Imperial to Transform Marvel's Cosmic Heroes Landscape

In 2025, Marvel Comics is set to launch one of its most ambitious projects yet with Imperial, helmed by the visionary Jonathan Hickman, known for his transformative work on House of X and the new Ultimate Universe. This new series promises to reshape the landscape for Marvel's cosmic heroes, including Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy, much like his previous projects redefined their respective universes.

To shed light on how Imperial will revolutionize the cosmic realm, IGN had the opportunity to interview 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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We began our conversation by exploring the origins of Imperial. Was this a narrative Hickman was eager to explore, or did Marvel approach him to recreate the success of Krakoa and Ultimate Invasion? Hickman shared, “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 has set a precedent, and there are clear parallels with how Imperial is being positioned as the cornerstone for a new series of cosmic books. We asked Hickman about the similarities and lessons he's applying from the Ultimate Universe launch to Imperial.

“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,” Hickman explained. “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 added, “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.”

Imperial also evokes memories of the 2006 Annihilation crossover, which significantly altered the status quo for Marvel's cosmic heroes and shifted the balance of power, paving the way for the modern Guardians of the Galaxy. When asked about similarities between Annihilation and Imperial, Hickman was clear: “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.”

While Imperial draws on elements from Hickman's previous Marvel work, such as the "Hunt for Xavier" crossover in the X-Men line, which resurrected the former Shi’ar Empress Lilandra and reunited her with Charles Xavier to rescue their daughter Xandra, and the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda from 2015’s Secret Wars and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther series, Hickman clarified that the connections to his past work are not as extensive as one might think.

“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,” Hickman noted. “Sure, there’s some of that in there, but not as much as some people might expect.”

Imperial also marks a return to the cosmic realm for the Hulk family, with the preview art showing Hulk and She-Hulk revisiting the wartorn world of Sakaar, reminiscent of the 2006 Planet Hulk storyline. Hickman hinted at the timing, saying, “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.”

Finally, we discussed the decision to split the series between artists Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello. Hickman praised their work, stating, “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.