Imperial's Impact on Marvel's Cosmic Heroes Unveiled

Imperial stands as one of Marvel’s most expansive and visionary comic book ventures set to launch in 2025. Spearheaded by acclaimed writer Jonathan Hickman—renowned for redefining Marvel’s X-Men with House of X and reshaping the Ultimate Universe—this new series aims to redefine the cosmic landscape of the Marvel Universe. Much like his previous works, Imperial promises to introduce a bold new era for characters such as Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy, shifting the balance of power across the stars.

To delve deeper into what Imperial has in store, IGN corresponded with Hickman via email. Below is an exclusive preview showcased in the gallery, followed by key insights from our conversation.

Marvel's Imperial #1 Preview Gallery

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Hickman explained that the timing was right to revisit Marvel’s cosmic roster with fresh creative direction. While Marvel has previously benefited from major relaunches—such as the Krakoan X-Men and the recent Ultimate Universe reboot—he clarified that Imperial emerged organically rather than as a direct response to past successes.

“I think it was simply time to revisit this corner of the Marvel Universe,” Hickman shared. “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 those factors made Imperial feel like a natural next step. It’s come together well, and I think readers are really going to enjoy it. It’s a fun book.”

Marvel’s Ultimate line has enjoyed strong reader engagement over the last two years, and there are clear parallels between how Imperial and the Ultimate relaunch aim to streamline storytelling while allowing room for creative freedom. When asked if Hickman drew inspiration from the Ultimate launch, he confirmed:

“You can, in my opinion, draw a direct line between the two in terms of what we believe will succeed in today’s market. A focused, tightly curated line of books where readers can invest without feeling overwhelmed—and where creators have the space to realize their visions without being bogged down by external continuity—seems to be a very effective model.”

He added, “The main difference here is that Imperial exists within the core Marvel Universe, not an alternate reality. That means we won’t be following the ‘real-time’ approach of the Ultimate line. It has its pros and cons, but overall, I think fans will appreciate the distinction.”

While Imperial bears some resemblance to earlier cosmic epics like the 2006 Annihilation saga—which significantly reshaped Marvel’s galactic heroes—Hickman clarified that the narrative structures differ greatly.

“No, not really,” he responded when asked about similarities. “Annihilation was an invasion story, and Imperial isn’t anything like that. The end result—having a slate of compelling cosmic titles—might seem similar, but the actual plot and storytelling approach are entirely different.”

Elements of Imperial do build upon Hickman’s prior contributions to Marvel lore. For instance, the recent “Hunt for Xavier” storyline in the X-Men comics served as a setup, reintroducing Lilandra and setting the stage for her reunion with Charles Xavier as they embark on a mission to rescue their daughter, Xandra. Additionally, the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda—first hinted at during Secret Wars (2015)—returns, further expanding on ideas introduced in Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther run.

Despite these familiar threads, Hickman emphasized that Imperial is not a direct continuation of his older stories.

“I’m known for revisiting my own continuity, but in this case, more than half of what we’re doing stems from long-standing arcs developed by other writers over the years,” Hickman explained. “Sure, there are connections to my earlier work, but probably fewer than some might expect.”

Another significant aspect of Imperial is its renewed focus on the Hulk family, steering them toward a more cosmic trajectory. The preview art reveals that both Hulk and She-Hulk return to Sakaar, echoing the iconic Planet Hulk storyline from 2006. With the twentieth anniversary approaching in 2025, Hickman hinted that this wasn’t coincidental.

“All I’ll say is that Marvel doesn’t often let milestone anniversaries go unnoticed,” he teased.

In terms of artistic execution, Imperial features a dual-artist approach, with Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello splitting duties on the series. Hickman praised their contributions, noting that the accelerated release schedule required a tag-team effort.

“Both of them are doing incredible work,” Hickman said. “I’ve been impressed by how they’ve handled the story beats, character designs, and the more exotic settings in this series. Given the compressed publishing timeline—something we adjusted early this year—it only worked because they could share the workload. And importantly, their styles complement each other beautifully.”

Imperial #1 arrives on June 4, 2025.