The announcement of Marvel’s new ABC TV show, The Inhumans, was a surprise to fans still expecting a feature film. While the Inhumans movie was eventually taken off the Phase 3 slate after two delays, Marvel head Kevin Feige assured fans the film wouldn’t be scrapped. But with an overcrowded lineup surrounding the release of Avengers: Infinity War, it was assumed Inhumans would just be pushed back into Phase 4. That apparently wasn’t the case and it appears Marvel has had plans to swap the Inhumans movie for a TV series for quite some time.
So how will this affect the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large? Agents of SHIELD has the most chance of being affected. We’ve already met countless inhuman characters on the series over the course of two seasons, including Agent Daisy Johnson, known as Quake. The new Director of SHIELD, Jeffrey Mace, has also been outed as an inhuman. However, even with the presence of these characters, it looks like the series could be less of a spin-off and more of an origins story for the Inhuman Royal Family, focusing on the their leader Black Bolt, and exploring the culture of Attilan, the ancestral home of inhumans-- all of which has only been alluded to on the series.
It’s still unclear if the Inhumans movie has been axed altogether, or if Marvel still plans on making one in the future. If they do, it’d be a missed opportunity not to directly connect it to the TV series. Marvel has partnered with IMAX to release the first two episodes of The Inhumans in theaters, which is a first for the industry. It could be a sign Marvel has plans to make The Inhumans a cross-platform installment, which would be exactly what fans have been hoping would happen in the MCU with series like Agents of SHIELD or The Defenders on Netflix.
Agents of SHIELD does exist in the same shared Marvel universe. Events from Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Age of Ultron impacted the show. Not to mention Agent Coulson’s character originated from The Avengers movie in 2012. However, there’s no real crossover action. If The Inhumans follows the same path, there's no reason to believe it will be any different, especially if the series is set in Attilan. If it takes place on Earth, there’s a much higher chance we could see the two shows intertwine in the same way The Flash and Arrow do on The CW.
Part of the hype surrounding the Inhumans movie was the prospect of seeing mutant-type characters in the MCU. Both mutants and inhumans were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, but Fox has the rights to mutants and Marvel still to inhumans. Descendents of the ancient Kree, inhuman powers are the result of experiments and the process of Terrigenesis, which unlocks unique special powers. 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. While the mutant race spread themselves across the world to blend into society, inhumans created a secret society and secluded themselves for protection.
The Inhumans has been approved for eight episodes, the first two will release in IMAX theaters for two weeks in September. The following episodes will air on ABC shortly after. Sources speaking with The Hollywood Reporter say The Inhumans series is not the planned feature film and added it should not be considered an Agents of SHIELD spinoff either.
Would you have rather had an Inhumans movie than a TV show? Sound off in the comments below!
