Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.
Deadpool & Wolverine‘s titular duo go head-to-head with a major X-Men villain who’s never appeared in live-action before: Cassandra Nova. So who is Cassandra Nova, and who plays her in Deadpool & Wolverine?
Related: Deadpool & Wolverine: Why Does [SPOILER] Play Logan?
Who Is Deadpool 3’s Main Villain, Cassandra Nova?
Created by comic book writer/artist team Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, Cassandra Nova first appeared in 2001’s New X-Men #114. She’s a mummudrai, a bodiless parasitic entity native to the Astral Plane (another dimension accessible to psychics and mystics). To gain physical form, Nova fashioned a body for herself in the womb of Sharon Xavier – mother of future X-Men mentor Charles.
As such, Cassandra Nova essentially became Charles Xavier’s evil twin. She wasted no time proving this, either, attempting to strangle Xavier in the womb. L’il Chuck promptly hit back, cutting loose with a psychic blast that caused Sharon to miscarry. He survived, however, Nova’s vessel was delivered stillborn. Yet her consciousness clung in there, and she eventually managed to build a new, adult body for herself.
Nova based this body on Xavier’s DNA, and as a result, she possessed the same incredible mental powers as Charles. She also boasted several unique abilities, such as phasing, and mimicking the DNA of people other than Xavier. On top of all this, Nova was still a mummudrai, and could (among other things) possess those around her. What did Nova use this litany of talents for? Getting revenge on Xavier, of course.
Related: Deadpool & Wolverine: What Is an Anchor Being in MCU Lore?
Nova kicks off her plan with a bang, sending a legion of Sentinel robots to wipe out 16 million mutants living on the fictional island of Genosha. She then infiltrates the X-Mansion by allowing the X-Men to take her captive, only for Emma Frost to snap her neck. But Nova’s apparent defeat was actually a ruse, as she secretly switched bodies with Xavier!
Now masquerading as her brother, Cassandra Nova wreaks havoc on the X-Men’s lives. Her scheming culminates in engineering a conflict between the X-Men and the alien Shi’ar, however, the team manages to expose her involvement. Nova’s defeat follows soon after, and Charles regains his body.
In the years since then, Nova has returned to plague her sibling and his pupils on numerous occasions. That said, the final New X-Men story arc, “Here Comes Tomorrow,” suggests that she’s capable of redemption (albeit in an alternate timeline).
Who Plays Cassandra Nova in Deadpool 3?
The Crown‘s Emma Corrin portrays Cassandra Nova in Deadpool & Wolverine. Fans correctly guessed that Corrin was playing Nova after the Deadpool threequel’s trailer dropped in February 2024. The bald head and popped-collar trench coat were dead giveaways. Even so, Marvel Studios kept Corrin’s role under wraps for several months following the teaser’s debut, confirming only that the English actor portrayed a baddie.
Related: Does Wolverine Wear His Mask in Deadpool & Wolverine?
Corrin didn’t spill the beans, either. The most the star would say before the veil of secrecy lifted is that they were “very excited” about their Deadpool & Wolverine role. Fortunately, Corrin’s been far more forthcoming now that Cassandra Nova’s inclusion in the third Deadpool outing is in the public domain. Notably, Corrin revealed that they reviewed Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy’s respective portrayals of Charles Xavier in the earlier X-Men movies while shaping their performance.
Deadpool & Wolverine is now in theaters.
The above article was updated on 7/26/2024 by the original author to include additional information about Cassandra Nova.
Published: Jul 26, 2024 07:22 am