Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, in the Silver Age, introduced an intriguing concept called the Inhumans for Marvel Comics. This sci-fi idea merged themes of evolution and eugenics, resulting in unique superheroes. Although they weren’t widely popular, dedicated fans cherished them, with titles like 1998’s “The Inhumans” being their favorite. However, the only reason people discuss the Inhumans today is due to a misguided attempt in the mid ’10s to promote them. This effort resulted in unsuccessful TV series like “The Inhumans,” as well as numerous comics such as “Inhuman,” “Uncanny Inhumans,” “Inhumans,” and “The Royals.” The story of this failed promotion is a lesson on Marvel’s overconfidence and mistakes.
The development of the Inhumans storyline within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) can be traced back to Marvel’s business strategies at that time. Unfortunately, it’s hard to ignore that this endeavor was destined for a total collapse from the outset. Over the years, Marvel has made numerous errors, and the Inhumans push is one of the most significant blunders, as its failure had a devastating impact on an entire segment of the Marvel Universe.
Marvel Changed the Inhumans in the Worst Possible Way
When Marvel didn’t have the rights to produce films about the X-Men, they decided to introduce a new group that could potentially fill the void left by the X-Men in their comic books. This is where the Inhumans came into play. The Inhumans are humans who were genetically altered by the Kree in ancient times, giving them superpowers when exposed to Terrigen Mists. They created a hidden nation and separated themselves from humanity, eventually being discovered by the Fantastic Four. Although they aren’t mutants, they share some similarities. Marvel introduced two key ideas to make the Inhumans more appealing: one was that Inhuman genes were present in the general population, and the other was that Black Bolt would detonate a Terrigen Mist bomb, spreading Terrigen clouds throughout the atmosphere, activating the Inhuman genes in people. This served as an alternative to mutation. However, Marvel didn’t stop there in their efforts to diminish the popularity of mutants. They made the Terrigen Mists harmful to mutants, causing harm to the X-Men concept that wouldn’t be addressed until the Krakoa Era. Marvel assembled top creators for Inhumans comic books and released numerous titles featuring the Inhumans. Unfortunately, their all-in approach to the Inhumans failed miserably.
It’s clear that the issues with the Inhumans are evident to anyone familiar with them. To start, the Inhumans are a society based on eugenics, ruled by a monarchy that practices slavery, which Marvel aimed to replace with their characters representing civil rights equivalents. The insensitivity of this decision is mind-boggling, but that could have been rectified. The real problem was Marvel’s lack of perseverance with the Inhumans. They wanted instant success for the Inhumans, but underestimated the audience’s appreciation for these characters. Instead of gradually building interest in the Inhumans through one team book and organic growth, Marvel forced the Inhumans on readers. Fans are open to new ideas if given a compelling reason, but Marvel failed to make the Inhumans intriguing. They instead flooded the market with Inhumans books, hoping that sheer quantity would convince fans to buy them. This approach was perplexing at best and foolish at worst.
Marvel Tried to Push the Inhumans but Instead Buried Them
The Inhumans have immense potential when handled skillfully. Their society, which revolves around genetic superiority rather than conventional traits, offers a captivating backdrop for exploration and the saga of the Inhuman royal family could weave tales reminiscent of “Game of Thrones.” However, it’s puzzling why Marvel opted to transform the Inhumans into inferior versions of mutants. Had they continued with the original character concept, they could have spun more compelling Inhuman narratives.
The Inhumans were intended to serve as a replacement for Marvel’s mutant characters, achieve multimedia success, and eventually overshadow the X-Men in fans’ minds. This transformation was supposed to happen rapidly. Yet, it was an incredibly foolish move, effectively dismantling one of Marvel’s most intriguing ideas.
In the comic world, elevating lesser-known characters to main roles has been a common strategy, but Marvel seemed overconfident that they could push the Inhumans into A-list status without putting in much effort. The initiative for the Inhumans was driven by Ike Perlmutter, a former head of Marvel Entertainment who primarily focused on the company’s financial success rather than its creative aspects, which likely contributed to their downfall. However, the failure of the Inhumans push was inevitable from the start. Instead of building upon what the Inhumans did well and showcasing it to the audience, as the 1998 series The Inhumans did effectively (trust me, it’s worth finding — it’s fantastic), they opted to replace widely popular characters with niche ones at best. This remains Marvel’s most significant blunder.
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2025-05-25 01:14