Avengers Infinity War: Will THIS character make a shock appearance to defeat Thanos?

The movie is due in cinemas later this week after months and months of speculation.

Very little is known about the specifics of the plot, but fans do know that Thanos (Josh Brolin) will be a hugely powerful supervillain who will be tough for the Marvel all-stars to beat.

Arguing on Reddit, user DAY_BR3AKR wondered if an iconic comic character who has not yet appeared in the MCU could hold the key: Nova, aka Richard Rider.

A member of the Nova Corps – the intergalactic police force – he has superpowers including enhanced strength, the ability to fly, and resistance to injury.

The user wrote: “It is known through the trailers that Thanos already has the Power Stone, that was being held on Xander at the Nova Corps.

“I predict that Thanos will destroy Xander, and the Nova Corps will send the center of their power (the nova force) as a beam towards earth, where it will strike Richard Rider, thus giving him the power of the Nova to fight off Thanos.”

They added: “This also comes close to the comic version of the origin of Nova.

“In the comics, Rhomman Dey, who was in guardians of the galaxy, bestowed the Nova Force on Richard Rider before he died.”

Richard Rider and Nova have not appeared on-screen in Marvel movies yet; but were in the Silver Surfer animated series and in The Super Hero Squad Show. He has also appeared in several video games.

Of course the possibility of an all-new hero arriving without prior fanfare is perhaps quite slim, especially given that moviegoers who are not familiar with the comics won’t appreciate the significance of his arrival.

But still, with so much up in the air – including how exactly the Avengers will be able to face Thanos – it’s certainly worth bearing in mind.

The Russo brothers, who directed the film, have issued a warning on Twitter about dodging social media to avoid spoilers.

The movie has its LA premiere tonight, with the first fan and critics’ reactions due online soon after.

Avengers: Infinity War is out on Thursday in the UK.