Marvel Comics introduced its latest cosmic crossover event in 2025 with Imperial. This event series is said to establish a new, ongoing presence of the cosmic Marvel universe, with lasting changes in store. This series has already brought in some of the biggest cosmic Marvel heroes and villains and started an all-out war. It is easy to remember that this is the basis for most cosmic Marvel stories, wars between alien races, and often Earth itself, all threatening the entire universe. With the Kree, Skrull, Shi’ar, and more alien races, as well as teams like the Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova Corps, this is a part of the Marvel Universe with a lot of ground to cover.
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From battles with monsters like Thanos to wars between alien races, here are the best cosmic crossover events in Marvel Comics history.
10) Imperial
The latest Marvel Comics crossover event could rise up the ranks of the best cosmic storylines, but it is still ongoing, and its lasting effects remain unknown. Imperial started off confusing, with Hulk taking Amadeus Cho and She-Hulk to Sakaar when his son was murdered, only to find out that several planets’ rulers have been assassinated. This led to an all-out war, with Wakanda framed and the Shi’ar, Nova, Star-Lord, the Hulks, and the Kree-Skrull Alliance seeking revenge. There have been lots of twists and turns in the Imperial storyline, and it has been exciting, but it remains to be seen if it sticks the landing.
9) Empyre
Empyre ended one of the longest-running wars in Marvel Comics history. This was the Marvel cosmic crossover series that finally united the Kree and Skrull races, forming the new Kree-Skrull Alliance. It all began when the former Young Avengers member Hulkling discovered something shocking. His father was Captain Mar-Vell, and his mother was a Skrull princess. Because he was a hybrid, it made him the heir to both races. He and his husband, Wiccan, then worked not only to unite them but to make them one of the strongest forces in the universe. Seeing Hulking and Wiccan become royalty was exciting, and this entire series was full of big-league heroes and political intrigue.
8) Infinity War
The Marvel Comics cosmic crossover series, which shared a title with an Avengers movie, The Infinity War, was the sequel to the superior Infinity Gauntlet storyline. It was followed by a third part, titled The Infinity Crusade. While the Avengers movie took inspiration from the previous crossover series, this story was very different, as Thanos is no longer the villain. Instead, it is Adam Warlock, who ended up giving in to his Magus side, who used five Cosmic Cubes to take out Eternity and create evil mirror opposites of Earth’s mightiest heroes. Written by Jim Starlin and Ron Lim, this series crossed over with most of the main Marvel comics, and it included the original version of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Quasar, and the members of the Infinity Watch, who all had to work together to bring down Magus and save the universe.
7) Annihilation: Conquest
The one thing that holds down Annihilation: Conquest is that it was the follow-up to Annihilation, and the latter was one of the best Marvel crossover events in history. However, don’t be fooled because Annihilation: Conquest is well worth reading, and is a quality sequel, even if it doesn’t match up to the overall brilliance of the first series. In this series, a techno-organic alien collective turns life into robotic slaves. The Guardians of the Galaxy have to work with an infected Nova and Quasar to battle the Phalanx, along with a major heel turn by Gamora and a returning Adam Warlock, who Ultron controls.
6) The Kree-Skrull War
The first real Marvel Comics crossover series featuring cosmic storylines dates back to 1971 with the Kree-Skrull War. The crossover was mainly known for featuring the Avengers, as they recognized that the massive, long-standing war between the Kree Empire and the Skrulls threatened Earth and the rest of the universe. The storyline was revolutionary at the time, with Earth depicted as a small part of the universe, essentially nothing more than an island where the Kree and Skrull military could fight and use as a pawn in the battle. As a side note, this was the issue where it was revealed that Mar-Vell had an affair with a Skrull princess, and that paid off decades later when Hulkling was shown to be the child from that affair. As the first cosmic-level crossover, this remains a notable achievement.
5) War Of Kings
War of Kings and War of Realms were two Marvel cosmic crossover series that featured rulers from different societies battling each other. These were storylines that happened after Annihilation and were part of the new Marvel cosmic universe. They revealed that there would always be wars between beings seeking to prove their superiority over others. This included Black Bolt, Vulcan, Gladiator, and Blastaar, and this was just the start. The main war here was between the Shi’ar and the Kree Empire, and the two factions pulled the rest of the galaxy into the conflict. War of Kings featured more Earth-based heroes like the X-Men and Inhumans, while the follow-up, Realm of Kings, was more loosely focused on the follow-up to this impressive crossover series.
4) Infinity
Infinity was a Jonathan Hickman and Jim Cheung storyline that brought Thanos back as a significant threat. When Captain America led the Avengers off Earth to battle the Builders, Thanos decided it was a perfect time to attack the planet, while looking for his son, Thane. This had a lot of action and high emotional stakes, and also offered some underrated Marvel characters a chance to prove why they are special. It was also where the Black Order made their debut before they showed up in the MCU. There were some fantastic scenes in this series, from Captain America and Thor fighting the Builders to Thanos facing off with Black Bolt, and it was something that delivered on all fronts.
3) Thanos Quest
Thanos Quest was the precursor to Infinity Gauntlet, and it showed why the Mad Titan was such a dangerous adversary. While the Infinity Gauntlet crossover series had him battling Earth’s heroes, this series had him in battle with a much more varied level of enemies. It also featured Thanos as the main character, which made it significantly more interesting to read than other crossovers. He faced the Elder of the Universe known as the Champion, the Collector, the Runner, and the Gardener, and then met up with the Grandmaster. While the MCU movie depicted him acquiring the stones, this was a more accurate representation of how he obtained each of them, utilizing his military cunning and strategic brilliance.
2) Infinity Gauntlet
The most famous of the Marvel Comics cosmic crossover events is The Infinity Gauntlet. While the reason people are familiar with it is due to the MCU and the incredible storyline that unfolded on the big screen, the comic book version is just as impressive, albeit with a few minor differences. The most significant difference is that Thanos snapped away half of existence because he was trying to impress Death, whom he had fallen in love with. The story also featured several major characters not in the movies, specifically The Silver Surfer and Mephisto. It marked the beginning of the Infinity trilogy of storylines, and it was the best of them all.
1) Annihilation
Annihilation is easily the best Marvel Comics cosmic crossover event series. This was an all-out war from the start, and it featured enemies and allies alike teaming up to battle Annihilus and his attack to try to conquer the universe. The man leading the charge against Annihilus was Nova, and the people he brought in were not very famous at the time but would go on to become major players, with the most notable being the new version of the Guardians of the Galaxy that later appeared in the MCU. It offerred a look at how big the Marvel Universe is once the story moves off Earth and is the cosmic crossover that all others are judged.
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