Why You Should Like Marvel's Inhumans

Marvel is making an Inhumans TV series, featuring Black Bolt and the Inhuman royal family. That [...]

By Kofi Outlaw - November 15, 2016 01:43 pm EST

Marvel is making an Inhumans TV series, featuring Black Bolt and the Inhuman royal family. That announcement has caught many fans by surprise, as few expected The Inhumans to be given the spotlight, after their Phase 3 movie was cancelled, and the Inhuman species became such a big part of Agent of SHIELD's storyline.

Well, it would be understandable if both Marvel Comics fans and Marvel Cinematic Universe fans were left scratching their heads right now: like Guardians of the Galaxy, The Inhumans is an obscure Marvel property that people may need to be sold on as a live-action series.

But here's Why You Should Like Marvel's Inhumans.

They're the New X-Men

Marvel Comics has gone to considerable lengths to reposition The Inhumans as spiritual successors to the X-Men's theme of prejudice vs. tolerance.

Since the mid-2000s, The Inhumans have dealt with internal struggles about whether or not to share themselves with the outside world; banished Black Bolt and the Royal Family to a hostile earth; and were responsible for Terrigen Mists coating much of the globe, activating new humans all over the place (while mutant numbers dwindle).

Combined with the fact that Inhumans are the sole superpowered freaks of the MCU (no mutants allowed!), and it's just a reality that as far as the MCU goes (right now), Inhumans are the only X-Men types we're going to get.

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They Have a Good Story

The Inhumans may not have the most beloved storylines in all of Marvel Comics, but their combined history is rich enough to extrapolate a great story arc for a live-action TV series.

The Inhumans have been revealed as being weapons of Kree design, meant to help infiltrate and conqueor planets; the Royal Family has been challenged because of its tolerant view of humanity; they met bigotry trying to fit in on Earth; and since the evil Maximus set off his Terrigen bomb, The Inhumans have had much unexpected company in their ranks.

The MCU has already laid groundwork for the Inhumans' history on earth, their Kree connection, status as a persecuted minority, and even the unexpected Terrigenesis of the human population. Adding the Shakesperian drama of the Royal Family on top of that great foundation should be exciting to Marvel fans.

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It's A Whole New Universe

We come to the MCU to see stories of superpowered individuals trying to find their place in the world (and maybe do some good). Well, The Inhumans are an entire new universe in and of themselves - and it's a universe populated with the type of extraordinary individuals that Marvel fans love to see.

From the characters we know like Black Bolt, Karnak, Gorgon or Triton - to so many others that we can meet - to familiar faces that will connect Inhumans to other parts of the MCU (like Quake), the show will offer fans a big new corner of the Marvel sandbox to play in.

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The Royal Family

The Royal Family of The Inhumans (king Black Bolt, queen Medusa, Karnak, Gorgon, Triton, Crystal, teleporting dog Lockjaw and evil Maximus The Mad) are great subjects for a series. Each one is interesting, their powers are pretty cool (even Karnak) and their dynamic can be tweaked to be something really great for a TV ensemble.

Black Bolt alone will be a charismatic centerpiece, if his non-verbal emotes are played right. Not to mention the super powered action of seeing him and his family in the fight - and the might of Black Bolt's voice unleashed.

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It Can Inspire

Even if you're not keen on The Inhumans, think about what will happen if this show is a big success. It wouldn't just be another notch in Marvel's belt, but a big proof of the possibilities for superhero TV.

It wouldn't be surprising to learn that Marvel had confidence in pushing Inhumans based on DC's success with a big ensemble show like Legends of Tomorrow; it similarly won't be surprising if a successful Inhumans TV show convinces Fox to put money into a full-fledged X-Men TV series of some kind - especially if FX's Legion gains fan and critical acclaim next year.

For Marvel, this series is kind of a Guardians of the Galaxy style test for what can be done with an obscure property. If it works out, there's no telling what other network TV experiments we could see in the MCU.