The press around Deadpool 3 has focused heavily on the cameos, callbacks, and references packed into the hotly-anticipated sequel. Little is known about the film's narrative. The Merc' with a Mouth's first outing was a straightforward narrative with a traditional villain. His second film escaped that structure by pairing Wade Wilson with anti-hero Cable to stop a potential antagonist from becoming evil. Deadpool 3 will star Emma Corrin in a villainous role, and recent rumors suggest she'll play Cassandra Nova.
Marvel previously received consistent criticism for their villains. It was the most frequently cited knock against the franchise in its early days. Standout examples like Killmonger, Loki, and Thanos silenced many, but countless antagonists fell into the cultural memory hole immediately after their debut. The team behind Deadpool 3 hasn't officially announced their villain yet, but if the rumors are true, they'll introduce the new strangest adversary in the franchise.
Who is Cassandra Nova?
Cassandra Nova Xavier is one of the X-Men's wildest opponents. She is, in a sense, the twin sister of Professor Charles Xavier. The Shi'ar, a race of avian-humanoid aliens, have a mythological concept called a Mummudrai. Also known as the anti-self, the Mummudrai are beings from the astral plane who represent the spiritual opposite of a person. They exist without physical bodies, feeding on their tangible counterparts. Every sentient being must fight and defeat their Mummudrai to be born. Cassandra constructed a body from Charles' DNA using his psychic powers. Despite being a fetus, Charles recognized the evil intent of his new twin sister and eradicated her with his abilities. The doctors declare Cassandra a miscarriage, but her discarded cells gradually build a new physical form over the next several decades. Her only goal was to avenge herself upon Charles Xavier and everything he holds dear.
Cassandra has Professor X's psychic powers, making hers one of the most dangerous minds on Earth. By copying his DNA while in the womb, she also has every potential latent mutation Charles could develop in his life. She has every psychic power worth naming, from telekinesis to telepathy to astral projection. Her Mummudrai physiology grants her further control over DNA. She can copy, alter, destroy, or activate the genetic traits of other sentient beings. Cassandra can unlock latent mutations in herself and others, often offering new superpowers to her subjects. Her considerable control over all living things made her a tremendous threat. Her motivation to wound Charles Xavier pushed her to target the entire mutant species.
When did Cassandra Nova first appear?
Full Name | Cassandra Nova Xavier |
|---|---|
First Appearance | New X-Men Vol 1 #114, May 16th, 2001 |
Creators | Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely |
Most Recent Appearance | Marauders Vol 2 # 10, January 4th, 2023 |
Cassandra Nova first appeared in the first issue of Grant Morrison's three-part "E is for Extinction" event. Her first story depicted her copying Donald Trask III's DNA to arm and control a team of four giant Wild Sentinels. These Sentinels were advanced self-sustaining iterations of the anti-mutant machines developed by the US government. With Trask's DNA, Nova sent her new Sentinels to the mutant homeland, Genosha. They wiped out over sixteen million mutants and reduced the island to rubble. Her genocidal attack was a brutal introduction that only escalated after Cyclops and Wolverine captured her. They dragged her to Xavier's School, where she nearly got her hands on the new mutant-detecting supercomputer, Cerebra. Emma Frost slowed her by breaking her neck. Desperately, she switched minds with Charles Xavier and unloaded a handgun into her old body. With Charles trapped in her dying shell, Cassandra used Charles' body to out the X-Men and leave the planet.
Cassandra is one of the most nightmarishly competent and hateful villains in comic books. Her first attack could have wiped out mutantkind in a single strike. Every subsequent attempt was impressive but far less successful. She dealt significant damage to the Shi'ar Empire, but she was trapped and incarcerated when she arrived on Earth. Cassandra implanted psychic suggestions in the minds of powerful mutants to cause brief attacks, but each ended before causing too much harm. Her last supervillain scheme involved Sentinites, microscopic Sentinel robots that could infect humans, detect mutants, and send their victims into murderous rages. She took over the South Korean military and unleashed her Sentinites to force Jean Grey into war. Grey entreated Tony Stark to create countless copies of Magneto's famous helmet, breaking all of Cassandra's subjects from her control. Cassandra's defeat came when Grey implanted a reprogrammed Sentinite into her brain, forcing her to experience empathy for the first time. Cassandra briefly became a hero to repent for her actions. She joined Kate Pryde's Marauders to help mutant refugees, but Pryde and Emma Frost would never forgive her. They betrayed her, used her, and left her to die in the distant past.
Will Cassandra Nova enter the MCU in Deadpool 3?
Several outlets have speculated that Emma Corrin's villain in Deadpool 3 will be the first on-screen depiction of Cassandra Nova. Daniel Richtman, better known as @DanielRPK on Twitter, is a superhero movie scooper who reports information that very occasionally turns out to be true. Many outlets uncritically reported his suggestion that Corrin will play Nova in the upcoming Deadpool sequel. At the time of writing, no parties involved have offered any evidence or confirmation of that reveal. Since Daniel is often wrong, take that information with a grain of salt. If Corrin does portray Nova, the character's distinct tone might be a new frontier for the MCU.
Cassandra Nova exploded into the comics with a stunning debut that still stands among the genre's most terrifying. She's a threat that could stand at the end of an entire phase of the MCU. She's also obscure enough to be a shocking reveal in Deadpool, and her backstory is grotesque enough to tee up some fun gags. Whether she finds her big-screen debut or not, Cassandra Nova is worth learning about. Fans wouldn't expect the evil twin Charles Xavier killed in the womb to pop up in a major MCU project, and that's why it fits into Deadpool.
