Cassandra Nova: The dark reflection of Professor X
Cassandra Nova, the malevolent twin of Professor X, has transformed her brother's vision of a harmonious existence between mutants and humans into terrifying nightmares. Making her first appearance in NEW X-MEN (2001) #114, she's a Mummudrai, a psychic parasite from Shi'ar mythology. Emma Corrin will play Nova in the upcoming Deadpool movie releasing on July 26. While not much is known about her arc in Deadpool & Wolverine, here's more about her journey in the Marvel Comics.
Nova's powers and devastating impact on Genosha
In the womb with Xavier, she utilized his dormant power to form a body for herself using his DNA. Nova possesses all of Xavier's telepathic and telekinetic powers, making her one of the universe's most powerful psychics. She also has Mummudrai DNA manipulation abilities, allowing her to duplicate/alter others' genetic codes. One of her first attacks was a massacre on Genosha island where she killed 16M mutants by controlling self-evolving Wild Sentinels after mimicking Sentinel creator Bolivar Trask's descendant's DNA.
Nova's cosmic manipulation and continued threat to X-Men
After causing chaos on Earth, Nova shifted her focus to the cosmic Shi'ar Empire, impersonating Professor X. She manipulated Empress Lilandra into ordering the Shi'ar Imperial Guard to exterminate all mutants on Earth. However, her plan was foiled when the X-Men helped the Imperial Guard see through Nova's deception. Despite being trapped in a psychic reeducation program, she continued to torment the X-Men by convincing White Queen that she was a sleeper agent, leading her to plan a new attack.
Nova's escape and subsequent attacks on mutants
Nova escaped her mental confinement and targeted Jean Grey and her new X-Men team. She assassinated an ambassador at the United Nations during Grey's speech advocating for increased protections for mutants. Following this, she took control of mutant inventor Forge, developing Sentinites, a new breed of Nano-Sentinels that caused anyone infected to become violently aggressive toward mutants.
Nova's infiltration of Krakoa and the Marauders
When mutants worldwide united to form the nation of Krakoa, Nova was among several villains granted immunity on the island. Despite her past atrocities, she was permitted to join Pryde's mutant rescue team, the Marauders. However, she concealed her true intentions from them by controlling the mind of the dream-controlling mutant Somnus.
