Marvel’s 10 Greatest Cosmic-Level Crossover Events (Including Imperial)

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In 2025, Marvel Comics launched Imperial, a major cosmic event designed to reshape the future of its cosmic universe. This series kicks off a new, ongoing focus on cosmic stories and promises significant, lasting changes. It’s already brought together many of Marvel’s most popular cosmic heroes and villains, igniting a full-scale war. At its heart, Imperial embodies classic cosmic Marvel themes: conflicts between alien empires, often with Earth caught in the middle, and threats that endanger the entire universe. Featuring powerful races like the Kree, Skrull, and Shi’ar, along with teams such as the Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova Corps, this event promises a sprawling and epic story.

From epic fights against villains like Thanos to large-scale conflicts between alien civilizations, here’s a look at the greatest cosmic crossover events ever published by Marvel Comics.

10) Imperial

Marvel’s current big comic book event has the potential to be one of the best space-based stories in years, but it’s still happening, so its ultimate impact is unclear. The story, called *Imperial*, began with a mysterious and confusing situation: Hulk brought Amadeus Cho and She-Hulk to the planet Sakaar after a personal tragedy, only to discover that leaders across multiple planets had been killed. This sparked a massive war, with Wakanda wrongly accused and various groups – including the Shi’ar, Nova, Star-Lord, the Hulks, and the Kree-Skrull Alliance – all seeking retribution. *Imperial* has been full of surprises and has been a thrilling read so far, but it’s too early to tell if it will have a truly satisfying conclusion.

9) Empyre

The comic series *Empyre* brought an end to a decades-long war in the Marvel Universe. It famously united the Kree and Skrull empires, creating a new alliance between the two races. The story kicked off when Hulkling, a former member of the Young Avengers, learned a surprising truth: he was the son of the original Captain Marvel and a Skrull princess. This made him the rightful heir to both civilizations. Along with his husband, Wiccan, he worked to not only bring the Kree and Skrull together, but to forge them into a powerful force in the universe. Fans loved seeing Hulkling and Wiccan rise to positions of power, and the series was packed with major heroes and complex political maneuvering.

8) Infinity War

Following the popular *Infinity Gauntlet* storyline, Marvel released *The Infinity War*, a cosmic crossover series that later shared its name with an Avengers movie. However, unlike the film which drew inspiration from *Gauntlet*, *The Infinity War* featured a different villain: Adam Warlock. Warlock succumbed to his darker side, known as the Magus, and used five powerful Cosmic Cubes to threaten Eternity and create evil duplicates of Earth’s greatest heroes. Penned by Jim Starlin and illustrated by Ron Lim, this event spanned across most of Marvel’s core comic titles. It brought together characters like the original Guardians of the Galaxy, Quasar, and the Infinity Watch in a united effort to defeat the Magus and save the universe. This was the second part of a trilogy, followed by *The Infinity Crusade*.

7) Annihilation: Conquest

While *Annihilation: Conquest* had a tough act to follow – *Annihilation* is considered one of Marvel’s greatest crossover events – it’s still a very enjoyable read. Though it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the original, it’s a strong sequel. The story centers on a robotic alien collective that’s turning living beings into robotic slaves. The Guardians of the Galaxy team up with Nova and Quasar, who have both been infected, to fight against this threat, known as the Phalanx. The story also features a surprising betrayal from Gamora and the return of Adam Warlock, who is being controlled by Ultron.

6) The Kree-Skrull War

The Kree-Skrull War, which began in 1971, was the first major crossover event in Marvel Comics to explore cosmic storylines. It primarily featured the Avengers, who realized the long-running conflict between the Kree and Skrull empires put Earth and the entire universe at risk. This story was groundbreaking for its time, portraying Earth as a relatively insignificant location-essentially a battlefield for the Kree and Skrulls. Interestingly, it also revealed a secret affair between Mar-Vell and a Skrull princess, a plot point that resurfaced decades later with the introduction of Hulkling as their child. As the first crossover of this scale, the Kree-Skrull War remains an important milestone in Marvel history.

5) War Of Kings

The Marvel storylines *War of Kings* and *War of Realms* were large-scale cosmic events where powerful rulers from across the galaxy clashed. These stories took place after the *Annihilation* event and helped establish a new direction for Marvel’s cosmic adventures. They showed that conflict is inevitable when powerful beings compete for dominance. Characters like Black Bolt, Vulcan, Gladiator, and Blastaar were involved, and this was just the beginning of a larger conflict. At the heart of it all was a war between the Shi’ar and Kree Empires, which quickly drew the rest of the galaxy into the fight. *War of Kings* included more Earth-based heroes like the X-Men and Inhumans, while *Realm of Kings* continued the story and explored the aftermath of this major crossover.

4) Infinity

The ‘Infinity’ storyline, created by Jonathan Hickman and Jim Cheung, reintroduced Thanos as a major villain. While the Avengers, led by Captain America, were battling the Builders in space, Thanos seized the opportunity to attack Earth, all while searching for his son, Thane. This event was packed with action and intense emotional moments, and it gave some lesser-known Marvel heroes a chance to shine. It also marked the first appearance of Thanos’ Black Order, before they appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From epic battles between Captain America, Thor, and the Builders, to Thanos’ confrontation with Black Bolt, ‘Infinity’ was a truly satisfying story on every level.

3) Thanos Quest

Before Thanos went after the Infinity Stones and battled Earth’s mightiest heroes in *Infinity Gauntlet*, there was *Thanos Quest*. And let me tell you, this series really established him as the terrifying villain we all know. What I loved about *Thanos Quest* is that it wasn’t just a team-up brawl; it focused solely on Thanos and his journey. We got to see him face off against a fascinating range of cosmic beings – the Champion, the Collector, the Runner, the Gardener, and even the Grandmaster. While the movies showed him simply *collecting* the stones, this series gave us a much smarter, more compelling depiction of his strategic brilliance and military tactics as he systematically acquired each one. It really showcased *how* he became the ultimate threat.

2) Infinity Gauntlet

The Infinity Gauntlet is arguably the most well-known cosmic event in Marvel Comics history. While many know it from the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, the original comic book story is equally captivating, though with a few differences. Notably, in the comics, Thanos eliminated half of all life not out of a desire for balance, but to win the affection of the personified entity, Death. The comic also included characters like the Silver Surfer and Mephisto, who didn’t appear in the films. This story kicked off a three-part series known as the Infinity Trilogy, and is widely considered the strongest installment of the three.

1) Annihilation

“Annihilation” is widely considered the greatest cosmic event in Marvel Comics history. It was a full-scale war where heroes and villains alike joined forces to stop Annihilus from conquering the universe. Nova led the defense, assembling a team of relatively unknown characters who would later become major heroes – most famously, the new Guardians of the Galaxy that audiences eventually saw in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The series showcased the vast scale of the Marvel Universe beyond Earth and remains the standard by which all other cosmic crossovers are measured.

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2025-09-27 20:45