The following contains major spoilers for Imperial #3, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
One of the most imposing figures in the entire Marvel Universe is back, and he is finally ready to reclaim his kingdom.
Imperial #3 (by Jonathan Hickman, Iban Coello, Federico Vicentini, Federico Blee, VC's Cory Petit, and VC's Ariana Maher) picks up in the wake of the latest explosive encounter between the half-dozen separate superpowers currently at war with one another. As it turns out, the convoluted nature of the conflict at hand has everything to do with but two individuals, specifically the Grandmaster and Maximus of the Inhumans, who have orchestrated the entire affair as a game of sorts to be played amongst themselves. Unfortunately for the Grandmaster, he truly has no idea who he is competing against, as Maximus has no problem letting his brother Black Bolt step in and deliver the winning blow, all before setting out to reclaim his rightful empire.
The King of the Inhumans Returns in Imperial #3
- Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
- Art by IBAN COELLO & FEDERICO VICENTINI
- Colors by FEDERICO BLEE
- Letters by VC's COREY PETIT & ARIANA MAHER
- Design by CARLOS LAO
- Main cover art by MARCO CHECCHETTO & MARTE GRACIA
- Variant covers by DELIO DIAZ; FRANK ALPIZAR & JESUS ABURTOV; J. SCOTT CAMPBELL & SABINE RICH; JAVIER GARRÓN & JESUS ABURTOV; MATEUS MANHANINI; and SKOTTIE YOUNG
One of the infamous Elders of the Universe, the Grandmaster, otherwise known as En Dwi Gast, is a being so ancient that his true origins have been lost to time. Like most Elders of the Universe, the Grandmaster holds a singular obsession, one he once shared with the former Grandmaster, now known as the Challenger. Unsurprisingly, the Grandmaster's desire to win above all else drove him to betray his friend and usurp his place, an event which stood as just the first of many such betrayals carried out by the Grandmaster in the eons since.
The malevolent Maximus made his Marvel Comics debut back in 1965's Fantastic Four #47, during which he attempted to thwart the return of his brother and the rest of the Inhuman Royal Family. Although this plan ultimately failed, that early defeat didn't stop Maximus from returning time and time again in the hopes of laying claim to the throne he believed to be his. A master of mental manipulation, Maximus has proven himself to be a capable threat throughout his numerous appearances, yet he has rarely been able to maintain any semblance of personal power beyond that for very long.
The Grandmaster, Maximus, and Black Bolt are just a few of the cosmically inclined characters to be swept up in the events of Imperial. Before the release of the series' first issue, writer Jonathan Hickman opened up about Imperial, noting that "The goal here is to kind of do what we did with the recent Ultimate line for all of our space titles, except having the setup book, Imperial, be more of an event than a world-building exercise (like Ultimate Invasion)." Hickman also added, "I'm very excited about this project as I’m obviously a huge fan of all things Marvel Cosmic... The art team is killing it, and we’re all just very excited for what’s happening in this special corner of the Marvel Universe."
Imperial #3 is available now from Marvel Comics.
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