Marvel did something shocking in 2024 – they only released one film featuring characters that had never been part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Deadpool and Wolverine, opening the door for the larger Marvel multiverse to be fair game within the established ‘sacred timeline’ MCU. Spider-Man No Way Home already did this to an extent but with some sort of control, but Deadpool and Wolverine pulled all the stops and went full on, large scale multiverse crossover including characters all the way back from Wesley Snipes’ Blade to a giant mummified corpse of Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man.
The villain of the film, Cassandra Nova (played by actress Emma Corrin) was a giant X-Men reference in itself as the character is the psychic sister to the founder of the mutant team, Professor Charles Xavier. This fact is not just grazed over in the film but is referenced frequently and even used by Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine to try and harness her humanity, which did work temporarily as he was able to use his past friendship with Professor X to convince Cassandra Nova to release the title characters from their Void imprisonment at one point in the movie. Of course, this didn’t last long as her evil continued to run the show, but even showing the smallest ounce of mercy at her brothers mention was very telling at the characters underlying motivations as up until that point in the movie she was characterized as one of the MCU’s most ruthlessly evil and impulsive villains otherwise.
In my opinion, Cassandra Nova was one of the more impressive Marvel villains because they took the liberties of having her in an R rated film and did not hold back, at one point using her powers to even turn Chris Evans’ Human Torch into a burning pile of fleshy goo. So, is there some actual humanity under the ‘bean flicking’ mutant sociopath? From her reaction to her brother’s mention, there is some goodness stuffed down there somewhere, and in a recent interview with Variety the actress Emma Corrin commented on her character’s future and how she would like to see Marvel utilize her character once again if she ever gets another shot at the role. As we all know, Marvel characters are never truly dead and with the multiverse a fully established entity it doesn’t even necessarily need to be the same Cassandra Nova as it’s implied there as dozens, if not more, or each Marvel character out there somewhere in the vast multiverse.
In an extensive interview with Variety, the website asked the actress if she would ever be interested in reprising the character in a future MCU adaption, to which she did not hesitate to show her enthusiasm: “I absolutely would, 100% … I think her story’s not over. I would like to see a Professor X and Cassandra Nova bonding film — a sibling comedy like ‘Step Brothers.’ Make it happen! Internet, do your thing!” Her character was killed off by the end of Deadpool and Wolverine, but we all know that doesn’t mean the end. It would be hard to know for sure if a Step Brother style buddy film would work between Cassandra Nova and the new Professor X because as of right now Marvel has not cast anyone in the role. If they were to bring back James McAvoy in any capacity as the character, then I could see the pair having a solid comedic back and forth, but it would almost exclusively depend on who they cast in the role and the route they go with the tone for the MCU’s version of Charles Xavier.
We all know Marvel isn’t shying away from using Professor X as he was played once again by Patrick Stewart in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, but to be fair I don’t think his version would be the right characterization for Corrin’s version of Cassandra Nova anyway. Her character would have much better compatibility with someone a little younger, more akin to the McAvoy version, especially if they ever do choose to go the route of a buddy film with the psychic sibling pair. Shawn Levy has already shown that he does a mutant buddy film very well with Deadpool and Wolverine, so if they keep that same theme for future mutant installments it could work. Even if that is not the route Marvel chooses to go with the character, it doesn’t mean the twins won’t ever cross paths in a future mutant film. If they ever choose to explore Professor Xavier’s past, for example, it would be a perfect opportunity to pull the character back into the fold. Or perhaps the MCU’s next phase will culminate in a massive Mutant war, which also would be a great opportunity to bring back Corrin’s character. The MCU is in a unique spot right now, as not only have they established their own foundational universe but they now basically have access to the entirety of the multiverse of characters which means they can branch off what they’ve set up in almost any direction from here. It will be interesting to see if Marvel does use her character again in the future and to what extent.
If you’re an Emma Corrin fan, make sure to check out the entire interview over at Variety because the Cassandra Nova mention is only a small blurb in a massive interview with the actress where she doesn’t just talk about her other films as well but also her views on many different aspects of modern society. I personally thought her character was one of the surprise MVP’s from Deadpool and Wolverine, and as a fan I would personally like to see the character return as long as it was done correctly and not just for the sake of fulfilling a contract. If a story comes along during the eventual mutant saga that could naturally call for her character, then I think it could be a welcome addition. What I don’t want to see is the inclusion for the sake of inclusion (Peggy Carter popping up in the most random places all throughout the MCU as a place holder, for example), but if a strong narrative calls for Professor X’s slightly unbalanced sister then I say go for it.
Did you enjoy Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova in Deadpool and Wolverine? Do you want to see her character return, and in what capacity? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments or on our Instagram! Also make sure to read the full interview over at Variety using the link below!
Source: Variety
