Marvel’s The Inhumans will release as a TV series on ABC alongside Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD instead of a film like previously thought. However, fans will still be able to watch The Inhumans in theaters just like a movie. Marvel will release the first two episodes in IMAX, making Inhumans the first time a live action tv series will premiere in commercial theaters.
A version of the first two episodes will release worldwide for two weeks in September 2017, according to Marvel’s press release. The series will then premiere on ABC with special content, continuing on a weekly basis.
Back in 2014, Inhumans was announced and set to release in 2018 as part of Marvel’s Phase 3, between the two-part Avengers: Infinity War. But with Spider-Man:Homecoming, the Ant-Man Sequel, Black Panther and Captain Marvel added to the lineup, the timing got a bit crowded. Marvel pushed the release date to 2019, then finally just axed it from the schedule entirely.
Marvel head Kevin Feige assured fans the series wouldn’t be scrapped. Speaking with Empire Film podcast, Feige said, “The only situation right now is that [Inhumans] is not gonna be a part of Phase 3 because Phase 3 increased in a very good way since we initially announced. When and where and how it pops up remains to be seen, but it’s characters we love, it’s a storyline we love, and we just didn’t want to cram it into an already quite full Phase 3.”
The reception of Ghost Rider and increasingly inhuman plot lines in Agents of SHIELD could be part of the reason Marvel decided to make Inhumans a series instead of a film. There are a handful of inhuman characters already introduced on SHIELD. After the downfall of SHIELD spinoff Marvel’s Most Wanted, ABC also has an open slot.
“Marvel’s The Inhumans will explore the never-before-told epic adventure of Black Bolt and the royal family,” the release reads. Black Bolt is king of the inhumans, and the Inhuman Royal Family includes Medusa, Karnak, Gorgon, Triton, Crystal, and Maximus the Mad. Crystal and Medusa have been members of the Fantastic Four, Cryal an Avenger as well.
Inhumans are essentially Marvel’s mutants. Both were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Inhumans are descendents of the ancient alien race, the Kree. Their powers are the result of experiments and the process of Terrigenesis, which unlocks each inhuman’s unique special power. Mutants have a similar origin. Millions of years ago, an alien race called The Celestials came to earth and completed genetic experiments that altered human’s genetic code. Passed down with each generation, a mutant possess the X-gene that will give them powers during puberty. While the mutant race spread themselves across the world to blend into society, inhumans created a secret society and secluded themselves for protection.
The Marvel-Disney-IMAX partnership has to make you wonder what other ideas Marvel has in store to link the all its universes together.
“This first-of-its-kind multi-platform production, distribution and marketing agreement brings together Marvel Television’s unique brand of entertainment, ABC’s unparalleled audience and IMAX’s brand and global fanboy demographic,” said IMAX CEO, Rich Gelfond. “It also takes our decades-long relationship with The Walt Disney Company to a whole new level, jointly breaking new ground in the industry. We are confident our exhibition partners will be excited to work with us on this innovative launch of a series across the IMAX network.”
The Inhumans premieres on ABC in fall 2017.
