WARNING! Spoilers for X-Men #12

Nova has faced a major loss now that his MCU TV show has been paused indefinitely, but things are about to get much worse for him now that Marvel has given him a surprising new weakness. As powerful as the Nova Corps' are, there's one substance that can stop them in their tracks, and the X-Men's Juggernaut just suffered its effects firsthand.

X-Men #12 by Jed MacKay, Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons, John Livesay, Fernando Sifuentes, and Clayton Cowles pits the X-Men against bounty hunters who are after Cyclops. Juggernaut tries to charge at one of them, but the Skrull suddenly hits him with what he refers to as "inertia foam" and achieves the near-impossible feat of slowing him down.

The bounty hunter explains, "Intertia foam can stop a Nova at top speed, Earther. And you're no Nova." If interia foam can stop the famously unstoppable Juggernaut, then Nova wouldn't stand a chance at combating it if he ever were to be afflicted with it.

Marvel Just Undermined Nova's Speed With a Major Weakness

Intertia Foam Can Stop Nova In His Tracks, Eliminating a Key Ability

of the compete with the Hulk. Unfortunately, his new weakness reduces Nova's potential in a big way.

The introduction of inertia foam minimizes Nova's status as one of Marvel's great heroes. After all, Richard Rider's speed can now be eliminated in the blink of an eye if an opponent has access to this mysterious substance. In the past, Rider has certainly struggled against mighty enemies that he couldn't take down on his own, as evidenced by him sacrificing his life to take down Thanos alongside Star-Lord. Inertia foam levels the playing field for enemies who aren't even on Thanos' level, however. Even small-time boundy hunters have gotten their hands on it, which means anyone - weak or strong - can theoretically defeat Nova.

Nova Can't Catch a Break From Marvel After His MCU Debut Got Derailed

Sorry, Nova Fans: The Iconic Hero's Challenges Are Just Beginning

Nova's inertia foam weakness is one of many hardships that are about to come his way. In addition to the hero's MCU show getting canceled prematurely, Jonathan Hickman's Imperial series could spell the end of Richard Rider's Nova, and Marvel is now rubbing salt in the wound by adding new weaknesses that diminish his potential. With Nova's speed at risk of being stripped away by inertia foam, the hero has been massively downgraded, rewriting his place in the universe's power hierarchy.

X-Men #12 is available now from Marvel Comics!