The Lowest-Rated Marvel TV Series in History Can Still Be Saved by the MCU

Debate will rage on forever and ever on what the worst Marvel Cinematic Universe or Marvel Comics adaptation movie is. Similar uncertainty will eternally reign over what the greatest TV show is based on characters from the house that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby built. However, there’s a universal consensus on what the worst Marvel show ever is. The 2017 program Inhumans, an eight-episode miniseries on ABC, was an absolute boondoggle. Not even filming the first two episodes with IMAX could give this project any buzz or pizzazz.

Instead, this adaptation of the Inhumans Royal Family (led by King Black Bolt and Queen Medusa on their Moon kingdom) came and went with dreadful reviews. But is there hope for the Inhuman characters? Could they possibly be saved from a relaunch in the MCU?

Can The Inhumans Mythology Be Salvaged On-Screen?

First showing up in Fantastic Four #45 in December 1965, the Inhumans and their kingdom of Attilan have been a part of Marvel Comics lore for decades. These characters have never really caught on in popularity, save for super-powered teleporting bulldog Lockjaw, who became beloved in the comics as Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel’s pet. Initially, though, these characters were set to play a big part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s mythology. For one thing, as early as 2012, Kevin Feige was publicly talking about his passion for getting an Inhumans solo movie out the door.

For another, a solo Inhumans movie was infamously scheduled for November 2018 and July 2019 as part of the MCU’s Phase Three plans. The lore of these characters was also incorporated heavily into the initial Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. seasons, back when the program was more directly tied into the MCU movies. There was initially a lot of passion for these characters. It’d be interesting to see Marvel Studios finally build on whatever elements of these characters first captivated people at this label. That kind of enthusiasm Feige and others initially had for the Inhumans doesn’t just come about randomly.

It’d also be fun to see the bonkers Inhumans lore waltz into the modern MCU, considering how so many recent entries in this saga, like Captain America: Brave New World and Daredevil: Born Again, have been couched in “realism.” The Inhumans are such wacky sci-fi characters with their hidden city on the Moon, superpowers encoded in their DNA, and that adorable, massive bulldog. The 2017 Inhumans show was obsessed with draining this world of all its fun and kookiness, right down to shaving off Medusa’s superpowered hair in the first episode. An outsized Inhumans movie could rectify that creative issue and inject some much-needed weirdness into the modern MCU.

It’s Time To Get Animated About The Inhuman Possibilities

Speaking of that TV show, one way a new MCU iteration of the Inhumans could really click is if this property were adapted into an animated format. Here, in the stylized medium of animation, there would be no concerns of whether or not these characters look “realistic” or the financial restrictions of having a CG Lockjaw interact with live-action actors. Marvel Studios has been long overdue for delivering a quality animated movie. The Inhumans lore, so ill-suited to an ABC show, could be the perfect centerpiece for such a project.

For many, the idea of returning to the Inhumans in any format (animated or otherwise) might sound like a fool’s errand for the MCU. However, that’s precisely why they should do such a project. Phases Four and Five of this project were almost exclusively focused on sequels (including fourth installments) of long-established franchises. They were safe endeavors from a saga that once prided itself on turning unknown characters like Rocket Raccoon and Iron Man into household names. Trying to turn Black Bolt, Crystal, Karnak, and others into movie stars would be a fitting extension of that legacy.

Plus, the 2017 show, with its horrible dialogue and bizarre story elements like Lockjaw getting run over by a dirtbike, offered the absolute rock bottom nadir of a potential Inhumans show. There’s nowhere to go but up for these characters. Heck, the MCU even brought back Anson Mount from the ABC Inhumans project for an alternate universe cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which established a precedent for Inhumans lore making its way into the MCU proper. All the stars seem to be fully aligned for the headlines of Marvel’s lowest-rated TV series ever to make a grand comeback within the confines of the MCU.

All episodes of Inhumans are streaming on Disney+.

The Inhumans May Be Marvel’s Biggest Mistake