Rick Jones

Little is actually known about Rick's past before he became Nova and then Captain Marvel, though it is known that he lived in Queens. A few days before the Ultimatum, he had been chosen by a cosmic entity called the Watcher to save Earth from destruction. Upon hearing this, the power overwhelmed Rick and he passed out.

Rick woke up in a hospital from a coma that was induced by the surge of energy given to him by the Watchers. Rick's mother thought her son was a mutant, and confided in her neighbor, May Parker. May then told Peter, Bobby and Johnny to "suit up" and go talk to Rick. When they confronted Rick, he was startled and accidentally used his new found powers to teleport himself and Spider-Man to a restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Getting even more scared, Rick stated that he wanted to go home, at which point he teleported themselves back to New York. When Bobby told Rick it was okay to be a mutant, Rick exclaimed that he wasn't a mutant and that he was given his powers by a "floating eye". At this point, Johnny recalled over a half a year prior when he and the former Fantastic Four were investigating the appearance of the Watchers. He then told Rick that he must be the herald the Watchers chose.

Upon learning this, Rick was too upset and reluctant to accept the Watchers' mysterious role and wanted to travel to Project Pegasus to demand the Watcher, who was previously kept there, of relinquishing his powers. Despite Johnny Storm's protest, Rick teleported everyone to Project Pegasus and discovered it be attacked and trespassed by the Serpent Squad. Rick and his allies fought the Serpent Squad, in which Rick successfully controls his powers in defeating the Squad. After returning back to New York, Rick realized that he actually enjoys having superpowers and chooses to take the superhero alias Nova. Rick decided to go on a self-discovering journey to understand what his role is for the world after bidding goodbye to his family.