The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda Returns for War in Jonathan Hickman's Imperial Event

Jonathan Hickman's upcoming series Imperial, which debuts this June, will reshape the cosmic landscape of the Marvel Universe, with several galactic empires going head-to-head. Marvel Comics has now unveiled the covers of Imperial #2, spotlighting some of the four-issue event series' major players.

Per Marvel, Hickman, Federico Vicentini, and Iban Coello's Imperial begins with "the startling assassination of various intergalactic leaders, creating a power vacuum in the stars and igniting war!" The covers for the second issue give fans a glimpse of what to expect from that installment. Acclaimed Ultimate Spider-Man artist Marco Checchetto provides Imperial #2's main cover depicting Deathbird, Nova, Gladiator, and Shuri. Front and center in Gerald Parel's variant cover is She-Hulk, who the publisher teases will embark on an important journey. W. Scott Forbes renders an exciting portrait of Professor X's greatest love and former Shi'ar Majestrix Lilandra.

Imperial #2

• Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
• Art by IBAN COELLO and FEDERICO VICENTINI
• Cover by MARCO CHECCHETTO
• Variant Cover by GERALD PAREL and W. SCOTT FORBES

Marvel's Imperial #2 description reads, "Against the fallout of someone mysteriously killing the rulers of the Marvel galactic empires, the fires of war are lit! As that conflict simmers, Nova and Star-Lord race to discover who is behind all these evil acts—a journey that takes them to the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda!"

The first issue of Imperial arrives on June 4, and the publisher's solicit teases the shattering and restructuring of the galactic empires of the Marvel Universe. "Imperial finds the galaxies of the Marvel Universe on the brink of major upheaval following the elimination of several of its most prominent leaders. Nature abhors a vacuum, empires fall, rulers are overthrown, and power is seized in a saga of intrigue, mysteries, and war, all taking place against the backdrop of the formation of new galactic order in the Marvel Universe."

Hickman expressed his excitement about the upcoming Imperial, following the event series' announcement. He praised his collaborators on the project, which he compared to Marvel's Ultimate Universe line for space titles. "I'm very excited about this project as I'm obviously a huge fan of all things Marvel Cosmic," he stated.

The Ultimate Spider-Man scribe continued, "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). The art team is killing it, and we're all just very excited about what's happening in this special corner of the Marvel Universe."

Imperial #2 will arrive in comic book shops on July 9, 2025.

Source: Marvel