Marvel fans are likely well aware of Cassandra Nova’s tragic and despicable backstory in the comics. Actor Emma Corrin confirms this is the same reason her character harbored a hatred for Logan in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Emma Corrin told British GQ she didn’t need to dig deep into Cassandra Nova’s story to understand her tragic origins. The actor nurtured a love-hate relationship with audiences by playing a nuanced villain in Deadpool & Wolverine, which depicted her as a willing prisoner and overlord of the Void (the TVA’s dumpster heap for anything deemed as a multiverse anomaly). Corrin’s character carved her own kingdom in the wasteland in the film, earning her place as the undisputed authority over the domain. However, Corrin revealed Cassandra is still driven by hatred for her estranged twin, a repressed emotion that bubbled to the surface the moment she saw Wolverine.

Corrin said Cassandra Nova’s character profile explained all of her motivations in Deadpool & Wolverine. “I actually didn’t end up doing that much,” she admitted. “There’s a huge Marvel database online, which is really cool and very extensive. It kind of reads like a very in-depth Top Trumps card. Each character has details, powers and history. And I read that and the main thing that stood out to me was her origin story being the evil twin sister of Charles Xavier, and how he kills her in the womb with his powers and thinks she’s dead. And then she regrows herself on a sewer wall.” The comics did depict Cassandra Nova’s origin in intricate detail, but what was made clear was her insatiable hatred for Xavier.

Logan Is “Professor X Incarnate” In Deadpool & Wolverine

“It came in handy for me to know all that history because of Wolverine’s presence in the film, the elephant in the room being Charles Xavier when I meet Wolverine for the first time,” she continued. “Wolverine is sort of him incarnate in this film.” Their first encounter suggested Logan knew all about Cassandra’s relationship with Xavier; Cassandra confirmed as much when she said Professor X loved Wolverine, something she didn’t receive from her own sibling. Corrin confirmed this was her character’s primary motivation throughout the film. “Exactly, that’s the thing that drives and motivates all of Cassandra’s actions in the film,” she added.

The film’s third act did offer hope Cassandra was redeemable, giving Deadpool and Wolverine a brief reprieve and even helping them go back to their timeline by using Doctor Strange’s sling ring. Cassandra still died a villain in the end, but Corrin is optimistic about her character returning. “I mean, does anyone die in the MCU?” she asserted. “I feel like if this film proves anything it’s that you can literally bring back absolutely anyone. So maybe one day I’ll be pulling a Hugh and pulling over on the side of the road saying, ‘I’ve got to do it!’.” Despite being responsible for Johnny Storm’s (played by Chris Evans) brutal death scene, Cassandra Nova has become one of the MCU’s fan-favorite villains; Corrin reprising the role wouldn’t be so surprising.

Deadpool & Wolverine is now showing in theaters.