Imperial (comics)

Story arc of New X-Men, Marvel Comics

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"Imperial"

Cover of New X-Men: Imperial (2004), trade paperback collected edition, art by Frank Quitely

Publisher| Marvel Comics
Publication date| November 2001 – July 2002
Genre|

* Superhero

Title(s)| New X-Men #118-126
Main character(s)| List of X-Men members
Creative team
Writer(s)| Grant Morrison
Penciller(s)| Igor Kordey
Frank Quitely
Ethan Van Sciver
Inker(s)| Tim Townsend
Scott Hanna
Letterer(s)| Richard Starkings
Colorist(s)| Brian Haberlin
Imperial | ISBN 0-7851-0887-4

"Imperial" was the second story arc from Grant Morrison's run on the Marvel Comics title New X-Men, running from issues #118-126. It further explored the origin behind the character Cassandra Nova as well as giving more depth to the student body at the Xavier Institute, specifically the Stepford Cuckoos, Beak, and Angel Salvadore.

## Plot

[edit]

As mutant culture takes center stage in the world media, a new movement propagated by book The Third Species begins to affect human/mutant relations. Several school shootings occur where the assailant takes mutant organs to graft to themselves, believing they will transcend to a higher state of evolution (somehow superior to the natural mutations occurring). Cyclops and Emma investigate the impetus behind this movement by confronting John Sublime, the book's author. He reveals himself to be leader of the U-Men, a radical group that doesn't improve themselves by changing their own genes, but by harvesting mutant parts from unwilling donors. Cyclops and Emma are taken hostage for fatal surgery.

Meanwhile, Wolverine is following a lead on a new mutant, arriving just in time to stop a crew of U-men from killing Angel Salvadore for her insect wings. Despite her reluctance in accepting her mutation, and anyone's help in coming to grips with it, she does follow Wolverine back to the institute, where several squads of U-men are about to assault and slaughter the student body. Jean Grey, with help from her students, fends off the attack, eventually manifesting a phoenix raptor display in psychic dominance. Emma Frost and Cyclops escape from their captors, with Emma confronting John about the damage done to her cosmetically enhanced face, threatening to drop him from the highrise window his office sits in. John forces himself from Emma's grip, seemingly convinced by Martha Johansson, a floating brain in a jar John used to exert psychic control of his captives.

Back at the mansion, Hank McCoy staggers from his ICU bed onto the front lawn. He cradles Cassandra Nova's body in his arms, revealing that Professor Xavier's mind has been switched and he is trapped. Emma and Jean psychically probe Nova's body, discovering that she and Xavier were fraternal twins, but the instant Xavier became aware, he tried to kill his twin in the womb.

In the far reaches of space, the Shi'ar empire is being slowly torn apart by the possessed Charles Xavier. Empress Lilandra sends Smasher through 4-space to warn the Earth of the villainess' coming. Smasher arrives in a field populated by cows, and he loses consciousness before finding someone to spread his message.

The X-Men convene in Cerebra to share what they know about Cassandra Nova. As Jean and Emma's psychic excavation reveals, she is a living entity of pure emotional energy, who used Charles' DNA to form a body. In her mind, the universe and the womb that housed her brother are one and the same. Only she and Charles Xavier are real. Thus, her competition for survival is her twin "brother," and he must be killed. Inside a body booby trapped with numerous degenerative disorders, Xavier telepathically requests a last press conference for the X-Men to communicate his final message to humanity about mutantkind. Cyclops leaves to Xorn, in an attempt to find a way to save Xavier from dying.

During the press conference, Beast discovers that the minor annoyance of a flu epidemic is in fact, a systematic nano-Sentinel attack. This news is overshadowed, however, by the sudden reveal that the Imperial Guard is about to sterilize the entirety of mutantkind, starting with the X-Men. Aboard the Shi'ar Superdestroyer, Cyclops pleads with his and Xorn's captors that the Charles Xavier they are allied with is the very same Cassandra Nova entity they seek to fight, to no avail. At the X-mansion, the Stepford Cuckoos ally with Angel to overthrow the invading Shi'ar, while Jean and Beast shelter the rest of the student body and the visiting media. Beast and Wolverine fend off the assaults of the Guardians, when Smasher is finally found and able to convince Gladiator of the X-Men's innocence. As Cassandra Nova drives Lilandra to command her fleet to die, Cyclops and Xorn fight their way to freedom, saving Lilandra in the process.

Angel and the Cuckoos find Beak, who advises using the Guardian Stuff to free Emma Frost. Xorn heals the X-Men of their sentinel infestations. Afterwards, Jean Grey and Charles Xavier trick Cassandra into using Cerebra for her original goal of erasing mutantkind; however, the moment she uses Cerebra to connect to the worldwide mutant population, she finds one thing in common to all of them: Charles. In the same moment, Jean Grey, who at the moment was becoming increasingly more powerful due to a manifestation of the Phoenix Force, psionically attacks Cassandra and forces her out of the Professor's body. With Charles Xavier's mind restored to his body, Emma Frost uses Stuff's malleable body as a trick to entice Cassandra Nova back into her own body, now a mental prison for her boundless energy. Finally, Charles Xavier is now miraculously able to use his legs.

## Major consequences

[edit]

* Introduced the characters Angel Salvadore, John Sublime, the U-Men, and the Stepford Cuckoos.
* Xorn joins the X-Men.

## Collected editions

[edit]

The series has been collected into a trade paperback:

* Imperial (collects New X-Men #118-126, ISBN 0-7851-0887-4)

As well as:

* New X-Men Omnibus (collects New X-Men #114-154 and Annual 2001, 992 pages, December 2006 ISBN 0-7851-2326-1)
* New X-Men by Grant Morrison Ultimate Collection: Volume 1 (collects New X-Men #114-126, and Annual 2001, 376 pages, May 2008, ISBN 0-7851-3251-1)

## References

[edit]

* Imperial at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)

* v
* t
* e

X-Men comic books

Current titles|

* Uncanny X-Men
* Wolverine
* X-Factor
* X-Force
* X-Men
* Ultimate X-Men

Past team titles|

* A+X
* All-New X-Factor
* All-New X-Men
* Alpha Flight
* Amazing X-Men
* Astonishing X-Men
* Cable and X-Force
* Children of the Atom
* Children of the Vault
* Classic X-Men
* District X
* Excalibur
* Extraordinary X-Men
* Generation X
* New Excalibur
* Fallen Angels
* Hellions
* Immortal X-Men
* Marauders
* New Mutants
* New X-Men
* 2001 series
* 2004 series
* NYX
* Professor Xavier and the X-Men
* Rogue & Gambit
* Spider-Man and the X-Men
* S.W.O.R.D.
* Uncanny X-Force
* Uncanny X-Men (Uncanny X-Men #94)
* Way of X
* Weapon X
* Wolverine and the X-Men
* X-Corp
* X-Men Blue
* X-Men Gold
* X-Men: First Class
* X-Men: Legacy
* X-Men: The Hidden Years
* X-Men Red
* X-Men Unlimited
* X-Statix
* X-Treme X-Men
* Young X-Men

Past solo titles|

* Agent X
* All-New Wolverine
* Cable
* Cable & Deadpool
* The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix
* The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix
* Mr. & Mrs. X
* Old Man Logan
* Wolverine: Origins
* Wolverine: The Best There Is
* Wolverine: Weapon X
* X-Men Black
* X-23
* 2005 series
* 2010 series
* 2018 series
* X-23: Target X

Past alternate
universe titles|

* Exiles/New Exiles
* Mutant X
* Ultimate Comics: X-Men
* Ultimate X-Men
* X-Men 2099
* X-Men '92
* X-Men Forever
* X-Men: The End
* X-Men: The Manga
* X-Nation 2099

Limited series titles|

* List of X-Men limited series and one-shots
* House of X / Powers of X
* Star Trek/X-Men
* The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans
* X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula
* X-23: Target X

Storylines|

* "Second Genesis"
* "The Dark Phoenix Saga"
* "Days of Future Past"
* "The New Mutants"
* "God Loves, Man Kills"
* "From the Ashes"
* "Mutant Massacre"
* "The Fall of the Mutants"
* "Inferno"
* "Days of Future Present"
* "X-Tinction Agenda"
* "Muir Island Saga"
* "X-Cutioner's Song"
* "Fatal Attractions"
* "Bloodties"
* "Child's Play"
* "Phalanx Covenant"
* "Legion Quest"
* "Age of Apocalypse"
* "Onslaught"
* "Operation: Zero Tolerance"
* "The Hunt for Xavier"
* "The Twelve"
* "Ages of Apocalypse"
* "Eve of Destruction"
* "House of M"
* "Decimation"
* "X-Men: The 198"
* "Civil War: X-Men"
* "Deadly Genesis"
* "Endangered Species"
* "Messiah Complex"
* "Divided We Stand"
* "Manifest Destiny"
* "X-Infernus"
* "Messiah War"
* "Utopia"
* "Nation X"
* "Necrosha"
* "Second Coming"
* "Curse of the Mutants"
* "Age of X"
* "Schism"
* "Regenesis"
* "X-Termination"
* "Avengers vs. X-Men"
* "Battle of the Atom"
* "Trial of Jean Grey"
* "Death of Wolverine"
* "AXIS"
* "The Black Vortex"
* "Inhumans vs. X-Men"
* "Hunt for Wolverine"
* "Extermination"
* "Return of Wolverine"
* "Age of X-Man"
* "House of X and Powers of X"
* "X of Swords"
* "Hellfire Gala"
* "Devil's Reign"
* "X Lives of Wolverine and X Deaths of Wolverine"
* "Judgment Day"
* "Dark Web"
* "Sins of Sinister"
* "Contest of Chaos"

| New X-Men story arcs|

* "E Is for Extinction"
* "Imperial"
* "New Worlds"
* "Assault on Weapon Plus"
* "Planet X"
* "Here Comes Tomorrow"

|

Relaunches|

* Mutant Genesis
* Revolution
* Morrison Era
* ReLoad
* Decimation
* Regenesis
* Marvel NOW!
* All-New, All-Different Marvel
* ResurrXion
* Marvel Legacy
* Fresh Start
* Krakoan Age
* Dawn of X
* Reign of X
* Destiny of X
* Fall of X
* From the Ashes

Related|

* Ultimate X-Men story arcs

* Categories Titles
* Storylines

* v
* t
* e

Grant Morrison bibliography

2000 AD|

* Big Dave
* Future Shocks
* Really & Truly
* Zenith
* Judge Dredd
* "Inferno"

DC Comics|

* 52
* Action Comics
* All-Star Superman
* Animal Man
* Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
* The Authority
* Aztek
* Batman
* "Gothic"
* "Batman and Son"
* "The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul"
* "Batman R.I.P."
* "Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne"
* Batman and Robin
* Batman Incorporated
* DC One Million
* Doom Patrol
* Final Crisis
* Helmet of Fate: Zauriel
* JLA
* JLA: Earth 2
* The Multiversity
* Seven Soldiers
* Wonder Woman: Earth One

Marvel Comics|

* Fantastic Four: 1234
* Marvel Boy
* New X-Men
* "E Is for Extinction"
* "Imperial"
* "New Worlds"
* "Riot at Xavier's"
* "Murder at the Mansion"
* "Assault on Weapon Plus"
* "Planet X"
* "Here Comes Tomorrow"
* Skrull Kill Krew
* "Nick's World"

Vertigo|

* The Filth
* Flex Mentallo
* Hellblazer
* The Invisibles
* Joe the Barbarian
* Kid Eternity
* Kill Your Boyfriend
* The Mystery Play
* Sebastian O
* Seaguy
* Vimanarama
* We3

Boom! Studios|

* Klaus

Early work|

* Dare
* Gideon Stargrave
* The Liberators
* Near Myths
* The New Adventures of Hitler
* Bible John
* St. Swithin's Day
* Zoids

Notable characters|

* Adrianna Tomaz
* Angel Salvadore
* Asmodel
* Atom
* Azrael
* Aztek
* Barnell Bohusk
* Batwing
* Batwoman
* Beryl Hutchinson
* Big Science Action
* Black Flash
* Bulleteer
* Cassandra Nova
* Circus of Strange
* Crazy Jane
* Damian Wayne
* Danny the Street
* Dust
* Everyman
* Fantomex
* Father Time
* Flamingo
* Flex Mentallo
* Freedom Beast
* Gideon Stargrave
* Gimmick Girl
* Glob Herman
* Great Ten
* Hourman
* Huntsman
* International Ultramarine Corps
* Jakeem Thunder
* Kal Kent
* Kid Eternity
* Kid Impala
* King Mob
* Knight
* Kryptonite Man
* Lady Styx
* Leviathan
* Lord Fanny
* Manhattan Guardian
* Many-angled ones
* Mike Columbus
* Mirror Master
* Negasonic Teenage Warhead
* Osiris
* Phaser
* Professor Pyg
* Prometheus
* Quentin Quire
* Red Volcano
* Redneck
* Sheeda
* Simon Hurt
* Sobek
* Spider
* Stepford Cuckoos
* Sublime
* Super-Chief
* Super Young Team
* Supernova
* Swagman
* Tomorrow Woman
* Vyndktvx
* Weasel
* Whip
* White Martian
* Willoughby Kipling
* Xorn
* Ystina
* Zauriel
* Zenith

Related articles|

* Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods

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