Long before Guardians of the Galaxy hit theaters, earlier versions of the screenplay featured the popular Marvel character Richard Rider, a.k.a. Nova, with Nathan Fillion rumored to play him at one point. Although he never ended up in the movie, concept art illustrations released in August showed us what Nova may have looked like on the big screen. Now that Guardians of the Galaxy is a huge hit, with Guardians of the Galaxy 2 already in the works, director James Gunn was asked on his Facebook page over the weekend if Nova may be popping up in the sequel. Unfortunately for Nova fans, he will not be included in the story.

"I don't want Nova right now because I think Quill being the only earthling is important. That serves the entire moviegoing audience and not just the handful of Nova fans. Sorry if that upsets you."

The director didn't rule out bringing the character in at a later date, clarifying that he just isn't right for the story he's currently writing.

"I have nothing against Nova in future movies, but it doesn't serve the movie right this moment."

In the Marvel comics, Richard Rider was a New York teenager who was chosen by Rhomann Dey, played by John C. Reilly in Guardians of the Galaxy, to inherit his power after the destruction of Xandar. It's worth noting that Xandar will likely be utilized in the sequel and future Marvel movies, since it houses one of the Inifinity Stones sought by Thanos. It's possible that Nova could pop up in Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 or Avengers: Infinity War Part 2, as Thanos (Josh Brolin) tries to collect all of the stones for his Infinity Gauntlet. Would you like to see Nova appear in upcoming Marvel movies? Chime in with your thoughts below.