The Powers of Cassandra Nova’s Sling Ring, Explained

The Sling Ring used by Cassandra Nova in Deadpool and Wolverine isn’t just any ordinary weapon or tool; it’s the perfect symbol of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the X-Men universe coming together for the collaboration of a lifetime. Despite its limited screen time, this trinket delivers one of the film’s defining moments in the “Marvel Sparkle Circle” scene, and showed what mutant abilities and the mystic arts can achieve when used in synergy.

Deadpool and Wolverine doesn’t spend much time explaining the Sling Ring’s powers or what sets it apart from other Sling Rings in the MCU, but it remains a significant franchise prop. Cassandra Nova’s already formidable powers, like telekinesis and telepathy, gained more weight from her possession of this mystical weapon, raising the multiversal stakes to a whole new level.

Related

Deadpool & Wolverine Wasted Cassandra Nova

The would-be antagonist of the latest Deadpool film is barely a stand-in for the story’s clear villain, and she deserved a better showcase.

How Does Cassandra Nova’s Sling Ring Work?

Charles Xavier’s twin sister wields nearly complete control over the Void, second only to Alioth from Loki. While her psychic powers are partly to thank for this, much of her authority comes from her unique Sling Ring. This mystical artifact allows Cassandra to open portals to and from the Void, which means she can transport people and objects in and out of this metaphysical wasteland at will. Even more unsettling is that her Sling Ring is embedded with two Infinity Stones – the Reality Stone and the Time Stone.

Using the Sling Ring’s power, Cassandra easily transports Deadpool, Wolverine, and even herself into Deadpool’s reality. Once there, she tries to control the Time Ripper to erase entire timelines and, in her words, “play God.” It’s interesting how it was her “choice” to stay back and rule the Void, until she finds out her arrangement with the Time Variance Authority (TVA) had been breached. Essentially, the Sling Ring had given her this absolute freedom to move across dimensions and manipulate reality, as if her “handsy” tactile telepathy wasn’t frightening enough already.

What Makes Cassandra Nova’s Sling Ring Different?

Originally intended for Doctor Strange and other sorcerers trained at Kamar-Taj, a Sling Ring by itself is dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands. Plus, the presence of not just one, but two Infinity Stones in it, changes the entire equation of the multiverse, especially in the hands of someone as ruthless as Cassandra Nova. Unlike the standard Sling Ring, Cassandra’s version has enhanced interdimensional travel capabilities. Not long ago, when the rings were first introduced in Doctor Strange, Mordo explained that they allowed sorcerers to travel through the multiverse.

However, the MCU’s interpretation of the word “multiverse” has evolved over the years. Back then, Mordo implied traveling through dimensions like the Mirror Dimension and the Dark Dimension, rather than alternate realities like Earth-616 and Earth-10005. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness made it clear that Sling Rings alone cannot facilitate multiversal travel, which is why America Chavez’s special powers became integral. Yet, with the Time Stone and Reality Stone embedded in Cassandra Nova’s Sling Ring, multiversal travel comes with little to no effort, which in turn, rewrites the rules of the MCU’s Phases Five, Six and later.

Where Does Cassandra Nova Get Her Sling Ring?

Apart from TVA’s TemPads, Cassandra Nova’s Sling Ring appears to be the only way in and out of the Void. But how did she get her hands on this powerful artifact in the first place? In the film, the Omega-level mutant herself recounts the story of how she acquired it. With countless variants of Marvel superheroes exiled to the Void, Cassandra eventually encounters one such version of Doctor Strange. This rogue variant of the Master of the Mystic Arts ultimately succumbs to death at the evil mutant’s hands, as she reveals to Logan and Wade.

You want to hear something crazy? An amateur magician rolled through here awhile back. I killed him, of course. Wore his skin around for four days. But I found this little trinket on his lovely fingers.

It’s from this fallen Doctor Strange that Cassandra Nova gets her Sling Ring, complete with the Time Stone and Reality Stone. As the sinister sister of Charles Xavier, Cassandra is anything but a graceful victor – she brags about skinning Doctor Strange and wearing his skin for days. Emma Corrin truly deserves applause for bringing this twisted and unpredictable version of Cassandra Nova to life. One can only imagine the state of Marvel’s multiverse if this telepath had gotten her way with the Time Ripper at the end of Deadpool and Wolverine. It took quite the “maximum effort” from two heroes holding hands to Madonna.

Deadpool & Wolverine marks Ryan Reynolds’s take on the Merc with a Mouth’s entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, along with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. Together, the two embark on a universe-hopping, R-rated adventure that’s sure to change the MCU forever.

Release Date

July 26, 2024

Director

Shawn Levy

Cast

Ryan Reynolds , Hugh Jackman , Emma Corrin , Morena Baccarin , Matthew Macfadyen , Karan Soni , Leslie Uggams , Rob Delaney

Studio(s)

Marvel Studios