As Marvel relaunches the cosmic corner of its storied universe, Peter Quill’sStar-Lordis making his grand return, with a new look inspired by classic sci-fi heroFlash Gordon. As a character who is obsessed with Earth’s classic pop culture (at least in the MCU), there’s no better inspiration for Peter Quill, who has spent much of his life trying to be an intergalactic adventurer like Alex Raymond’s pulp hero.
In June 2025,Marvel is unleashingImperial- a new story that will rewrite its cosmic landscape. Galactic empires will fall, while figures including Star-Lord, Nova, the Hulk and X-Men’s Charles Xavier become the feuding rulers of space-faring civilizations. Fittingly,each hero is also getting a new lookto go with their new role in the Marvel Universe.
Star-Lord hasn’t been seen since 2023’sGuardians of the Galaxyseries, which saw him struggling with his heroic role after a series of major mistakes. Now, he’ll be plunged into a new status quo defined by political intrigue and galaxy-spanning conflict. Fans get a first look at Peter Quill’s new costume in recent marketing material from Marvel (below.) Talking toComicbook.com, artist Federico Vicentini says:
I love that every creator has their own version, and in this case it was an even better experience because I could create all-new looks for the characters. When creating the costumes, I wanted to go back a bit to the past, such as bringing back Star-Lord’s helmet, giving Nova an aviator-style jacket, and taking inspiration from classic heroes like Flash Gordon. J’Son’s suit also went back to a more classic style. Peter will also have a more “real” suit to match his father’s.
Imperial #1is coming June 4 from Jonathan Hickman, Iban Coello and Federico Vicentini.
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Imperial Kicks Off a Dark New Era for Peter Quill’s Star-Lord
Peter Is Dangerously Close to Becoming His Evil Father
Back in the 2000s, Marvel’s space characters were far more popular, with their own series unfolding far away from Earth. This era saw the epicAnnihilation- stillconsidered Marvel’s best event storyby many fans - as well as series likeNovaandGuardians of the Galaxy, which defined the version of the team who later appeared in the MCU. Unfortunately, this aspect of Marvel’s Universe gradually fell by the wayside, and space became somewhere for Earthbound heroes to visit, not the focus of ongoing adventures.
Peter Quill’s new look taps into ’80s pulp sci-fi and ’90s superhero style, with epaulettes and a face-framing cowl. Both Nova and Star-Lord are dressed as adventurers ready for harsh conditions.
That’s about to change withImperial- a limited series intended to set up the stakes of a new era for Marvel’s cosmic heroes and locales. With Hulk, Star-Lord, Xavier and more taking leadership roles over planets and alien civilizations, Marvel has to introduce new conflicts and goals to instigate cosmic storytelling for years to come.Writer Jonathan Hickman is famous for eschewing traditional ideas of heroism in his stories, opting for moral grays and impossible choices.In that context, it’s likely that Star-Lord is about to become something darker than a rogueish hero.
Art from Vicentini (above) shows Nova and Star-Lord talking in a spaceport, with a photo behind the bar reminding staff not to serve Peter Quill. While that may suggest fans are getting the same old Star-Lord, Vicentini’s reference to J’Son says otherwise.J’Son is the former ruler of the Spartax Empireand Peter Quill’s villainous father, who has tried time and again to get his son back into the royal family. Knowing Hickman’s favorite themes,it’s likely that J’Son has finally found a way to drag his son into the world of interstellar politics.
In 2019, Hickman, Pepe Larraz, R. B. Silva and Marte Gracia redefined X-Men lore with the iconicHouse of XandPowers of X, leading to a critically acclaimed new status quo for Marvel’s mutants. Fans are expecting a similarly epochal shift for Marvel’s cosmic landscape whenImperialhits stands, with Peter Quill’sStar-Lordgetting a major new role in the galaxy and a suave new look to go with it.
