Imperial to Redefine Marvel's Cosmic Heroes

In the realm of Marvel Comics, 2025 marks the launch of Imperial, an ambitious new project spearheaded by Jonathan Hickman, the mastermind behind transformative stories like House of X and the new Ultimate Universe. This series promises to redefine the cosmic landscape, bringing fresh dynamics to characters like Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy. To delve deeper into what Imperial holds, IGN had the opportunity to exchange emails with Hickman himself. Below, you can explore an exclusive preview through our slideshow gallery, and continue reading for more insights into this groundbreaking series.

Marvel's Imperial #1 Preview Gallery

View 8 Images

The inception of Imperial was sparked by a timely opportunity to refresh Marvel's cosmic narrative. As 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."

Drawing parallels with the success of the new Ultimate line, Hickman sees Imperial as a similar venture but with key differences. "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," he explains. "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 notes that unlike the Ultimate Universe, Imperial won't be set in an alternative reality, which offers its own set of advantages and challenges.

While some might compare Imperial to the 2006 Annihilation crossover, Hickman clarifies, "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."

Despite incorporating elements from his previous works, such as the "Hunt for Xavier" crossover and the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, Hickman emphasizes that Imperial is not just a continuation of his past narratives. "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," he states.

The series also marks a return to the cosmic realm for the Hulk family, revisiting the war-torn world of Sakaar from the iconic Planet Hulk storyline. Hickman teases, "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."

On the artistic front, Imperial is a collaboration between Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello. Hickman praises 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 set to hit the shelves on June 4, 2025.