On July 18, 2008, Marvel.com posted a news article featuring a modified cover of Emperor Vulcan with the phrase "Who Will Rule?

", accompanied by the text "Stay tuned to Marvel.com and get ready for the blockbuster answer at San Diego Comic-Con!

"[4] At the SDCC, it was announced that this was part of the build-up to the War of Kings,[5] an outer-space storyline focusing on the X-Men family of characters rather than the cosmic entities.

The core series was written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and edited by Bill Rosemann.

Abnett and Lanning tied the main series into their other titles, Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova (vol 4).

[10][11][12] A series on Marvel Digital Comics, War of the Kings: Warriors by Christos Gage and Jay Faerber, tied into the storyline and featured different stories focusing on Gladiator, Blastaar, Lilandra and Crystal.

In the aftermath of the Secret Invasion storyline, Black Bolt and the Inhumans return to the Kree for their right to lineage as rulers.

The first issue sets up this conflict and shows an attack at the wedding of Ronan the Accuser and Crystal - a betrothal arranged by the Inhuman king, Black Bolt, to unite the two races, resolve ancient hostilities, and provide common defense against mutual enemies.

Gladiator walks a fine line in doing his duty for an emperor he personally dislikes while still protecting Lilandra from his wrath.

Later, the Starjammers, accompanied by a faction of the Guardians of the Galaxy, attack Gladiator's ship to extract Lilandra.

Chris's personality was not wholly destroyed yet, and a vision of his father tells him that much of what he believed about the armor was false: the prior history, even Evilhawk himself, was a lie made up by Chris's mind, and the other armor is a second configuration that took control to cover earlier anger issues.

Meanwhile, in the Negative Zone, Talon and Razor offer Blastaar the Cosmic Control Rod in exchange for his assistance influencing the outcome of the War of Kings.

Although Rachel Grey manages to see his true form, he shoots several Shi'ar before he kills Lilandra.

[17] The newly reformed and under-trained Nova Corps suffers great casualties facing the Shi'ar Imperial Guard.