperfect.[citation needed]

Weaknesses

His powers are dependent on his Helmet.[citation needed]

  • Since his battle with Kluh, he suffers memory disorders.[59]

Paraphernalia

Equipment

  • Avengers ID Card, granting him a Full Security Clearance.[60] It's unknown if he still has the ID Card in his possession following his departure from the Avengers.[50]
  • Nova Helmet: His helmet grants him these powers and abilities because of its access to the Nova Force:
    • Flight: As Nova, Sam is able to fly at great speeds beyond escape velocity and past lightspeed. Able to fly from galaxy to galaxy under his own power.[26]
    • Energy Manipulation:
      Nova Force from Nova Vol 5 9 0001

      Sam compiling the Nova Force into a ball and firing it at Kaldera.

      Like most Novas, Sam is able concentrate the power of the Nova Force into a beam or a ball of energy and fire it from his hands. He can also utilize the energies he generates to create protective or reflective force fields,[23] power star-ships,[23] focus it into an energy razor capable of decimating ships,[23] amplify his own striking power by covering blows in nova force energy or even his whole body with said energy to strike like a cannon round,[20][37][61] detect and remove toxic elements within a living being,[25] and much like his predecessor; the ability to create hyperspace portals which shorten the distance between different points in the universe.[62]
      • Molecular Acceleration: During battle with a War Bringer robot on Knowhere, Nova utilized his nova force energy in the most creative way, taking a bunch of cables from the Celestial head and supercharging them with his power turning them into a hyper-charged guillotine.[24]
      • Solid Energy Constructs/Simulated Telekinesis: While training with Gamora and Rocket Raccoon, Sam was able to move Rocket Raccoon's favorite gun with his mind. This power seems limited and he is the only Nova ever shown to use this power.[10] He also has shown telekinetic capabilities when he used telekinesis to knock over the Hulk during a camping trip.[63]
    • Superhuman Strength: Sam has access to the same strength as that of a centurion from the Nova Corps. Possibly more since he has the share hold of the Nova Force within his helmet, with this strength he has lifted a large metal pillar,[18] and a train car,[27] helped Beta Ray Bill stabilize a descending cargo ship the size of a city,[7] and carried around a boulder of condensed solid gold created from the heart of a supernova.[27] According to himself, Nova can bench roughly 30 tons.[64]
    • Superhuman Speed: Nova can move at incredible velocities even while running, concentrating his speed mostly on flight though, but more than able to move through the galaxy and back to earth with utmost ease.[26] Nova can leave the atmosphere of a planet very quickly,[3] travel across the country,[17] fly into space,[21] fly from Arizona to Alaska, while carrying a car,[42] move faster than the speed of sound,[42] and can allegedly fly a hemisphere in a few seconds.[16] Sam is able to use his speed especially in flight to exceed the speed of light to enter Hyperspace, for example he flew over a parsec - 80,000 light-years away, in a relatively short period of time.[14][15] His helmet augments his reaction time so he can react at superluminal speeds (during flight),[15] he can also make very tight corners while flying,[18] and can easily avoid the shots of Titus' automatic weapon and blocks 4 more shots,[13] Titanis was unable to tag him.[4]
    • Superhuman Durability: As a Nova, Sam has an uncanny amount of resistance to abrasion and concussive force. Sam has been hit by superhuman strength blows from the likes of; Gamora,[10] Ms. Marvel,[65] Annihilus,[66] Beta Ray Bill with Stormbreaker,[7] a Cancerverse infected Richard Rider,[67] and having once been knocked halfway across the world by Hulk's evil Kluh persona, from which he only suffered a concussion.[68] He regularly flies at Hyperspace speeds and has re-entered Earth's atmosphere from deep space,[69] and can take crashing through an airplane, multiple buildings and streets,[70][15] and is not overly harmed when hit by concussive blasts from incredibly powerful entities, relics, and war engines.[24] Other examples of Sam's durability include being slammed into the ground, creating a small crater,[71] crashing into the moon at speeds well in excess of escape velocity,[3] when his helmet wasn't fully functional, he still survived a crash landing,[21] took a hit that sent him through a metal wall,[25] when already significantly injured and his powers were on the fritz, he withstood a fall from orbit.[59] Sam was also to blocks a sword strike from Gamora,[10] blasts from Rocket Raccoons energy pistol,[10] and received fire from Titus' automatic weapon at point-black range,[72] a venom sting from Miles Morales,[65] a lightning strike from Beta Ray Bill,[7] and an energy blast from a Chitauri ship.[73] Sam even managed to survive unharmed a bombardment at ground zero - which destroyed planet Hala,[74] that just left him unconscious - just a short time.[45] Sam is immune to most forms of heat and radiation such as re-entering the orbit of a planet,[10][14][70][15][21] heat blasts,[25] an energy explosion from Warbringer at point-black range,[75] and has withstood plunges into stars.[76]
    • Xandarian Worldmind: His helmet carries the remnants of what's left of the Nova Corps' Xandarian Worldmind, as such, through the device Sam is bestowed a plethora of unique attributes such as;[77]
      • Universal Translation: The helmet can make any alien species' language appear to him as English.[63]
      • Cosmic Awareness: Sam's Nova helmet flashes him different colors to depict different scenarios. It also allows him knowledge of most situations going on near him.[78]
      • Enhanced Intellect: Through the helmet's Worldmind, Sam gains a vast increase in cognitive capacity, filling his mind with knowledge and understanding about the universe as a whole and the scores of countless alien societies and cultures living within it.[11]
      • Hard-Light Holographic Projection: Sam has shown he can use a combination of the Nova Force and the Xandarian Worldmind to create convincing visual displays.[24]
      • Cosmic Atlas: The helmet acts as a universal positioning system that enables Samuel to find his way around the galaxy as well as discern the location of just about anything the helmet picks up on like fallen nova sightings, distress signals, and foreign elements in a living body.[22][23][79]
      • Affiliate Recognition: Able to discern certain individuals from around the universe and their current affiliations.[15]

Transportation

Flight under his own power

Notes

Trivia

  • He enjoys listening to dubstep music and watching SportsCenter on ESPN.[15]
  • Sam also seems to be a fan of Snickers candy bars and "the Cardinals", which may be the Arizona Cardinals football team considering Arizona is the state he was born in.[15]
  • Jeph Loeb named Sam after his son, who had died of bone cancer at the age of 17.[citation needed]
  • Sam is very possessive of his Nova Corps helmet because when his father, Jesse, "died" all Sam had left was his helmet. He expresses the most care for it in Avengers vs. X-Men #1, where his last conscious thought is that they can't take off the helmet, and in Marvel NOW! Point One #1. where Diamondhead's comment about taking the helmet as a trophy is what pushes Sam to keep on fighting.
  • Nova fans are often referred to as "NovaNauts"[19] and "Novanators"[7] in the solicitations for the series' issues.
  • After getting shot in Champions (Vol. 2) #20, Sam's bullet wound itches.
  • Sam is a member of the Forums social media network.[80]
    • He also has a Roxx On! app.[9]

See Also

Links and References

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Champions (Vol. 3) #8
  2. 2.0 2.1 Champions (Vol. 2) #27
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Nova (Vol. 5) #2
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 New Warriors (Vol. 5) #11
  5. 5.0 5.1 New Warriors (Vol. 5) #1
  6. 6.0 6.1 Nova (Vol. 5) #1
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Nova (Vol. 5) #13.NOW
  8. 8.0 8.1 Infinity Countdown: Champions #1
  9. 9.0 9.1 Champions (Vol. 4) #7
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 Nova (Vol. 5) #3
  11. 11.0 11.1 Avengers NOW! #1
  12. Nova (Vol. 5) #4
  13. 13.0 13.1 Nova (Vol. 5) #5
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Point One #1
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 Avengers vs. X-Men: Infinite #1
  16. 16.0 16.1 Avengers vs. X-Men #12
  17. 17.0 17.1 Nova (Vol. 5) #6
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 Nova (Vol. 5) #7
  19. 19.0 19.1 Nova (Vol. 5) #8
  20. 20.0 20.1 Nova (Vol. 5) #9
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 Nova (Vol. 5) #10
  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Nova (Vol. 5) #11
  23. 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 23.6 Nova (Vol. 5) #12
  24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 Nova (Vol. 5) #14
  25. 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Nova (Vol. 5) #15
  26. 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 Nova (Vol. 5) #16
  27. 27.0 27.1 27.2 Nova (Vol. 5) #17
  28. New Warriors (Vol. 5) #2
  29. New Warriors (Vol. 5) #3
  30. New Warriors (Vol. 5) #4
  31. New Warriors (Vol. 5) #68
  32. New Warriors (Vol. 5) #8
  33. New Warriors (Vol. 5) #9
  34. New Warriors (Vol. 5) #10
  35. 35.0 35.1 New Warriors (Vol. 5) #12
  36. Original Sin #0
  37. 37.0 37.1 Nova (Vol. 5) #18
  38. Nova (Vol. 5) #19
  39. Nova (Vol. 5) #20
  40. Avengers & X-Men: AXIS #1
  41. Avengers & X-Men: AXIS #5
  42. 42.0 42.1 42.2 Nova (Vol. 5) #23
  43. Nova (Vol. 5) #26
  44. Nova (Vol. 5) #27
  45. 45.0 45.1 Nova (Vol. 5) #28
  46. All-New, All-Different Avengers #3
  47. All-New, All-Different Avengers #1
  48. Nova (Vol. 6) #3
  49. Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #8
  50. 50.0 50.1 Champions (Vol. 2) #1
  51. Infinity Countdown #1
  52. Infinity Countdown: Champions #2
  53. Champions (Vol. 2) #22
  54. Champions (Vol. 2) #23
  55. 55.0 55.1 Champions (Vol. 2) #26
  56. Champions (Vol. 3) #1
  57. Champions (Vol. 3) #4
  58. Champions (Vol. 3) #7
  59. 59.0 59.1 Nova (Vol. 5) #24
  60. Nova (Vol. 5) #25
  61. Nova (Vol. 5) #30
  62. Nova (Vol. 5) #1415
  63. 63.0 63.1 Champions (Vol. 2) #2
  64. Avengers #672
  65. 65.0 65.1 Champions (Vol. 3) #9
  66. All-New, All-Different Avengers #12
  67. Nova (Vol. 7) #7
  68. Nova (Vol. 5) #22
  69. Point One
  70. 70.0 70.1 Avengers vs. X-Men #1
  71. Nova (Vol. 6) #6
  72. Nova (Vol. 5) #45
  73. Nova (Vol. 5) #34
  74. Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 3) #25
  75. All-New, All-Different Avengers #2
  76. Nova (Vol. 5) #31
  77. Nova (Vol. 6) #1011
  78. Nova (Vol. 6) #10
  79. Nova Annual (Vol. 2) #1
  80. Secret Warriors (Vol. 2) #8
  81. Avengers NOW! #1
  82. Avengers NOW! Vol 1 1
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