How the X-Men’s Latest Crossover Lays the Groundwork for Jonathan Hickman’s Imperial

As the X-Men crossover event X-Manhunt comes to an end, the seeds for Jonathan Hickman’s cosmic soap opera Imperial begin. As is often the case with Marvel storylines, an end is often the genesis for the next big event. This is what we find with X-Manhunt, which centers on the X-Men’s former mentor Professor Charles Xavier escaping captivity, with the X-Men forced to choose between helping or capturing him. What readers didn’t expect was Professor X’s actions on Earth and the decisions he makes directly impacting what’s about to go down in space during Imperial. WARNING: Spoilers for X-Manhunt Omega #1 below.

X-Manhunt Omega #1 comes from the creative team of Murewa Ayodele, Gail Simone, Gleb Melnikov, Federica Mancin, Enid Balam, Brian Reber, and VC’s Travis Lanham. It’s the conclusion to the event that has spanned all of Marvel’s X-Men comics. Before Charles Xavier and his resurrected lover, Lilandra of the Shi’ar Empire, can head to deep space to save their daughter Xandra, Xavier meets with his X-Men one final time to say goodbye. He says something interesting to Lilandra when she tries to reassure him that he will see the Earth again. Xavier’s ominous response is, “I don’t believe I shall.”

These negative thoughts may be a clue to Charles Xavier’s fate in Imperial.

Does Marvel plan on killing Charles Xavier in Imperial?

Jonathan Hickman, who revitalized the X-Men during the Krakoa Age, is back at it again with Imperial. It’s a four-issue event series drawn by acclaimed artists Federico Vicentini and Iban Coello. While we only know small details about Imperial, one of the main story beats involves the assassination of galactic leaders. Readers will remember that we got a glimpse at this when Xavier got a psychic distress signal from his daughter Xandra in the first chapter of X-Manhunt. This is what spurred Xavier to break out of his cell at Graymalkin Prison.

The turbulence taking place in space will affect both Earth-based and cosmic heroes, such as Hulks, Black Panther, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Novas. A lot of fan-favorite franchises will be impacted as the foundation is laid for an entirely new landscape of interconnected space-set stories. The Shi’ar Empire has always been at the forefront of these space tales, even when the X-Men are not involved. If some threat is taking out galactic leaders like Xandra of the Shi’ar, it won’t be long before the X-Men get involved.

Plus, there was the cryptic comment from Charles Xavier in the X-Men Omega finale. Is that Marvel’s way of preparing fans for his Imperial murder? Perhaps Xavier sacrifices himself to save Xandra, thus sparing her, while Marvel puts Xavier on the bench for an extended period of time. After everything Xavier went through in the Fall of X, he could use a break while Marvel prepares to resurrect him whenever the X-Men officially make their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut.

“I’m very excited about this project as I’m obviously a huge fan of all things Marvel Cosmic,” Hickman said. “The goal here is to kind of do what we did with the recent Ultimate line for all of our space titles, except having the setup book (IMPERIAL) be more of an event than a world building exercise (like Ultimate Invasion). The art team is killing it and we’re all just very excited for what’s happening in this special corner of the Marvel Universe.”

What did you think of X-Manhunt Omega #1? And are you excited to see what happens in Imperial? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!