In 2025, Marvel is set to launch one of its most ambitious projects yet with the new comic book series, Imperial. Helmed by the acclaimed writer Jonathan Hickman, known for his revolutionary work on House of X and the new Ultimate Universe, Imperial promises to redefine the cosmic landscape of the Marvel Universe. This series will introduce a new status quo for beloved cosmic heroes such as Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy, drawing fans into a fresh and exciting narrative.
To dive deeper into how Imperial will transform the cosmic realm, IGN had the opportunity to interview Hickman via email. Below, you can explore an exclusive preview in our slideshow gallery, followed by more insights into this groundbreaking series.
Marvel's Imperial #1 Preview Gallery
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Hickman shared the origins of Imperial, explaining that the timing felt right to revisit Marvel’s cosmic corner. “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 provided a model for how Imperial could serve as a foundation for a new series of cosmic books. Hickman sees similarities in their approach: “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 said. “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.”
However, he emphasized a key difference: “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 may evoke memories of the 2006 Annihilation crossover, which significantly altered the cosmic landscape and set the stage for the modern Guardians of the Galaxy, Hickman sees little direct connection: “No. Simply because that’s an invasion story and this isn’t anything like that,” he explained. “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 elements from Hickman's previous Marvel works, including the "Hunt for Xavier" crossover in the X-Men line, which brought back the Shi'ar Empress Lilandra and reunited her with Charles Xavier to rescue their daughter Xandra. Additionally, the series introduces the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, a concept first teased in 2015’s Secret Wars and later featured in Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther series. Despite these connections, Hickman clarifies that Imperial is not solely 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,” he said. “Sure, there’s some of that in there, but not as much as some people might expect.”
Imperial also takes the Hulk family in a more cosmic direction, returning to the war-torn world of Sakaar from the 2006 Planet Hulk storyline. Hickman hinted at the significance of this setting: “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.”
Lastly, Hickman discussed the artistic collaboration with Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello for Imperial, praising their work and the necessity of their teamwork due to the series’ compressed publishing schedule: “Both of those guys are crushing it,” he said. “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.
For more on the world of comics, find out what you should read in this year’s FCBD lineup, and check out our exclusive interview with the writers of TMNT: The Last Ronin II.
