NATHAN FILLION 100% Definitely in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. But as Who?

The other day the mighty internet sleuths at Latino-Review claimed Nathan Fillion would appear in Guardians of the Galaxy. They supposed, according to their sources, that Fillion could portray the iconic Nova officer Richard Rider. Admittedly, our dear Captain Mal’s a bit old for that role, as Rider’s meant to be a young hotshot Hal Jordan rip off and, well, Fillion’s a 40-something year old dude. Still, the mere thought of this Firefly veteran as one of Marvel’s most iconic Cosmic characters was enough to melt the collective faces of fanboys everywhere.

Seriously. Fillion as Nova would’ve been pretty PRETTY sweet.

Well, James Gunn has since debunked the claim. And even though Marvel and their talent regularly deny factual rumors, I think James Gunn is an honest enough guy. He candidly commented on the Edgar Wright / Ant-Man fiasco, so if Gunn says “No!” to Fillion Nova, then he’s probably telling the truth.

Still, Gunn confirms that Nathan Fillion will, indeed, have a role in Guardians of the Galaxy.

But as who? The popular theory claims that Nate-dogg will portray Cosmo the space dog on the silver screen. A much loved (and often derided) addition to the Marvel canon, Cosmo guards the GOTG headquarters, one of the skeletal remains of a space pantheon known as Celestials. The cosmic pup actually shares an intricate history with the Nova Corps, so rumors of Fillion as Nova weren’t so far off the mark.

Although, I’d much prefer if Nathan were cast in a more substantial role. Richard Rider might be a little far fetched, but Adam Warlock isn’t. One of our quick witted readers Daxx Maximum suggested as much. Fillion would probably lend an unnecessary amount of humor to a traditionally stoic character, but I’m willing to sacrifice a bit of fidelity for fan casting.