There is only a short list of Marvel writers I would trust to bring back the Inhumans after their disastrous turn in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and thankfully, Jonathan Hickman is at the top of the list, so if the Inhumans return in his series Imperial, which I think they will, their tarnished reputation might finally be revitalized.

Marvel just released the first details about Imperial #2, written by Jonathan Hickman, with art by Iban Coello and Federico Vincentini, and I started to think about all the pieces on Marvel's cosmic chessboard that the creative team is going to play with.

In turn, led me to think about how conspicuously absent the Inhumans have been from the Marvel Universe for a while now…which is exactly why a writer like Hickman would be eager to incorporate them into his story.

I Think The Inhumans Are About To Reclaim Their Place In Marvel Lore After Years Of Being Ignored

Imperial #1; Written By Jonanthan Hickman; Art By Iban Coello and Federico Vincentin; Available June 4, 2025 From Marvel Comics

Marvel's MCU TV series The Inhumans debuted in 2017 and lasted only one season. Not only was it short-lived, it was almost universally panned, and is still widely regarded as residing at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to Marvel's live-action output over the past fifteen years. Consequently, Marvel all-but-buried the comic version of the Inhumans, to put it bluntly. I mean this almost literally; in 2018, Marvel released the Death of the Inhumans miniseries, which killed off many of them, and the survivors' appearances have been scattershot since.

Which leads me to my "bold" prediction for Marvel’s imminent shake-up of its cosmic landscape, the Jonathan Hickman-penned Imperial: that the Inhumans will play a major role, possibly even as the villains of the whole thing. Hickman’s best work for the publisher over the past several years, starting with 2019’s House of X/Powers of X, which relaunched Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, which is now currently doing some of the company’s best comic book storytelling.

Jonathan Hickman's Imperial Can Rehabilitate The Inhumans After Their MCU Failure

Imperial #2; Written By Jonanthan Hickman; Art By Iban Coello and Federico Vincentin; Available July 9, 2025 From Marvel Comics

Marvel's synopsis for Imperial #2 doesn't give away a lot, which I'm thankful for, considering Jonathan Hickman is a master of surprises, but it does hint at the direction the series is going to take. It 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!

This confirms that there will be a mystery at the heart of Imperial, at least to start, and like most comic book readers, I immediately started to speculate about who this "someone" targeting Marvel's cosmic leaders could be, and I think it’s fair to say that the Inhumans, or at least one of them, should be considered as suspects.

If Jonathan Hickman can remind Marvel fans why the Inhumans are cool, he will have effectively mitigated the damage to their legacy caused by the Inhumans TV series.

This is advanced speculation, in which I'm trying to extrapolate from breadcrumbs, so let's obviously take this with a grain of salt. However, it is worth considering how making the Inhumans the big bads of Imperial would be beneficial for them as characters, given their "fall from grace" in the wake of their MCU debacle. In of a grand return to prominence, it is hard to top being at the heart of a story that Marvel claims "lays the foundation for an entire new landscape of interconnected space-set stories."

Even simpler than that, though, is the idea of the Inhumans getting the "Hickman touch," or the "Hickman spin," to speak; Jonathan Hickman has a nigh-unparalleled ability to deliver novel interpretations of classic Marvel lore, and classic Marvel characters, and the Inhumans are a strong next candidate for this treatment. To put it more simply, if Jonathan Hickman can remind Marvel fans why the Inhumans are cool, he will have effectively mitigated the damage to their legacy caused by the Inhumans TV series, at least in the minds of many readers.

My Excitement For "Imperial" Has Me Scrutinizing Every Little Detail Marvel Has Revealed So Far

Fan Forecasting The Ambitious Series

Realistically, in of forecasting who the mystery villain (or villains) of Imperial will be, it makes sense to expect it to be an established character, or group, rather than someone new. This is because Marvel, and Jonathan Hickman, will want the reveal to have impact. Looking at the roster of Marvel's space characters, and considering who would be the most impactful in that role, I think the Inhumans are high up on list. In any case, if they don't end up being the villains of the series, I am still anticipating that it will feature them in some capacity.

If it wasn't clear already, I hold Jonathan Hickman in incredibly high regard as an author, and an innovative voice in comics, and I'm thrilled that Marvel has thrown him the keys to their cosmic kingdom.

I could, and likely will, end up being totally wrong, but the thing about being a comic book reader is that semi-informed speculation is part of being a fan. It is how we communicate excitement about an series. If it wasn't clear already, I hold Jonathan Hickman in incredibly high regard as an author, and an innovative voice in comics, and I'm thrilled that Marvel has thrown him the keys to their cosmic kingdom. Whatever ultimately happens in Imperial, Inhumans or no, this series is without question my most highly anticipated of the year.

Source: Marvel.com