Marvel's Inhumans, or simply Inhumans, is an American television series created by Scott Buck for ABC based on the Marvel Comics race of Inhumans. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the franchise's other television series. It was produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television in association with Devilina Productions, and was co-financed by IMAX Entertainment in a deal that gave the series a theatrical premiere. Buck served as showrunner on the series.

The series is centered on Black Bolt, portrayed by Anson Mount, and other members of the Inhuman Royal Family. Serinda Swan, Ken Leung, Eme Ikwuakor, Isabelle Cornish, Ellen Woglom, and Iwan Rheon also star. Marvel Studios announced an Inhumans film in 2014 as part of their Phase Three slate of films, with the species first introduced to the MCU in the series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The film was removed from Marvel Studios' slate in April 2016, and the Inhumans series was announced that November, to be partly filmed using IMAX cameras. Buck joined the series in October, and Mount was cast in February 2017. Filming took place from March to June 2017, at the former Naval Air Station Barbers Point airfield in Kalaeloa, Hawaii and various locations on the island of Oahu.

Inhumans debuted on IMAX screens on September 1, 2017, the first live-action television series to do so. The theatrical run lasted two weeks, before the series premiered on ABC on September 29 and ran for eight episodes, concluding on November 10. The series was met with unfavorable reviews and low television ratings, and was canceled by ABC in May 2018. Mount reprised his role as an alternate version of Black Bolt in Marvel Studios' MCU film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).

Premise After a military coup, the Inhuman Royal Family escape to Hawaii, where they must save themselves and the world.

Cast and characters Main

Anson Mount as Black Bolt:The Head of the Inhuman Royal Family and King of Attilan, whose voice can cause destruction with the slightest whisper. Showrunner Scott Buck called Black Bolt enigmatic and fascinating because "a lot of times, we don't know what he's thinking", and noted the difficulty of writing a character who "does not speak, but yet he is our hero and the center of the show". Buck specifically ruled out the series using voice over, with Black Bolt instead communicating via sign language. Premiere director Roel Reiné told Mount to just use 15 or 16 signs, but Mount decided to create his own sign system. He explained that since the character is not from Earth, he would not know Earth-based systems such as American Sign Language (ASL). Mount borrowed the underlying rules of ASL but then "double-check[ed] my signs against ASL to make sure there is no overlap", and also studied orchestra conductors. Mount created a document for his language with over 50 pages, and felt that if he could develop the language over several seasons, it could become a full conlang equivalent to Klingon or Dothraki. Sometimes the script would not include any specific lines for the character, and Mount would develop what he was signing himself. Lofton Shaw portrays a young Black Bolt. Serinda Swan as :The wife of Black Bolt and Queen of Attilan, who has the ability to control and move her hair. Swan described "an immense codependence between" Medusa and Black Bolt, with Medusa helping Black Bolt create his sign language and forming a connection together that creates "this symbiosis that keeps them intertwined". Swan took extra care to act alongside the character's hair as an additional appendage, before CGI was added to augment the wig she wore on set. Swan said that Medusa's hair would "have moods" as in the comics and that it would move and react differently in various situations, such as being more restrained in public so as to not be distracting to others. V.I.P. (Victoria Isabella Piemonte) portrays a young Medusa. Ken Leung as :Black Bolt's cousin and closest adviser, who can "see the fault in all things", avoiding errors, and acts as the Royal Family's strategist and philosopher. Executive producer Jeph Loeb explained that because of Karnak's ability, "everything he sees is flawed, so nothing is quite good enough for him. It's at the point where the glass isn't half empty, it's shattered." Eme Ikwuakor as : Black Bolt's cousin and leader of Attilan's Royal Guard, who can generate seismic waves with his cattle-like hooves. Ikwuakor described Gorgon as "the guy who kind of acts before he thinks". Isabelle Cornish as :Medusa's sister and the youngest member of the Royal Family, who has the ability to control the elements. Cornish said Crystal is "really coming of age" and is going on "the journey of really coming into her adulthood and discovering more of her powers and things like that". Leila Bootsma portrays a young Crystal. Ellen Woglom as :A human from Earth who works at Callisto Aerospace Control Center with a personal passion for space and things related to the Moon. Woglom described Louise as "incredibly smart, incredibly focused" and a "fun", "quirky" character. She added that Louise "sort of has blinders on" about her love of space and the Moon, which "can sometimes cause her to maybe not pick up on social cues all the time, or maybe say things without thinking about them first". Buck noted Woglom's character was not from the comic books, but rather created for the series. Iwan Rheon as :Black Bolt's brother, who has a strong devotion to the people of Attilan and a desire to be king himself. Maximus lost the Inhuman gene when going through the Terrigenesis process, which led to the character being looked down on by other Inhumans. Rheon said Maximus is the "runt of the family which is kind of hard for him. Without his brother he'd be working down in the mines ... because he's the King's brother, he got pity, basically." Buck called Rheon's version of the character "a different, more complicated, more real, and more compelling version" than the comic counterpart because the writers "didn't want to create just a simple villain who's evil for the sake of being evil", with Rheon adding that "there are no villains ... It's not black and white. It's a lot of shades to the characters." He also compared the relationship between Maximus and Black Bolt to that of Loki and Thor in the MCU films. Rheon, who is Welsh, gave Maximus "an America-ish twang", but felt "it would be an incredible coincidence if everyone on the Moon had American accents" and so also kept the accent "a bit Moon-ish". Aidan Fiske portrays a young Maximus.

Crystal's teleporting canine companion Lockjaw also appears in the series, created through CGI. Reiné stated that "nobody has done a full CG character on a TV series before. So Lockjaw is the first. It's a big responsibility for all of us." Mount called Lockjaw the "goofy sidekick" but felt that he had been integrated into the plot rather than just used as comic relief. Buck felt Lockjaw's storylines would "always [be] fairly simple" as a way to ensure the writers "don't try to pretend that he's anything other than" a dog and pull focus from the other characters. Initial designs for Lockjaw had him bigger than his final look, closer to "the size of a Mini Cooper".

Recurring

Mike Moh as : Black Bolt's cousin and Karnak's brother, who has the ability to live underwater and is a skilled assassin. It took Moh three to five hours every day to have his makeup applied. Sonya Balmores as :A compatriot of Maximus, who becomes the new Head of the Royal Guards on Attilan during his coup. Balmores described Auran as "tough", "no nonsense" and someone who "get[s] the job done, whatever the job might be". Michael Buie as : Black Bolt and Maximus's father and former king of Attilan. Tanya Clarke as : Black Bolt and Maximus's mother and former queen of Attilan. Ari Dalbert as : A young Inhuman who has visions of the future and the brother of Iridia. Aaron Hendry as : The father of Bronaja and Iridia who works in the mines of Attilan. Ty Quiamboa as : A surfer who befriends Gorgon. Henry Ian Cusick as : A geneticist who has been testing Inhumans on Earth. Olo Alailima as : An Inhuman that can melt metal that befriends Black Bolt when he is in prison. Bridger Zadina as : An Inhuman with powerful heat vision that was freed from prison by Maximus to assist Auran in capturing the Royal Family. Sumire as : An Inhuman with echolocation who assists Auran in capturing the Royal Family. Jamie Gray Hyder as : A cannabis farmer who develops feelings for Karnak. Michael Trotter as : A cannabis farmer, who is suspicious of Karnak. Ptolemy Slocum as : A member of the Genetic Council who is Maximus' old friend. Krista Alvarez as : An Inhuman with the ability to control plants. Chad Buchanan as : A farmer who befriends Crystal. Liv Hewson as : Dave's former girlfriend who is a veterinary technician.

Guest Nicola Peltz as a human recently transformed into an Inhuman on Earth. Marco Rodriguez as : The head of the Genetic Council. Tom Wright as : The head of the Callisto Aerospace Control Center. Andra Nechita as : A young Inhuman who has butterfly wings and the sister of Bronaja. Jason Quinn as : An Inhuman with electric based powers. Kala Alexander as : A surfer part of Holo's crew who befriends Gorgon. Albert Ueligitone as : A surfer part of Holo's crew who befriends Gorgon. Moses Goods as : An Inhuman "Doorway" within a wall that can teleport the Inhumans anywhere. Miriam Lucien as a serene Inhuman. Matt Perfetuo as

Episodes

Production Development A film based on the Inhumans was first mentioned as being in development in a March 2011 trade report. In October 2014, Marvel Studios officially announced the film as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Three, with a release date of November 2, 2018. Producer Kevin Feige said, "We really do believe the Inhumans can be a franchise or a series of franchises unto themselves. They have dozens of powers and an amazing social structure. With our 20th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we wanted to continue to refine what that universe is about." The following December, the Inhuman species was introduced during the second season of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which began a storyline that recurred throughout the series moving forward. In April 2016, the film was officially taken off of Marvel's release schedule, though it was not outright canceled. After the film's cancellation, Jed Whedon, executive producer and showrunner on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., noted that series had "a little more freedom" and were "able to do a little bit more" with the species going into the fourth season, including the potential of introducing some of the "classic" Inhumans.