Marvel Curtails Its Imperial Cosmic Plans Over Low Audience Figures

Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: black panther, imperial, jed mackay, jonathan hickman, nova, she-hulk, stephanie phillips

Reports reach Bleeding Cool that Marvel has curtailed its Imperial Cosmic plans over lower audience figures that they expected

Last year saw the launch of a new event comic, Imperial, aimed at relaunching and revamping Marvel’s cosmic line under the guidance of Jonathan Hickman. A mini-series that would spin off into five ongoing series, Planet She-Hulk, Imperial Guardians, Nova, Exiles and Black Panther: Intergalactic. The creators of each title worked on a one-shot and received ten-issue contracts, as has been standard at Marvel Comics of late, for an ongoing series to follow. But since then?

Every spinoff series has been curtailed or turned into a five-issue mini-series. Apart from Exiles, which never came out at all. And other series that were meant to follow have not been announced. Talking on the Comic Pals podcast, Planet She-Hulk and new Daredevil writer Stephanie Phillips, talked about Planet She-Hulk ending with issue 6. “Yeah, it is not intentional. I don’t know how much I can say about it. I guess I can just say there was there’s a big change in the Imperial line that happened not just to Planet She-Hulk, but linewide in Imperial. It was not what any of us wanted across the Imperial line. Hickman, Jed McKay, any of us. And it was a surprise to all of us.” She continued, “Planet She-Hulk, for me, ends at issue five. That is where my story… you’ll see there’s a massive change that happens… and now issue six has to like pivot to accommodate the change. That is totally not planned… and that is the beauty of comic books which is awesome.” That might be a definiton of the word “beauty” I was previously unaware of. She described the pivot as a necessary adaptation, noting that issue five was already written and drawn before the news hit, forcing a rewrite of the finale. “I think that will become pretty evident to readers… this was a shock to all of us. I’m not saying a bad shock, things happen, and you pivot, and that’s the way that the comic monthly comic industry works.” It was a bad shock. “I do think how everybody did their best to pivot is pretty cool.” Despite the optimism, she acknowledged the disappointment: “I think it’s unfortunate. You’ll see what it is, issue five and be like, okay, this was meant to be a pretty massive universe story. And then, unfortunately, six will be something totally different.”

It wasn’t that long ago that Marvel SVP David Gabriel made a commitment that new Marvel series would get at least ten issues to establish themselves before they were cancelled or curtailed. And at the Marvel ComicsPRO presentation, Imperial wasn’t mentioned at all. Joe Casey’s Weapon X-Men looks like to may have been the start of the curtailment of that ten-issue policy at Marvel Comics. I understand from senior sources that sales were not what they were expected on Imperial titles, and so rather than launch new titles, or see these through to at least their minimum planned end points, the decision was made to, basically cut and run. Even before Dan Abnett’s Imperial Guardians is published.

As for the cosmic Marvel world, the Skrull/Kree Empire has fallen, which has knock-on effects in books such as Wiccan and recently Amazing Spider-Man. There is now a Galactic Union that may come knocking. I was told to look to the Knull series, but that comes to an end in May as well. Maybe Marvel, like the US, is becoming a little more insular and isolated in its storytelling? Keeping it planetary? Or maybe they should have just called it Ultimate Imperial? Here’s a list of the solicited Imperial tie-in issues yet to be published…

March 2026

NOVA: CENTURION #5Jed MacKay (W) • Álvaro López (A)Cover by ALESSANDRO CappuccioVariant cover by PARTHA PRATIM SARKARVARIANT COVER BY TBATHE NOVA AND THE STAR-LORD!One war brought these two heroes together, and another tore them apart. Now the Star-Lord is a true lord of the stars, while the last Nova in space has been laid low. Can this friendship be mended? Or are some wounds unable to be healed?32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
PLANET SHE-HULK #5Stephanie Phillips (W)Aaron Kuder (A/C)SHE-HULK VARIANT COVER BY ASHLEY WITTERSHE-HULK VIRGIN VARIANT COVER BY ASHLEY WITTERVARIANT COVER BY TBATHE WEIGHT OF THE WORLDThe pressure is on – when her cousin left She-Hulk to mind the planet Sakaar, he was supposed to be right back. He never intended it to be her permanent responsibility. But as the days and tragedies mount, Jennifer Walters grows ever closer to taking the most drastic step at her disposal…32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

IMPERIAL GUARDIANS #1Dan Abnett (W) • Marcelo Ferreira (A) • Cover by SEAN IZAAKSECOSMIC GHOST RIDER VARIANT COVER BY IVÁN TALAVERACOSMIC GHOST RIDER VIRGIN VARIANT COVER BY IVÁN TALAVERAVARIANT COVER BY NETHO DIAZ • VARIANT COVER BY MICHELE BANDINIGamora, Captain Marvel, Amadeus Cho, Darkhawk, Cosmic Ghost Rider!Five unlikely operatives recruited by Maximus of the Inhumans. Their mission? Protect the delicate balance of new Galactic Union by ANY means necessary…and failure is NOT an option.• Expendable, deniable and disavowed, they are the Imperial Guardians.• But can they do Maximus’ dirty work and keep their consciences clean? Why has a Kree Grand Admiral gone rogue and attacked Hala?• What’s going on with Darkhawk’s mind? What deluded fool thought COSMIC GHOST RIDER was a team player?• And, most importantly…what kind of game is Maximus REALLY playing?32 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99
BLACK PANTHER: INTERGALACTIC #4 (OF 4)VICTOR LAVALLE (W) • STEFANO NESI (A) • COVER BY CAFUMARVEL MONSTER VARIANT COVER BY JUAN FRIGERIT’Challa and Shuri have reunited just in time to face their fiercest enemy yet. And unknown to them, the entire Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda is watching the battle, waiting to see who will rise to take their rightful place as Emperor of Wakanda, on Earth and in the stars.32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

April 2026

PLANET SHE-HULK #6Stephanie Phillips (W)Aaron Kuder (A/C)ULTIMATE FAREWELL VARIANT COVER BY MATEUS MANHANINIVARIANT COVER BY STEPHANIE HANSVARIANT COVER BY TBACLOSING ARGUMENTS!She-Hulk has been trapped on Sakaar much longer than she’d planned and has gotten much more involved in the planet’s politics than she’d ever dreamed. Will she take the throne in order to save the planet from itself? Or will she be tossed back into the pits in disgrace?32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

IMPERIAL GUARDIANS #2 (OF 5)Dan Abnett (W) • Marcelo Ferreira (A) • Cover by SEAN IZAAKSEULTIMATE FAREWELL VARIANT COVER BY TBAVARIANT COVER BY GERMÁN PERALTA • VARIANT COVER BY MARTÍN CÓCCOLOGUARDIANS 3000 VARIANT COVER BY CHRIS CAMPANA• The Galactic Union has brought peace to the galaxy. But who will keep that peace? It’s another day and another dirty job for the IMPERIAL GUARDIANS as MAXIMUS of the Inhumans sends his black-ops team to handle a problem that nobody else wants to touch.• Our heroes head for Xarth, a minor civilization with major ambitions. The Xarthians have got their hands on something that could make them major players on the galactic stage overnight – or bring down the Union ENTIRELY. And you know they’re not going to give it up without a fight…32 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

May 2026

IMPERIAL GUARDIANS #3 (OF 5)Dan Abnett (W) • Marcelo Ferreira (A) • Cover by SEAN IZAAKSEVARIANT COVER BY LELIO BONACCORSO• A Kymellian mathematician has just developed the ultimate decryption algorithm – but for reasons of Galactic Union security, that CAN’T be allowed to happen.• Time for MAXIMUS of the Inhumans to send in his Imperial Guardians – GAMORA, CAPTAIN MARVEL, AMADEUS CHO, DARKHAWK and COSMIC GHOST RIDER – for a little cleanup operation.• Trouble is, the Shi’ar Empire want the algorithm too, and they’ve tasked their Superguardians to retrieve it. Are things going to go well? You do the math.32 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

June 2026

IMPERIAL GUARDIANS #4 (OF 5)Dan Abnett (W) • Marcelo Ferreira (A)

July 2026

IMPERIAL GUARDIANS #4 (OF 5)Dan Abnett (W) • Marcelo Ferreira (A)

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