It was just last week that Marvel Studios’ chief Kevin Feige said that the delayed Inhumans film, which was originally supposed to come out in 2019, could still be coming at some point down the line, but he didn’t sound too enthusiastic about the prospect. He said “I think they’re doing something with the Inhumans on TV”, which led many to assume that he was referring to the Inhuman characters on ABC’s Agents of SHIELD. Turns out…something much bigger and cooler was on the way.
It’s just been announced, via Marvel.com, that Marvel Television and Disney/ABC Television have come together for what they’re calling an “innovative agreement” to exclusively premiere the new ABC series Marvel’s The Inhumans in IMAX commercial theaters, marking the first time a live-action television series has debuted in this manner.
Due to this new arrangement, a version of the first two episodes of Marvel’s The Inhumans, which will be filmed entirely with IMAX digital cameras, will run worldwide exclusively in IMAX for two weeks at the beginning of September 2017. ABC plans to then premiere the weekly series in fall, with additional exclusive content that can only be seen on the network.
According to Marvel’s official press release, “the Inhumans are a race of superhumans with diverse and singularly unique powers, and were first introduced in Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1965. Since that time, they have grown in prominence and become some of the most popular and iconic characters in the Marvel Universe. Marvel’s The Inhumans will explore the never-before-told epic adventure of Black Bolt and the royal family.”
That right there is our first confirmation that the new Inhumans TV show will deal with the royal family, who are the subject of the majority of most Inhumans comics since the species first appeared in the pages of Fantastic Four. The royal family and its members have not been seen on Agents of SHIELD, and the long prevailing theory was they were being saved for a feature film. Now we know the plans are far more expansive.
Living in the secret city of Attilan, which has been located in hidden mountain regions, and eventually on the moon, the royal family consists of the King Black Bolt, whose voice can crush mountains, so he must remain forever silent; his wife Medusa, whose long hair can obey her commands; Karnak, a martial artist who can find the weakness in anything and then use his training and strength to exploit it; Black Bolt’s cousin Gorgon, who has the ability to generate seismic shockwaves via bull-like legs and hooves; the amphibious Triton, another cousin; Medusa’s sister Crystal, who is an elemental; and the brother of Black Bolt, Maximus the Mad, who has designs on his sibling’s throne. The family is usually accompanied by the giant teleporting canine, Lockjaw. (I can’t wait to see how they pull of a giant bulldog on TV).
An Inhumans TV show has the potential to be Marvel’s very own Game of Thrones, as much of the comics have revolved around struggles for the benevolent Black Bolt to keep the throne of Attilan out of the hands of his brother, Maximus. The political intrigue could provide many seasons worth of drama and intrigue if done the right way, and with the right showrunners behind the helm.
Of course, unlike Agents of SHIELD, the Inhumans is going to be a tad more expensive to produce, as their powers and appearances can be pretty out there. It’ll be interesting to see how they can pull off Medusa’s living hair on a weekly basis for example, and Triton is basically a head-to-toe green amphibian man. Will they change these characteristics to make the show more palatable for an ABC audience? I certainly hope they are going to be as faithful to the comics as Marvel Studios has been with their characters on the feature film side of things.
Are you guys out there stoked for an Inhumans TV series? What would you like to see from from this unique rollout for Marvel’s royal family of weirdos? Let us know down below in the comments.
Images: Marvel Comics
