Source: marvel.com
3. Nova (Sam Alexander)
I may be one of the only people on earth who really really likes Richard Rider, aka Nova, The Human Rocket. That Abnett and Lanning run starting just after Annihilation and ending right before Thanos Imperative was one of my favorite monthly comics for years. So when I heard they were giving us a new Nova, I was skeptical. But I decided to give the book a shot, and I was blown away.
Sam Alexander was a bullied kid whose dad was a janitor at his high school. When his dad disappeared, Sam discovered that he was actually a member of the Black Novas, or the Supernovas, an elite branch of the Nova Corps. Sam took the helmet, and became earth’s newest Nova, using much of his time to search for his dad.
Sam eventually ran into the Avengers, just in time to warn them about the oncoming Phoenix Force. After receiving an offer to join the Avengers, Sam instead took some time to himself, although he helped battle Thanos’s generals during Infinity.
Sam worked with the New Warriors and the All-New All-Different Avengers before settling into his current place with the Champions. Sam truly did fly higher and burn brighter than his predecessor.
