Marvel spent years trying to adapt Inhumans for the screen, but by the time they finally did, everything that could’ve gone wrong went nearly worse.

For better or for worse, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has never been afraid to take big risks. This has been especially true when it comes to their recent pivot to television, with certain shows receiving high praise, like Loki and Wandavision, while others, such as Secret Invasion and She-Hulk, not so much. One of the MCU’s forays into TV, and one of its biggest risks, however, was also considered to be one of its worst and ultimately most forgotten entries. While the MCU has been able to turn characters from the comics who were once relatively unknown to the general public, like the Guardians of the Galaxy, into household names, the same couldn’t be said for what they attempted to do with Inhumans.

A screen adaptation of the team had been in the works since the early 2010s, but by the time it finally saw the light of day in the form of a television series, and despite all the hype that Marvel and ABC tried to build around it, fans and critics alike were less than impressed with the final product. The show’s negative reception led to a lack of viewership that resulted in its cancelation after only a single season. Even though the MCU has since chosen to ignore it as part of the official canon, it has since left a noticeable stain on the franchise’s reputation and was one of the first rare examples of how, despite the dedication of its audience, certain ideas of theirs are just not destined for the same amount of success as what had come before. Despite its failure, however, Marvel has shown that there could be potential in revisiting its set of main characters (to a certain extent).

How the Inhumans TV Series Came About

Before it became a TV series, Marvel had originally planned to develop Inhumans into a film, which was meant for a release date of sometime in 2018. MCU mastermind, Kevin Feige, announced the film’s development back in 2014, according to Polygon, saying, “We really do believe the Inhumans can be a franchise unto themselves. They have dozens of powers and an amazing social structure.” The plan was to have the film serve as part of the MCU’s Phase Three and be the milestone entry as the franchise’s 20th theatrical film. The inclusion of the Inhumans characters would likely significantly alter the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, but in 2016, the film was removed from Marvel’s release schedule, but this did not necessarily mean that the project’s development was canceled altogether. With success after success at the box office, the MCU was looking to break out and expand its universe into television, beginning with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which premiered on ABC in 2013.

While the show was in the middle of its successful run, the network’s other MCU series, Agent Carter, was canceled after only two seasons in 2016, and several planned S.H.I.E.L.D spin-offs were failing to materialize. Both Marvel and ABC were looking to create a show that would be equally beneficial to both of their brands, and the Inhumans project went from big screen to small screen in the process. Writer and producer, Scott Buck, having received multiple Emmy nominations for his work in shows like Dexter and Six Feet Under, was brought on as showrunner after previously holding the position for the first season of Marvel’s other series, Iron Fist, earlier in the year. Even though the series was not a direct spin-off or held any real story connections, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s second and third seasons introduced and focused heavily on the concept of the Inhumans and the Terrigen Mists that give them their abilities, to create a sense of familiarity with viewers, seeing how the characters were not as widely known.

Inhumans Was Hurt by Limitations and a Lack of Investment

The series followed the Inhuman “Royal Family”, consisting of Black Bolt, his cousins Karnak and Gorgon, his wife Medusa, and her sister Crystal (and Crystal’s massive canine companion, Lockjaw), as they manage to escape to Hawaii from military coup. Throughout its eight episodes, they encounter multiple interactions and obstacles within the humanity that surrounds them and seek to reunite to save both their home and their way of life. To gain further hype behind the show, Marvel and ABC partnered up with IMAX theaters to give the first two episodes a theatrical exhibition. Despite this ambitious plan, it backfired almost immediately, as its $3.5 million gross was considered to be a disappointment. Many thought that a television show with a lower budget and production value than that of a major blockbuster film was not the right fit for the quality of an IMAX screen. It didn’t exactly help that its initial viewing audience in said theaters did not take to its characters or the story it was trying to tell, and they did not hold back in their criticisms.

Compared to the previous chapters within the MCU, viewers and critics were extremely vocal over just how poor the dialogue, action, and development of its main characters were, and how they considered the story to be unimaginative, unambitious, and had nothing new or compelling to offer to the universe. These negative criticisms only got worse for those who were willing to give it another chance in its initial broadcast on ABC. For a majority of MCU fans who did tune in, it didn’t feel like the same amount of creative passion that was behind so many of the theatrical films or even that of S.H.I.E.L.D. was being brought to the show. This understandably led to a decline in ratings, as they managed to put off many potential viewers from wanting to see them for themselves.

Could the Inhumans Possibly Make a Return to the MCU?

Inhumans is now available to stream on Disney+

Given the show’s critical and commercial failure, it is not very likely that Marvel will be revisiting the possibility of any material focusing on the Inhuman Royal Family in the foreseeable future. While the heated debate about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s placement in the MCU canon is still ongoing among the fans despite its successful run of seven seasons, the fact that they aren’t nearly as passionate enough about Inhumans to make it part of the conversation speaks volumes. Despite the lack of acknowledgment that Inhumans has received since its cancelation, however, it seems that that hasn’t completely ruled out the possibility of the characters making any more appearances in the future, especially considering that the MCU is now in what is being called the “Multiverse Saga”.

In 2022, audiences were pleasantly surprised to see that Anson Mount was given a second chance in the MCU, reprising his role as Black Bolt for a brief appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As a variant from an alternate universe and member of “the Illuminati”, however, this was a much different take on the character than seen in Inhumans, with even his costume being completely different (and much more accurate to how it appears in the comics). Even though it’d probably be best to assume that they’ll only play similarly limited roles should Marvel ever choose to include any more Inhumans characters in their films, the fact that they did so at all for one like Black Bolt shows that the MCU can manage to make up for its mistakes and even redeem in the simplest of ways.