Imperial's Transformation of Marvel's Cosmic Heroes

In 2025, Marvel is set to launch one of its most ambitious and expansive new comic book series yet with Imperial. Spearheaded by the visionary Jonathan Hickman, known for his groundbreaking work on House of X and the new Ultimate Universe, Imperial promises to redefine the landscape for Marvel's cosmic heroes, including Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy. This series aims to establish a new status quo that could be as transformative as Hickman's previous projects.

To delve deeper into what Imperial has in store, IGN had the opportunity to discuss the project with Hickman via email. Below, you can explore an exclusive preview gallery, and then continue reading for more insights into this exciting new series.

Marvel's Imperial #1 Preview Gallery

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The genesis of Imperial is rooted in the right timing for revisiting Marvel's cosmic universe. Hickman shared with IGN, "I think it was simply time to revisit this corner of the Marvel Universe. 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."

The success of the new Ultimate line over the past two years serves as a blueprint for Imperial. When asked about parallels between the two initiatives, Hickman noted, "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 also highlighted a key difference: "Imperial 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."

While Imperial brings to mind the 2006 Annihilation crossover, Hickman clarified that the narratives are distinct. "No. Simply because that’s an invasion story and this isn’t anything like that," he stated. "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."

Despite drawing on elements from his previous Marvel work, Hickman emphasized that Imperial is not just a continuation of his past stories. He explained, "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."

Imperial also takes the Hulk family back to the cosmic realm, revisiting the wartorn world of Sakaar from 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 series features a collaboration between artists Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello. Hickman praised their work, saying, "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.