In the wake of Jonathan Hickman's Imperial, the power structure of the Marvel cosmos has been shattered and reborn as the Galactic Union.
As this new empire rises, so do new heroes, including the Imperial Guardians, a bold new evolution of the Guardians of the Galaxy. We'll follow their space-faring missions to defend this newly formed and perilous cosmic landscape in Imperial Guardians, a new ongoing series launching in March.
This comic marks the grand return of one of Marvel's greatest cosmic architects, Dan Abnett, the mastermind behind epics like Annihilation and the writer who redefined the Guardians into the icons we know them as today. Now, he's back to do it all again. Joining him will be acclaimed artist Marcelo Ferreira, known for his explosive work on recent hits like Predator vs. Spider-Man and Predator Kills the Marvel Universe.
Assembled in secret by Maximus, the grand orchestrator behind the events of Imperial, the team of heroes represents an exciting mix of characters from different corners of the Marvel Universe, including Captain Marvel, Guardians of the Galaxy icon Gamora, and fan-favourite cosmic adventurer Darkhawk.
Following up on the biggest developments from Imperial, it's been said that the series will serve as the centrepiece of Marvel's cosmic storytelling.
Here's the official description for Imperial Guardians:
Gamora, Captain Marvel, Amadeus Cho, Darkhawk, Cosmic Ghost Rider! Five unlikely operatives recruited by Maximus of the Inhumans. Their mission? Protect the delicate balance of the 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?
"The Marvel Cosmic landscape after Imperial has got a very different feel, and it’s rewarding to play around with the aftermath of an event where 'the good guys won.' Or did they?" Abnett teased. "No victory comes without back-room compromise, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the new Guardian's remit."
"I chose the roster to reflect that - the clashing, mismatched spirit of Star-Lord’s original team mixed with a professional hard focus. An iconic hero in Captain Marvel, an anti-hero in the troubled Darkhawk, brains and brawn in the mercurial Amadeus Cho (yes, that's a Hulk in Hulkbuster armour!), and the downright psychopathic Cosmic Ghost Rider as enigmatic ramrod and drill sergeant."
"Only Gamora, the Deadliest Woman in the Galaxy, has a chance of keeping them in line as team leader," the writer continued. "It’s a dirty job (it’s a whole string of dirty jobs, one after another), and these are the somebodies I picked to do it. Will there be glorious victories? No. But will they learn to bond as a team? Also no. But will they keep it together long enough to guard the Galaxy and save trillions of lives?"
Below, you can check out the main Imperial Guardians #1 cover by Sean Izaakse, along with a variant cover by Netho Diaz.
IMPERIAL GUARDIANS #1
Written by DAN ABNETT
Art by MARCELO FERREIRA
Cover by SEAN IZAAKSE
Variant Cover by NETHO DIAZ
On Sale 3/11