The Imperial Hulks are here to remind the world what power looks like. It’s been nearly 20 years since the Illuminati shot the Hulk into space in the Greg Pak-penned Planet Hulk, the storyline named after the savage planet Sakaar. The green goliath became the Green Scar, Sakaar’s fiercest slave-warrior, and rose in power until he defeated the Red King. But the heroes who betrayed and exiled him would come to know the Hulk by another name: the World Breaker, who returned to Earth with his Warbound gladiator allies on a rampage in World War Hulk.
Sakaar was ruled by the pink-skinned Imperials of the Empire that oppressed the planet’s species, including the Natives, sentient insectoids; the Spikes, gelatinous shapeshifters; and the Shadow People, grey-skinned desert dwellers. A champion of the Great Games, the Hulk had become Sakaar’s greatest warrior since the Father Emperor of Sakaar, who sired Angmo II, the Red King, following his legendary exploits during the Spike War and the Wars of Empire.
But much has changed since the time of the Green Scar. Marvel has been teasing that Imperial — Marvel’s first cosmic crossover event since 2020’s Empyre and 2021’s The Last Annihilation — would reshape the Marvel cosmos, with the four-issue series serving as “the foundation for a new landscape of interconnected space-set comic series” coming later this year.
Jonathan Hickman — architect of Secret Wars, the X-Men’s Krakoan Age, and the new Ultimate Universe — is writing the series, which features art by Federico Vicentini (Miles Morales: Spider-Man) and Iban Coello (Fantastic Four). Coello redesigned the gladiator-style Imperial Hulks, with Vicentini redesigning Star-Lord, his father J’Son of Spartax, and Richard Rider of the Nova Corps.
Imperial #1 main cover by marco checchetto
Last year’s Timeslide #1 teased that the assassination of galactic leaders would mark a significant moment in the timeline, and that moment finally arrives this summer.
The synopsis states, “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, and 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.”
Imperial promises “groundbreaking developments” for Black Panthers (plural), Novas, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Hulks: Bruce Banner, his cousin, Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, and the brainy Amadeus Cho/Brawn. New variant covers (below) show the Nova Richard Rider and Peter Quill’s Star-Lord in action, along with the Imperial Hulks in a battle straight out of Star Wars.
“When I work on a new design, usually Jonathan Hickman gives me a general idea of the character’s look in the script, and I work based on that,” Coello told ComicBook about the new Hulks. “Tying the new look with the personality of the characters and having it make sense in this new era they’re entering. I think that She-Hulk is the one who underwent the biggest change.”
“Since I’ve been working at Marvel, I’ve always been given a lot of freedom on the look of the characters. I love that every creator has their own version, and in this case it was an even better experience because I could create all-new looks for the characters,” added Vicentini. “When creating the costumes, I wanted to go back a bit to the past, such as bringing back Star-Lord’s helmet, giving Nova an aviator-style jacket, and taking inspiration from classic heroes like Flash Gordon. J’Son’s suit also went back to a more classic style. Peter will also have a more ‘real’ suit to match his father’s. Regarding Iban’s part of the story, I love how he differentiated all the Hulks — it wasn’t easy.”
Imperial #1 (of 4) goes on sale June 4. See the just-revealed covers below:
The Imperial Hulks are here to remind the world what power looks like. It’s been nearly 20 years since the Illuminati shot the Hulk into space in the Greg Pak-penned Planet Hulk, the storyline named after the savage planet Sakaar. The green goliath became the Green Scar, Sakaar’s fiercest slave-warrior, and rose in power until Read More