Cassandra Nova Xavier was an Omega-level mutant and the twin sister of Charles Xavier. Upon her banishment to the Void by the Time Variance Authority, Nova took a liking to it and gained permission to run her operations there as she pleased, building an armed community of survivors. Nova came into conflict with freshly pruned Deadpool and Wolverine, who were trying to get home, while Nova had no intention of letting them out. When the Resistance successfully disrupted her operations, Nova was betrayed and almost killed by Pyro, but Deadpool and Wolverine saved her life, so she got them out of the Void. Realizing that the TVA and Paradox broke their agreement, Nova followed them out of the Void, intending to use the Time Ripper to eradicate all the realities in the Multiverse besides the Void. Her plan failed, and Nova was atomized by the energy of the Time Ripper when Deadpool and Wolverine overloaded it.
Cassandra Nova was the twin sister of Charles Xavier, trying to strangle him with her umbilical cord while they both were still in the womb.[1] Both twins were born,[2] but before Nova learned how to walk,[1] Xavier tried to psychically kill Nova as he became one of the most powerful mutants of all time. This led to her getting discovered by the Time Variance Authority[3] and sent to the Void by them. Unlike most of the Void inhabitants, Nova took a liking to her new place of living, as she could use her extraordinary powers without any restraint or shame. She rapidly became one of the most formidable entities in the Void, with the only comparable power being the more beastly Alioth, while building a community of other Void survivors based in Giant-Man's corpse.[1] She began finding inhabitants of the Void to psychically torture using her mutant abilities.[3]
Nova's reign over the Void was not without pushback, as some survivors refused to be her slaves and formed the Resistance to overthrow her. However, each and every attempt to take Nova down only resulted in loss and casualties, with Nova personally killing Magneto and destroying his helmet that allowed the wearer to withstand her psychic powers.
Nova's cruelty wasn't just limited to members of the Resistance as she often killed stray Variants who were unwilling to bend to her will. This included a version of her twin, Charles Xavier, who she killed before taking his wheelchair for herself. She also killed a Doctor Strange who was present in the Void before she skinned him and wore his skin for several days. She also obtained this Strange's cloak and Time and Reality Stone-infused Sling Ring that gave her the ability to leave the Void if she wished. She was approached by Paradox from the TVA, who offered to let her deal with the variants in the Void however she wanted so that TVA could keep Nova at bay.[1]
Pyro and Toad returned from their hunt, and had successfully captured Human Torch, as well as Deadpool, Wolverine and a Minuteman, so Nova came out to speak with them. After getting up from Charles Xavier's Wheelchair, Nova remarked about this was the first Wolverine she had encountered in the Void, knowing him as one of Professor X's X-Men. Deadpool asked how she knew Professor X, so she explained her past to them as his twin sister.
Nova was amused by Deadpool and Wolverine, so she untied them and then turned her attention to Human Torch, who she had been trying to capture for years. Deadpool interrupted, revealing the foul things Human Torch had said about Nova, although Human Torch tried to deny it as Deadpool persisted. Nova listened to the insults about her, and decided to kill Human Torch, brutally ripping his skin off his body with telekinesis. Nova witnessed Alioth approaching the compound as Deadpool tried to explain that he was trying to save his world.
Nova was doubtful of Deadpool's ability to save his own world, which she sensed was something he was sensitive about. Wolverine inquired about the wheelchair, so Nova told him how she would encounter Variants of her brother occasionally. Nova then commented on how she was similar to Wolverine in regard to how dangerous they were, and she elaborated on how she ended up in the Void, expressing how much she loved her life. Wolverine went to attack Nova, but she gleefully stopped him in place and buried him in the ground with her powers before pushing him away from her.
Deadpool pleaded that he only wanted to get back home, which Nova could organize but she did not want to. Nova used her powers to force her hand through Deadpool's head to access his memories. Discovering a memory of Deadpool and Vanessa Carlysle breaking up, Nova manipulated Carlysle's words to make her say that he would never matter, knowing that was Deadpool's biggest insecurity. Wolverine snuck up behind Nova and stabbed her and Deadpool threw his knife at her, but it had no effect and she knocked him away along with the knife. As Alioth neared, Nova retreated to let Deadpool and Wolverine die, but they managed to escape.[1]
"He would have loved you, too. If he knew about you. If he knew where you were, he would have torn a hole in the fucking universe to bring you home." "This is my home." "Well then at least us save his."
The next day, Nova witnessed her compound fall under attack by the Resistance, who were joined by Deadpool and Wolverine. Nova stared at Deadpool, and gave a look of amusement at the heroes' attempt to fight back against her. Nova walked away, leaving her henchmen to deal with the Resistance.
Nova sat down and waited for Deadpool and Wolverine to make their way to her, exclaiming that she was fine with them escaping, but thought them willingly returning was foolish. Deadpool once again pleaded that he needed to return home, but Nova rejected his request, offering either death or enslavement. Nova threw Deadpool around the room, knocking him out, allowing her and Wolverine to talk. However, Wolverine attacked her, so she forced his claws into the floor, restraining him.
Not at risk of being attacked, Nova continued talking to Wolverine, pointing out how interesting she found him, noting that Deadpools were very common in the Void. Nova then entered her finger into Wolverine's head and accessed his mind. Nova was surprised to find the pain that Wolverine was living with behind all of his anger he projected. The two talked about how he abandoned the X-Men before they were all murdered, which led to him going on a killing spree.
Sensing his vulnerability, Nova attempted to sway Wolverine, telling him that he could be whoever he truly was in the Void. Wolverine told her that he just wanted to be free from the pain, so Nova assured him she could silence all of the voices in his head that drove his guilt. In a rare moment of compassion, Nova comforted Wolverine, but it turned out Wolverine was just keeping her distracted so that Deadpool could affix Juggernaut's helmet to her head, disabling her powers.
Deadpool demanded that Nova return them home, but she just laughed, knowing that they would need to remove the helmet in order for her to do that. However, Nova evilly declared that if they did take off the helmet she would immediately kill them, remarking that she would boil their brains on an atomic level while masturbating to the Enya box set. Realizing they were in a stalemate, Deadpool and Wolverine argued over which one of them would kill Nova, only for her to be shot repeatedly by Pyro.
With her healing capabilities prevented, Nova would die soon from the gunshot wounds, so Deadpool once more asked if they could trust her not to kill them if he took the helmet off, but Nova remained fixated on killing them instantly. Despite this, Wolverine demanded that the helmet be removed, telling Nova that although he wanted to kill her, Professor X would not want him to let her die. Once the helmet was removed, Nova pretended to go to kill Deadpool, but did not, having been influenced by Wolverine's admiration for her brother.
Wolverine insisted to Nova that had Professor X known about her existence he would have stopped to no end to find a way to bring her back home. Nova was satisfied with the Void as her home, so Wolverine asked her to help them save Deadpool's. Nova equipped the Sling Ring she took from Doctor Strange and used it to open a portal to Deadpool's universe. Although she decided to help them, Nova informed them that within seconds Alioth would devour them, and she watched as Deadpool and Wolverine ran through the portal.[1]
"You know, the funny thing is I was happy in the Void. You sent your trash to me, Alioth and I cleaned it up, everyone was happy. And you had to go and piss on my side of the fence. And so now the fence must come down. I'm going to use your little Time Ripper and I'm going to destroy this universe and the next, and the next, and the next until all that's left is the Void. And I get to play God."
Nova stood over the unconscious Pyro, and when he woke up, she wanted to know why he had shot her. She attempted to stick her fingers in his head, but Pyro decided just to tell her, being repulsed by her method of interrogation and told her to simply ask sometimes. Nova learned that Mr. Paradox made a deal with Pyro to kill Nova in order to be freed from the Void. Angered that Paradox had broken their agreement, Nova decided to enact revenge against him.
Using the Sling Ring, Nova traveled to Deadpool's reality, where she killed Pyro right in front of Deadpool, Wolverine and Mr. Paradox. Nova confronted Paradox for trying to have her killed, and stuck her fingers in his head. Accessing Paradox's mind, Nova discovered the Time Ripper, which Deadpool told her they were planning to destroy. However, Nova wanted to use it, so she launched Deadpool and Wolverine away, leaving just her and Paradox, who she told her plan to destroy the Multiverse because he broke their arrangement.
Nova dragged Paradox to the TVA's station in the subway station, telling him that she summoned the Deadpool Corps to stop them from being interrupted, and she forced him to activate the the Time Ripper. Nova approached the Time Ripper and began to use it to destroy Deadpool's universe. Right as she was about to completely obliterate the reality, the process started to be undone by Deadpool and Wolverine. Nova tried to resist, but they were able to overload the Time Ripper, which atomized Nova, killing her.[1]
Personality[]
"If I take this helmet off, do you promise you won't kill us?" "I promise I will kill you first thing." "Oh, why are you like this!" "I wish I knew."
Cassandra Nova was characterized by a blend of mischievousness, courtesy, and unpredictability. Johnny Storm described her as dangerously insane, with megalomaniacal and psychopathic tendencies. Cold and manipulative, she thrived on making life difficult for others. Her early denial of existence and upbringing in a lawless, chaotic environment had instilled in her a deep-seated malice and resentment towards the TVA. Unlike Professor X’s measured demeanor, she was playful and carefree in speech, but her actions were deeply malevolent. Notably, she killed the Human Torch after he insulted her, remained indifferent to her subordinates' fates, and fed innocent survivors in the Void to Alioth to keep her safe. These actions in cold-blood reflect her fundamental neglect in the lives of others. She also exhibited streaks of insanity, as she laughed manically when she was stabbed in the back by Wolverine during their first encounter, and even when her life was at risk, being shot by Pyro multiple times while her powers were nullified by Juggernaut's helmet, she still laughed and threatened to kill Deadpool and Wolverine even if they saved her. Nova's mischievousness was exhibited in her use of telekinesis in which she not only subdued her enemies, but also played with them by controlling their body parts and torturing them both physically and mentally. Nova hated the fact that her mind-reading abilities had to be activated by direct physical contact with the brain of the enthralled, having to reaching beneath the skin to do so, while Charles Xavier could do so with a thought alone. She had developed a hatred towards this skill as she was forced to read into the darkest secrets of others, some that profoundly disgusted her. Although she spoke in a reassuring tone, this was not to be mistaken as friendliness, as she hid her violent inclinations behind her harmless front.
Nova's chaotic upbringing had led her to seek stability and control. She exhibited authoritarian tendencies, was highly intolerant of betrayal, and responded to threats to the stability of her rule with extreme cruelty. After years of management, she had become the de facto leader of the Void, with her crew of pruned villains and the Deadpool Corps working for her. Her vow to destroy all universes, leaving only the Void for her rule, reflected her vengefulness and lack of empathy, particularly in response to Pyro and Paradox's betrayal. Her sadistic nature was evident in her violent actions, such as peeling off Storm's skin, killing a variant of Doctor Strange and wearing his skin for days, and violently breaking Pyro's neck. After realizing Paradox's betrayal of their mutual agreement, Nova immediately decided to take over the Time Ripper and destroy all timelines as retribution for Paradox's actions.
Despite her cruelty, Nova displayed a vulnerable side. When entering Wolverine's mind, she appeared genuinely moved by his pain and loss, attempting to convince him to join her by promising to alleviate his suffering and offer him a place in the Void. This was because Nova herself had also been through a similar situation. Having grown up alone without the love of family, she found that she could do whatever she wanted in the Void, where she saw as a paradise of freedom. Hence, she suggested this Wolverine, who also lost everything, to embrace his beastly self. Nova also harbored an inferiority complex and sibling rivalry towards Professor X, having killed several of his variants and stolen one of their wheelchairs. She believed that the Professor X from her reality never pursued her out of indifference, though he was unaware of her existence. Later, when Wolverine saved her life and appealed to her heart, stating that Professor X would have done everything possible to bring her home had he known of her, Nova agreed to return them to their universe, reflecting that despite all she had done to the variants of her twin brother, she craved this sibling love deep down.
Mutant Physiology: Cassandra Nova was an Omega-level mutant as well as the twin sister of the powerful telepath Charles Xavier. Hence, she possessed powers similar to Xavier's.
Psionics: Nova's mutation granted her a wide array of psionic abilities. As an Omega-level Mutant, her psionic powers were exceptionally potent, enabling her to endure in the hostile environment of the Void and establish a community of loyal survivors.
Nova could move things with her mind, as shown when she telekinetically controlled Wolverine's body and easily skinned Johnny Storm, killing him instantly.
Telekinetic Regeneration: Due to her advanced telekinetic capabilities, Nova could endure and regenerate from fatal injuries with ease. This ability allowed her to survive most encounters with Resistancemembers who attempted to defeat her. However, this regeneration ability was limited, as she lost this ability, along with her other telekinetic-based ones, when she was under influence of a mind-nullifying object, such as Magneto's helmet or Juggernaut's.
Nova could project waves of telekinetic energy to impulse, hit and destroy multiple objects and/or people. With a snap of her fingers, she was able to create a shock wave of telekinetic energy to send Deadpool and Wolverine several meters away.
Intangibility: Nova could pass through solid matter by passing her atoms through the spaces between the atoms of the object through which she was moving. In this way, she and the object through which she was passing could temporarily merge without interacting, and each was unharmed once Nova finished passing through the object. She could make her fingers penetrate her targets' heads to read their minds, as demonstrated with Deadpool and Wolverine. Additionally, she could merge this ability with her telekinesis to break a target's neck, as she did with Pyro.
Unlike her twin brother, Nova needed physical contact with her target to activate her telepathy.
Memory Manipulation: Nova could enter and interact with another person's memories. She used this power to extract information, as demonstrated when she delved into Wolverine's memories to understand the root of his rage. She also employed this ability on Pyro and Paradox to learn about the Time Ripper and how to utilize it.
Mental Manipulation: Nova's mutant powers allowed her to interfere with the minds of other beings, being able to mentally torture Deadpool and Wolverine.
Teleportation: Nova could instantaneously move from one location to another without physically occupying the space in between. In her first encounter with Deadpool, she teleported behind him to use her telepathy on him and later did the same with Paradox.
Portal Creation: Nova had a Sling Ring, able to create sustained portals between two points. Using the portals, she was able to transport others to another dimension and later retrieve them.
Sling Ring: Cassandra Nova used a Sling Ring, with the Reality Stone and the Time Stone embedded in each side of the Ring. This artifact belonged to an alternate Doctor Strange who was murdered by Nova. She used the Sling Ring to transport Deadpool and Wolverine to Deadpool's universe, and later to bring herself and the Deadpool Corps to confront Paradox.
In the comics, Cassandra Nova is the twin sister of Charles Xavier who was nearly killed while in the womb. A fierce enemy of the X-Men, she is most famous for orchestrating the genocide on Genosha, killing more than fifteen million mutant residents with a rogue Sentinel.
Marvel Studios eyed Emma Corrin to play Cassandra Nova since late 2022 around Christmas, but they had to work out their busy schedule to make sure they could fully commit to the role, settling any arrangements around early February 2023.[5]
Deadpool & Wolverine casting director Sarah Halley Finn cast Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova due to feeling they could hold their own opposite Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, feeling that Nova had to encompass her power in a unique and fresh way, resulting in Finn loving how Corrin played the role.[6]
Emma Corrin was praised by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman for being like "a skin-covered Swiss Army knife" to work with and their ability to "subtly change - to turn on a dime" with an effortlessness while portraying Cassandra Nova, with Reynolds feeling that Corrin brought a Gene Wilder-type of energy to Nova, made her motivations easier to understand and humanized her dialogue by inspiring themselves on Christopher Waltz's Hans Landa from Inglourious Basterds.[7]
To help inform their own performance as Cassandra Nova, Emma Corrin looked back at the performances of both Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy as Charles Xavier/Professor X in 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series with some reluctance to not resemble their performances too close. They ultimately opted to look for any bits they could pay homage to for fans to enjoy and to faithfully adapt Nova from the source material in both looks and origins.[8]
