Imperial to Redefine Marvel's Cosmic Heroes

In 2025, Marvel is set to launch one of its most ambitious and expansive comic book series to date with Imperial. Spearheaded by the visionary writer Jonathan Hickman, who has previously reshaped Marvel's landscape with groundbreaking narratives such as House of X and the new Ultimate Universe, Imperial promises to redefine the cosmic realm of the Marvel Universe. This series is poised to bring a fresh perspective to beloved characters like Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy, setting a new status quo for Marvel's cosmic heroes.

To gain deeper insights into how Imperial will transform the cosmic landscape, IGN conducted an exclusive email interview with Hickman. Dive into a sneak peek of the series through the slideshow gallery below, and continue reading for more details.

Marvel's Imperial #1 Preview Gallery

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The inception of Imperial was discussed with Hickman, who shared that the timing felt right for revisiting Marvel's cosmic universe. "I think it was simply time to revisit this corner of the Marvel Universe," Hickman told 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."

The success of the new Ultimate line over the past two years has set a benchmark 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."

Hickman also clarified that unlike the Ultimate line, Imperial is not set in an alternate universe, which offers different storytelling opportunities. "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 were also drawn to the 2006 Annihilation crossover, which significantly altered the cosmic status quo. Hickman, however, emphasized the uniqueness of Imperial: "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 builds on some elements from Hickman's previous Marvel works, it is not heavily reliant on those 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," Hickman explained. "Sure, there’s some of that in there, but not as much as some people might expect."

Notably, Imperial will explore the cosmic side of the Hulk family, revisiting the world of Sakaar from the iconic Planet Hulk storyline. Hickman hinted at the significance of this return, 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."

The artistic collaboration between Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello for Imperial was also a topic of discussion. 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 scheduled for release on June 4, 2025.