"Imperial's Impact: Reshaping Marvel's Cosmic Heroes"

In 2025, Marvel is set to launch one of its most ambitious comic book projects to date 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 for Marvel's cosmic heroes, including Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy. This series promises to establish a new status quo that will captivate fans and reshape the cosmic narrative within the Marvel Universe.

To provide readers with a glimpse into what Imperial has in store, IGN conducted an exclusive email interview with Hickman. Below, you can explore a preview gallery of Imperial #1, followed by insights from the interview itself.

Marvel's Imperial #1 Preview Gallery

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When asked about the origins of Imperial, Hickman shared that the project stemmed from a timely opportunity to revisit Marvel's cosmic realm. "I think it was simply time to revisit this corner of the Marvel Universe," he explained to 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 has set a benchmark for Marvel, and Imperial aims to follow a similar model by establishing a focused and manageable line of books. 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 further elaborated on the differences from the Ultimate line, saying, "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 to the 2006 Annihilation crossover were inevitable, given its impact on Marvel's cosmic heroes. However, Hickman clarified, "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 draws connections to Hickman's previous work, such as the "Hunt for Xavier" crossover in the X-Men line, which resurrected former Shi’ar Empress Lilandra and reunited her with Charles Xavier. Additionally, the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, first teased in 2015’s Secret Wars, plays a role here. Despite these connections, Hickman emphasized that Imperial isn’t overly reliant on 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. Sure, there’s some of that in there, but not as much as some people might expect."

The series also revisits the cosmic adventures of the Hulk family, with the preview art hinting at their return to the war-torn world of Sakaar, reminiscent of 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."

Finally, the creative decision to split Imperial between artists Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello was discussed. 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.