Imperial's Impact: Reshaping Marvel's Cosmic Heroes

In 2025, Marvel is set to launch one of its most ambitious projects yet with the new comic series, Imperial. Spearheaded by the visionary Jonathan Hickman, known for his transformative work on House of X and the new Ultimate Universe, Imperial promises to redefine the status quo for Marvel's cosmic heroes, including Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy. This project is poised to shake up the cosmic landscape, offering readers a fresh take on beloved characters and storylines.

To give fans a glimpse into what Imperial has in store, IGN had the opportunity to discuss the project with Hickman via email. Dive into an exclusive preview in the slideshow gallery below, and continue reading for more insights.

Marvel's Imperial #1 Preview Gallery

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The inception of Imperial stemmed from a timely opportunity to revisit Marvel's cosmic universe. "I think it was simply time to revisit this corner of the Marvel Universe," Hickman shared with IGN. "That I was available and interested, and that it’s been of ongoing interest to the company, and that the model of launching something like this had just been done with the Ultimate line, all added up to it feeling like this was an opportunity to do Imperial. It’s come together well and I think people are going to enjoy it. It’s a fun book."

Following the success of the new Ultimate line, Imperial aims to establish a new foundation for Marvel's cosmic titles. When asked about the similarities between the two initiatives, Hickman remarked, "You can, in my opinion, draw a direct line between the two in terms of what we think can succeed with in the current market. A small, tight line of books that readers can invest in and not feel overwhelmed, and where creators can execute their vision for the individual titles without drowning in external continuity seems to be a pretty solid model of how to launch something like this."

He further distinguished Imperial from the Ultimate line, noting, "The big difference, obviously, is that this isn’t set in an alternative Marvel Universe, so we won’t be doing the ‘real time’ aspect of the Ultimate line. Which has its pluses and minuses, but I think most people will be pleased about."

Comparisons to the 2006 Annihilation crossover were inevitable, given its impact on Marvel's cosmic heroes. However, Hickman clarified, "No. Simply because that’s an invasion story and this isn’t anything like that. The ‘what-you-get’ end results might be similar in that all of a sudden there are a bunch of Marvel cosmic books you care about. But plot/story-wise? No."

Imperial builds upon elements from Hickman's previous Marvel projects, such as the "Hunt for Xavier" crossover in the X-Men line, which led to the resurrection of the former Shi’ar Empress Lilandra and her reunion with Charles Xavier. Additionally, the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, first teased in 2015’s Secret Wars, plays a significant role. Despite these connections, Hickman emphasized that Imperial is not solely a continuation of his past work: "Well, I’m kind of notorious for mining my own continuity inside of the greater Marvel one, but I’d say well over half of this is more like me picking up pieces from a bunch of extended stories that have been done over the years by other creators than me just picking up plot threads from my previous books. Sure, there’s some of that in there, but not as much as some people might expect."

The series also sees the Hulk family venturing back into cosmic territory, revisiting the wartorn world of Sakaar, reminiscent of the 2006 Planet Hulk storyline. Hickman teased, "All I’ll say there is we’re coming up on the twentieth anniversary of Planet Hulk and Marvel doesn’t usually let those opportunities pass by."

The creative team behind Imperial includes artists Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello, whose collaboration Hickman praised: "Both of those guys are crushing it. I’ve been very pleased and surprised at how they’ve tackled some of the story beats, character designs, and wild locations this thing has. And with the book having a compressed publishing schedule (we actually moved it forward at the beginning of the year), the only way it could be done was for them to tag team it. The trick there is they have to complement each other and that’s clearly the case here."

Imperial #1 is slated for release on June 4, 2025.