EARTH-821236What if Nova had not given up his powers?
EARTH-821236
What if Nova had not given up his
powers?
Type: Divergent Earth
Environment: Essentially Earth-like
Usual means of access: Presumably vibrational
attunement
Dominant Life Forms: Same as Earth-616
(notably humans, Xandarians, Dire Wraiths, Skrulls)
Significant Inhabitants: Champions of Xandar (Centurion, Comet, Powerhouse, Protector), Factor X, Nova (Richard Rider)
First Appearance: What If...? I#36/2
(December, 1982)
History:
(What If...? I#36/2 (fb)) - The human Richard Rider,
energized with alien Xandarian Nova power, fought villains on Earth and
alongside heroes, and helped save Xandar from Skrull invasion beside
the Champions of Xandar (Comet, Crimebuster, Powerhouse, Protector,
Tanak Valt). With the alien threat routed, Protector demanded Rider
surrender the Nova powers so that they stay to protect Xandar.
(What If...? I#36/2) - However, Rider defied this
order, citing his bravery as Nova and that the power gave him self-worth. Rider
stayed on Xandar for almost a year. He increasingly missed Earth and
his family, so he stealthily used a teleporter to land back on Earth, but
crashed into his parents' house. His family were briefly angry because
of the long absence of contact and the impact quickly drew neighbors'
attention. The eccentric android Factor X stepped in and warned that an
alien ship had arrived (the Xandarian Primeship under orders of
Xandarian ruler Adora). The Champions of Xandar (Centurion, Comet,
Powerhouse and Protector) beamed down and asked for the Nova powers to
be returned. Richard's mother questioned his selfishness at his
continued refusal and his desire to be a local hero. Nova resorted to
violence, rocketing at the Champions, who teamed up in a coordinated
effort to overpower him, but it yielded only a stalemate and considerable
damage. It was Richard's family's plea to stop the neighborhood
destruction that gave him pause. He renounced heroics and agreed to
pass the Nova power to Centurion. Once complete, the Champions left,
declaring Richard would be remembered as a hero while the Rider family
welcomed him home.
Comments: Created by Bill Mantlo & Mike Vosburg.
This reality diverged when Richard Rider refused to
relinquish the Nova force and fled to Earth instead of having them
taken from him by Protector, as shown in Rom I#24 (also written by Bill
Mantlo).
Not an epic galaxy-spanning tale, but an important
personal journey. In retrospect, ultimately not a huge divergence,
unless ALL of Rider's Nova force was drained with nothing residual left
to re-power him later for the New Warriors.
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Earth-821236 has no known connections to:
The alien Centurion (Tanak Valt) was a member of the
Champions of
Xandar who pursued Nova (Richard Rider) to take back the Xandarian Nova
power so that it could be used to safeguard Xandar. Nova refused their
request to return the power and instead resorted to violence. Although
Centurion wielded Nova powers too, he was no match for Rider's superior
Nova Prime powers. Centurion joined his teammates in a coordinated
attempt to overpower Nova but yielded only a stalemate and much mayhem.
Nova only paused when he realized the destruction he had caused by
starting the fight. Rider chose to relinquish the Nova power to
Centurion, who then became Nova Prime, and the Champions then left
aboard the Xandarian Primeship to return to Xandar.
--What If...? I#36/2
Factor X was an android with an eccentric "Sherlock
Holmes" design. It was secretly constructed by the villainous Doctor
Sun but made to appear that it was the handiwork of Robbie Rider,
brother to Richard (secretly the heroic Nova energized with alien
Xandarian power) to spy on Nova. But Doctor Sun soon apparently
perished and Factor X was left a free agent. With Richard absent for
about a year, Robbie turned to Factor X as a brother figure and the
android revealed what its initial function had been. When Richard
finally returned, having refused to surrender the Nova power to Xandar,
Factor X helpfully arrived to warn the Rider family of the stealthy approach
of a Xandarian spaceship, which was carrying warriors ordered to take
back Richard's Nova power.
--What If...? I#36/2
Richard Rider was a human who had been given Nova
Prime powers by a dying Xandarian and he became the hero Nova. Supporting
his powers' alien heritage, he later defended Xandar against the aggressive
alien Skrulls alongside the Champions of Xandar. But after the epic
battle, Xandar wanted the Nova powers remain there to safeguard the planet and wanted the powers returned.
Initially, Rider refused as it meant going back to being a regular human
but the powers validated his desire to be a hero, so he remained on
Xandar for about a year. However, he missed Earth and his family, so he
stealthily teleported back to Earth and accidentally crashed into his parents'
house. Xandar's ruler Adora quickly dispatched the Champions (Centurion, Comet,
Powerhouse and Protector) to Earth to confront Rider. Again, Rider
rebuffed the Xandar force and a fight quickly broke out. Nova only
paused when he realized the destruction the battle had caused to his
old neighborhood, so Rider renounced heroics and willingly passed the Nova
powers to Centurion, which left him human once more. The Champions then
left to return to Xandar.
Interestingly, while Rider no longer
wore the Nova helmet after being depowered, he still wore the Nova
uniform, possibly a base fabric replica so he was not left naked.
--What If...? I#36/2
images:
(without ads)
What If...? I#36/2, p12, pan1 (main image)
p17, pan4 (passing of the Nova power)
p10 (Centurion)
p18, pan1 (Centurion as Nova Prime, portrait)
p8, pan1 (Factor X)
p6, pan1 (Nova (Rider))
p2, pan1 (Nova (Rider), headshot)
Appearances:
What If...? I#36/2 (December, 1982) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Mike
Vosburg (pencils & inks), (editor)
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
First posted: 11/09/2025
Last Updated:
11/09/2025
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