‹ Imperial Guardians › by Dan Abnett and Marcelo Ferreira Ushers in a New Era of Cosmic Super Hero Storytelling
Spinning out of Jonathan Hickman’s ‹ Imperial, › ‹ Imperial Guardians › by Dan Abnett and Marcelo Ferreira launches in March 2026.
by Marvel
In the wake of Jonathan Hickman’s IMPERIAL (2025), 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. Follow their space-faring missions to defend this newly formed and perilous cosmic landscape in IMPERIAL GUARDIANS, a new ongoing series launching in March.
The series marks the grand return of one of Marvel’s greatest cosmic architects, Dan Abnett, the mastermind behind epics like ANNIHILATION (2006) 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 (2025) and PREDATOR KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE (2025).
Assembled in secret by Maximus, the grand orchestrator behind the events of IMPERIAL, the team of heroes represent an exciting mix of characters from different corners of the Marvel Universe including Captain Marvel, Guardians of the Galaxy icon Gamora, and fan-favorite cosmic adventurer Darkhawk. Following up on the biggest developments of IMPERIAL, the series will serve as the centerpiece for Marvel’s cosmic storytelling.
IMPERIAL GUARDIANS #1
Written by DAN ABNETT
Art by MARCELO FERREIRA
Cover by SEAN IZAAKSE
Variant Cover by NETHO DIAZ
On Sale 3/11Gamora, 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?
« The Marvel Cosmic landscape after IMPERIAL (2025) 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? No victory comes without back-room compromise, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the new Guardians remit, » Abnett explained.
« I chose the roster to reflect that - the clashing, mismatched spirit of Star-Lord’s original team mixed with a professional hard focus, » he continued. "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 armor!), 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.
« 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? Let’s just hope so, okay? »
« IMPERIAL GUARDIANS is both a team AND a cosmic book, which for me is a double challenge, but also double the fun! » Ferreira shared. « Cosmic books carry these stories full of great energetic scenes, which I love, because they allow me to flex this other artistic muscle. Plus, Dan Abnett has put together this cool lineup, giving me the chance to draw characters such as Cosmic Ghost Rider, Darkhawk and Gamora! I truly hope that all the fun I’m having translates into the pages and to the readers! »
Ça m’intrigue.
Euh…
Published
March 11, 2026
Writer
Dan Abnett
Penciller
Marcelo Ferreira, Jay Leisten, Rachelle Rosenberg
Cover Artist
Sean Izaakse, Ivan Talavera, Michele Bandini, Netho DiazGamora, 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?
Ca sort quand-même ?
Donc carole passe sans transition de chef des avengers à barbouze de maximus ??
C est souple
Ce serait cocasse que la mini fonctionne en terme de ventes.
Sourire
Quand je vois ces pages, je me dis que c’est juste pour vendre du papier…
moi je me dits que c’est plutôt ça que Marvel aurait dû sortir en premier.
Pas mal. Dan Abnett lance une série déjà condamnée mais s’en sort correctement pour donner du sens à l’après Imperial. A coups de flashbacks et d’enregistrements de sentiments personnels des personnages, on découvre que Cosmic Ghost Rider a bien tué puis ramené Gamora et Darkhawk pour Maximus, car ils allaient révéler son complot pour créer dans le sang l’union galactique dirigée par Peter Quill. Ce Maximus convainc Carol, Amadeus et donc eux deux de devenir des Imperial Guardians avec Cosmic Ghost Rider, pour être les black-ops de l’union, qu’ils veulent protéger en enquêtant sur Maximus. Ils sont envoyés contre un commandant Kree rebelle et son équipage, ça tape dur avec Darkhawk qui a des visions terribles du futur, et Carol doit passer Binaire pour détruire une arme de replicants dont Maximus récupère un bout après la destruction du vaisseau.
Ça se lit et ça fonctionne même si ce n’est pas fou. J’apprécie l’envie de donner du corps et du sens à l’union, même si Carol rejoint facilement ça et accepte aisément l’autorité de Gamora. L’ensemble est fluide et Marcelo Ferreira livre des planches nerveuses avec de bonnes ambiances.
Une bonne gestion du contexte post Imperial, mais ça ne durera pas.
Et alors, qu est ce qui convainc Carole ?
Faut lire ce comic ! 
« C’est vital de protéger l’union. »
J’ai bien aimé les planches de Marcelo Ferreira, je verrai comment ça va être publié en VF.
Carole a l entregent nécessaire pour construire sa propre equipe entre la division alpha, les vengeurs et les ultimates.
Il y avait eu un tie-in Carol Corps dans Secret Wars.
faut dire ça aux pontes de Marvel
C’est pas parce qu’elle le dit qu’elle a raison ^^
Published
April 15, 2026
Writer
Dan Abnett
Penciller
Marcelo Ferreira, Jay Leisten, Rachelle Rosenberg
Cover Artist
Sean Izaakse, Stefano Caselli, Martin Coccolo, German Peralta, Chris CampanaThe 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…
Sympathique. Dan Abnett enchaîne avec une autre mission, où Maximus envoie l’équipe sue Xarth pour empêcher les Luminals d’ouvrir une Warfleet mise de côté par les Shi’ars en cas de trouble pour reprendre la main. Le plan est de brouiller le codage dès que les Luminals l’auront craqué afin de rendre la Warfleet inaccessible. Cosmic Ghost Rider ravage les Luminals, Gamora occupe leur cheffe sans tuer, Cho s’amuse en brouillant le code et Carol réconforte Darkhawk qui se sent la cinquième roue du carrosse. La mission réussit mais le mystère demeure sur les raisons qui poussent Cosmic GR à suivre Maximus.
C’est sympathique, oui. La mission est correcte, les caractérisations sont bonnes, les interactions aussi et les passages face caméra sont bons. Marcelo Ferreira livre des planches un peu faibles mais ça se lit.
Sympathique, oui.