There is a new cosmic Marvel event on the horizon from the writer behind the mega-story House of X/Powers of X, and now fans know that one of its stars will be Nova. This promises to be a grand, sweeping story, drawing on a long history of space-faring Marvel adventures, though there are still many details unknown at this point ahead of the book's release.

Marvel have finally revealed some details about Imperial, the next project from superstar writer Jonathan Hickman, and it looks like Nova is going to be at its center.

Marvel released a teaser image from artist Marco Checchetto featuring a damaged version of Nova’s classic helmet surrounded by rubble. In addition, Bleeding Cool reported on the teaser’s early release at ComicsPro, where Marvel’s David Gabriel suggested that the series would feel like a combination of two of Hickman’s other huge Marvel works, House of X and Ultimate Spider-Man (2024), but using Marvel’s cosmic stage instead.

Jonathan Hickman's "Imperial" Will Redefine Marvel's Cosmic Universe

The Superstar Author's Next Big Move

It makes perfect sense that Jonathan Hickman would be the one writing a cosmic epic, considering his work with that side of the Marvel Universe in the past. Hickman’s Avengers, X-Men and New Mutants were all concerned with Marvel’s spacefaring side, with Avengers introducing new of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard. 2019's New Mutants, in particular, was originally intended to set up an Imperial Guard book, which never materialized. The cosmic stage has shifted quite a bit in the five years since then, but it is not unreasonable to expect that Imperial might still be drawing from that story’s original plan.

If this teaser shows anything though, it’s that there’s more trouble on the horizon for the Nova Corps yet again. Some things never change for Marvel’s cosmic status quo.

Nova also makes perfect sense as the central figure of this story. The original Nova, Richard Rider, was one of the central figures of the mid-2000s Marvel Cosmic renaissance when he was the only survivor of the intergalactic police-esque Nova Corps. While Nova’s had great appearances since that heyday, he’s mostly been a part of team books in the last five years. If this teaser shows anything though, it’s that there’s more trouble on the horizon for the Nova Corps yet again. Some things never change for Marvel’s cosmic status quo.

Exploring The "House Of X Meets Ultimate Spider-Man" Comparison

Spoilers: Imperial Is Going To Be A Gamechanger For Marvel

What does a combination House of X and Ultimate Spider-Man look like? House of X was a massive turning point for the X-Men, so its sense of scale and import is likely what Gabriel refers to. Meanwhile, the Ultimate Spidey comparison could be referring to how that series has been praised for its ingenious character work, or it could be more literal. After all, Ultimate Spider-Man regular artist Marco Checchetto drew the Imperial teaser; it's possible he is the book’s artist. Whatever it means, it’s a promise of quality, as Nova embarks on legendary X-Men writer Jonathan Hickman’s latest cosmic story for Marvel.

Sources: Marvel Comics, Bleeding Cool

Imperial launches this June from Marvel Comics.