Marvel Makes Drastic Change to Black Bolt

The Inhumans may currently be facing their darkest hour, and now their king, Black Bolt, has suffered a game-changing blow.

SPOILERS for Death of the Inhumans #2 by Donny Cates, Ariel Olivetti, and Jordie Bellaire follow.

The Inhumans were created long ago as an experiment by the Kree to generate superior soldiers for the never-ending wars of the Kree Empire. However, the Inhumans were powerful enough to prove difficult to control and when the prophecy of the Midnight King was revealed, promising that an Inhuman would destroy the Kree, the Kree turned on their creations and exterminated all but five tribes of the Inhumans.

The Inhumans of Earth were among those survivors and their king, Black Bolt, eventually came to rule the four other tribes as well. That matters very little now since the Kree have struck once again.

The Kree Empire was in ruins with Ronan the Accuser and the fledgling Supreme Intelligence only beginning to rebuild, but that work was halted when a Kree vessel sent to explore the outer reaches of space returned home to find Hala in ruins.

These Kree have taken control of what remains of their homeworld and sent the mysterious and powerful being called Vox to give the Inhumans an option: join or die. Vox ended the four other Inhuman tribes and killed their queens before heading to Earth, where he obliterated the city of New Arctilan and killed many Inhumans, including Black Bolt's brother Maximus and his faithful companion Lockjaw. Faced with the same option as the other tribes - join or die - Black Bolt chooses to strike back at the Kree.

Karnak and Black Bolt head to Hala. Karnak feigns parlay long enough to learn of what has transpired on Hala regarding these new Kree and Ronan and then Black Bolt strikes. Speaking the names of the thousands who died in New Arctilan, Black Bolt delivers his "Black Eulogy" and wipes out many of the Kree.

But when Black Bolt comes face to face with the Kree leader that leader sends Vox against the Inhumans. Vox first takes Karnak hostage, then teleports behind Black and slits his throat, cutting just far enough to sever the vocal cords.

The solicitations for future issues of Death of the Inhumans suggest that Black Bolt's voice's destructive capabilities will be all but completely negated and that he will be taken prisoner by the Kree. Is this the end of the Inhumans?

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Death of the Inhumans #2 is on sale now.