Inhuman History: 6 Must Read Inhumans Comics

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is massive and ever-expanding. One of the biggest shared universes in film. Which is good, because there’s still a great deal of comics to cover. As the movies continue to reach further into space with the Infinity Stone storyline, more and more characters with interstellar roots are being introduced. Guardians of the Galaxy was Marvel’s first foray into their cosmic pulp properties, and on the heels of its success came announcements of movies about Captain Marvel and the Inhumans, both of whom got their powers from alien technology. Even if the rumors of cancelation prove true, the latest season of Agents of SHIELD is all about investigating and dealing with a sudden outbreak of people with awakening powers.  So far, Agent Coulson’s crew hasn’t learned much except that Inhumans have alien DNA and extraordinary abilities.

So who are they? The Inhumans are not just a team of superheroes, but a race of people with their own civilization and culture. They were created by the Kree, the blue-skinned people of Guardians villain Ronan the Accuser. Though tough and intelligent enough to conquer their corner of the galaxy, the Kree were evolutionarily stagnant. They were just such badasses that it didn’t matter, until their war with the Skrulls, who could adapt to and overcome anything. Intrigued by humanity’s genetic potential, the Kree experimented on our ancient ancestors in hopes of creating a race of superpowered soldiers to oppose the Skrulls, or possibly solving their own race’s developmental conundrum. They succeeded at the former, but politics back on the homeworld cut the program’s funding and they were forced to abandon the test subjects. These rejected experiments built their own city and thrived in secret, hidden from the rest of humanity. Attilan, their secret city, had teleportation technology back when we were still using rocks to sharpen other rocks. The entire metropolis has relocated itself several times, from the middle of the desert to the bottom of the ocean. It even chilled on the surface of the moon for a few years before departing for the far reaches of the galaxy.

While all Inhumans enjoy greater strength, better health and longer lives than normal humans, not all of them have powers. They all have potential that can be unlocked through exposure to an element called Terrigen. Once transformed, an individual’s “genetic destiny” is written, and they are expected to take their proscribed role in society, never deviating for the duration of their extensive lives. One’s powers are typically well-suited for a particular line of work, so there is little resistance to the status quo, besides the King’s mad brother attempting to overthrow him about once a decade.

The Royal Family are the central characters of most comics about the Inhumans. Of course the halls of the palace are never short on drama—it’s practically Shakespeare in Space. They are ruled by King Black Bolt, whose voice can shatter mountains, and once knocked the Hulk flat with a whisper. Unable to speak for public safety reasons, he relies on his queen, Medusa, to relay his orders. Somehow, she always knows what he’s thinking, and their romance is often as touching as it is bizarre. As her name might suggest, Medusa’s long, beautiful red hair is incredibly strong and under her complete control—she can use those fiery locks to fetch the remote from the coffee table, or fight an entire platoon of soldiers. Black Bolt’s brother, Maximus the Mad, uses his mind control powers to stage an endless series of coups with varying degrees of success. There’s even a lovable royal pet, Lockjaw, a giant dog with antennae who can eat anything and teleport across interstellar distances. So far the only characters from the comics to appear onscreen have been Lash and Agent Daisy Johnson. The former is obsessed with judging which Inhumans deserve their powers and punching holes in the ones that don’t, while the latter tries to make sure SHIELD is helping the Inhumans more than hunting them.

Ever since their first encounter with the Fantastic Four, the Royal Family has continuously vacillated between opening up to and retreating from the world. They are from Earth, but they are not of it, and they often struggle to find their place without losing their identity as a people. Some of their better stories include:

With Marvel’s gaze turning to the stars, it makes sense to introduce a group that has ties to both worlds, to act as a bridge between the earthbound adventures and the cosmic ones. The Inhumans are Earth natives with extraterrestrial origins, and it is through their eyes that a newcomer might begin to understand the complex space opera of the Marvel Universe. Until recently, they have typically kept to themselves, except when the world is in dire need. By bringing them back to Earth, exposing them to the public and creating a reason for many more to start popping up, it looks like Marvel is positioning the Inhumans to be the new “people who walk among us with extraordinary abilities.” They may not have the high profile of the X-Men, but they’re an intriguing group of characters with a long and complicated mythology, so it makes sense to spend the extra time introducing them on TV before their big-screen debut. That way if the movie does get made, it doesn’t have to be saddled with forty-five minutes of exposition before they start telling the real story. I remain hopeful that the movie’s cancelation is just a rumor, because the Inhumans are another great ensemble of oft-overlooked characters that deserve a chance to shine.

About the author

BH Shepherd is a writer and a DJ from Texas. He graduated from Skidmore College in 2005 with degrees in English and Demonology after writing a thesis about Doctor Doom. A hardcore sci-fi geek, noir junkie and comic book prophet, BH Shepherd has spent a lot of time studying things that don’t exist.  He currently resides in Austin, where he is working on The Greatest Novel Ever.