A Coup At Home Has Imperiled Shi'ar Majestrix Xandra in IMPERIAL: Exiles #1

By Chad Burdette

on September 2, 2025

The finale of the X-Men’s latest milestone crossover, X-Manhunt, saw Professor X depart to the stars to rescue his daughter, Xandra, deposed Majestrix of the Shi’ar Empire.

The intergalactic order was fractured forever in IMPERIAL #1, the debut issue of the four-part event series that revolutionizes cosmic storytelling in the Marvel Universe!

Comic Watch Review:

Written by visionary creator Jonathan Hickman, known for his redefining work on the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and the X-Men, and drawn by Iban Coello and Federico Vicentini, two of the industry’s most acclaimed artistic talents, IMPERIAL serves as the foundation for an entire landscape of new galaxy-spanning series and packed with bold developments for characters like Black Panther, Hulk, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Nova, and many more

Related:

The five IMPERIAL WAR one-shots represent key chapters of the overarching IMPERIAL narrative and will each be co-written by event architect Jonathan Hickman.

IMPERIAL WAR: EXILES by acclaimed writer Steve Foxe (Dark X-Men) and superstar artist Francesco Manna (Giant-Size House of M) will follow up on Professor X’s departure from Earth as the X-Men’s founder assembles a new team of heroes to protect his daughter, the recently deposed Empress Xandra.
MPERIAL WAR: NOVA – CENTURION sees blockbuster Marvel writer Jed MacKay (X-Men, Avengers) join the action alongside rising star artist Matteo Della Fonte (Bring on the Bad Guys: Green Goblin) to take the helm of the galaxy’s most steadfast defender.
IMPERIAL WAR: IMPERIAL GUARDIANS #1 – The Super-Skrull finds himself at the center of a seditious scheme with consequences that will be felt by the entire cosmos by Dan Abnett and Cory Smith
IMPERIAL WAR: PLANET SHE-HULK #1 – Left behind on New Sakaar to keep the peace, Jen Walters discovers that in this savage realm, what’s needed isn’t a litigator, it’s a liquidator from Stephanie Phillips and Emilio Laiso
IMPERIAL WAR: BLACK PANTHER #1: T’Challa Must Survive A Brutal Assault From The World-Breaker Hulk and Amadeus Cho from Victor LaValle and CAFU

X-Men Titles Also Out This Week:

Comic Watch Exclusive: Death Stalks The Kinney Sisters in Laura Kinney: Wolverine #10
Wolverine #13
Uncanny X-Men #20
Magik #9
Ultimate X-Men #19

Rickie Yagawa Variant Cover:

Ario Anindito 1:25 Incentive Variant Cover:

Alex Ross Professor X Virgin Variant / 1:100 Incentive Sketch Virgin Cover:

IMPERIAL: Exiles #1

A coup at home has imperiled Shi’ar Majestrix Xandra, tearing her from the throne. Her only hope for survival lies in a mismatched group of renegades led by her father, Professor Charles Xavier, and her resurrected mother, Lilandra! But when faced with the awesome power of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard, the only way to survive… is to run! coup at home has imperiled Shi’ar Majestrix Xandra, tearing her from the throne. Her only hope for survival lies in a mismatched group of renegades led by her father, Professor Charles Xavier, and her resurrected mother, Lilandra!

But when faced with the awesome power of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard, the only way to survive… is to run!

Creative Team