The Big Picture

Emma Corrin brings a Gene Wilder energy to Cassandra Nova in Deadpool & Wolverine, humanizing chaos and villainy.
Corrin’s transformative acting takes inspiration from Christoph Waltz to embody the diabolical nature of Cassandra Nova.
Cassandra Nova isn’t your average villain, with powers like telepathy and the ability to wipe out millions of mutants. Corrin’s portrayal is set to be unforgettable.

Emma Corrin is stepping into the Marvel universe with a bang, playing the deliciously wicked Cassandra Nova in the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine extravaganza. And if Ryan Reynolds is to be believed, it’s going to be one hell of a ride. In a recent Harper’s Bazaar feature, Reynolds gushed about Corrin’s performance in the most Ryan Reynolds way possible: “It felt like working with a skin-covered Swiss Army knife,” he said, painting an image that’s both oddly specific and totally disturbing.

“Emma brought a Gene Wilder energy to
Deadpool & Wolverine
. Mischief, danger, unpredictability—from their first scene onward, we understand the villain enough to know why she’s motivated to oppose our heroes. And that’s because Emma is so fucking excellent at humanizing even the most chaotic lines. The only thing we love more than hating a villain is loving one. And we love Emma’s Cassandra Nova from the jump.”

Talk about setting the bar high. Corrin, known for their transformative acting chops, took a page from Christoph Waltz’s handbook in Inglourious Basterds to get into character. “Because he’s in that uniform, that says everything you need to know,” Corrin explained. “He can sit down at the table and just chat like we’re doing now, be animated, very pleasant. It’s so unnerving because he’s as evil as they get, the worst person on the planet. … He is the opposite of a scary villain; he lets his physicality do the talking, and then he flips the other parts on their head.”

Basically, if you thought Deadpool was wild, wait until you see what Corrin brings to the table. Hugh Jackman, reprising his role as our favorite clawed Canadian, also had nothing but praise: “Emma has an ability to so subtly change—to turn on a dime,” he said. “There was an effortlessness, a sense of danger.”

And in classic Reynolds fashion, he made sure to stir the pot a bit, calling Corrin “one of the greatest partners I’ve ever had in the Deadpool sandbox,” before cheekily adding, “You heard me, Jackman.”

Who is Cassandra Nova?
Image via Marvel Comics 

So, who exactly is this Cassandra Nova, you ask? Strap in, because she’s no run-of-the-mill villain. Created by the legendary Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely, Cassandra Nova made her debut in 2001 in the pages of New X-Men #114. She’s the twin sister of Charles Xavier—yes, that Charles Xavier. But here’s the twist: she’s his twin in the most diabolical sense possible.

Cassandra Nova is essentially Charles’ dark, psychic doppelgänger, formed from the same DNA but with a sinister twist. She’s an Mummudrai, a parasitic life form that forms a body in the womb alongside its host. Imagine your evil twin, but with supercharged psychic powers and a thirst for absolute destruction.

She’s got a laundry list of powers that would make any superhero green with envy, including telepathy, telekinesis, and the ability to reform her body. She’s also one hell of a strategist, manipulating events from the shadows and using her vast intellect to outsmart her enemies.

Her most notorious act? Wiping out 16 million mutants on the island of Genosha with a fleet of Sentinels, making her one of the most heinous villains in X-Men history. Basically, she’s not just evil, she’s apocalyptic.

In Deadpool & Wolverine, expect Cassandra Nova to bring all her chaotic energy and devastating powers to bear against our favorite anti-heroes. With Corrin at the helm, it’s going to be a performance for the ages. Get ready, Marvel fans. Cassandra Nova is about to become your new favorite villain.

Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on Deadpool & Wolverine.

Deadpool & Wolverine Wolverine joins the “merc with a mouth” in the third installment of the Deadpool film franchise.Release Date July 26, 2024 Writers Rob Liefeld , Fabian Nicieza , Paul Wernick , Wendy Molyneux , Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin

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