"Imperial's Cosmic Overhaul: Marvel Heroes Transformed"

In 2025, Marvel Comics is set to launch one of its most ambitious projects yet with Imperial, spearheaded by the visionary writer Jonathan Hickman. Known for his transformative work on House of X and the new Ultimate Universe, Hickman is poised to redefine the landscape of Marvel's cosmic heroes, including Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy. To dive deeper into how Imperial will reshape this cosmic realm, IGN had the opportunity to discuss the project via email with Hickman. Get an exclusive sneak peek in the gallery below, and read on for more insights.

Marvel's Imperial #1 Preview Gallery

View 8 Images

The inception of Imperial stemmed from a timely opportunity to re-examine 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."

Following the success of the new Ultimate line, Imperial aims to establish a fresh foundation for Marvel's cosmic titles. Hickman elaborated on the parallels and distinctions between the two initiatives: "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. 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."

While Imperial might evoke memories of the 2006 Annihilation crossover, Hickman clarifies the distinction: "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 on threads from Hickman's previous Marvel works, including the "Hunt for Xavier" crossover in the X-Men line, which set the stage for Imperial by resurrecting the former Shi'ar Empress Lilandra and reuniting her with Charles Xavier. The series also introduces the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, an element previously teased in 2015’s Secret Wars. Despite these connections, Hickman emphasizes that Imperial is not just a continuation of his previous stories: "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 marks a significant return to the cosmic arena for the Hulk family, revisiting the war-torn world of Sakaar from the iconic Planet Hulk storyline. Hickman hints at the timing: "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."

Artistically, Imperial will be brought to life by two talented artists, Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello. Hickman praised their contributions: "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.