Inhumans and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and beyond)

[bbjeg]

With Fox doing well with the X-Men, the MCU has a long way to go before they see a mutant. I haven't been keeping too much on the comics but I know they're using the Inhumans to reintroduce naturally super powered humans on earth. I'm aware Marvel plans to put the Inhumans on the big screen but most of the websites online are rumors and speculation but the general conclusion is that they'll be the MCU's explanation of Mutants.

It got me thinking though, with Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver appearing in Avengers 2 and the next X-Men movie as characters both properties can use, what's the chances the Inhumans can fall in the same category? Characters you'll see next to Captain America in one movie and Wolverine in the next.

 

[Nerys Myk]

The Inhumans have mostly been used in conjunction with the Fantastic Four, so I imagine they're FF exclusive.

 

[Set Harth]

Nitpick: only Quicksilver is appearing in both AoU and DOFP. As far as we know Wanda isn't in DOFP.

 

[Silvercrest]

Maybe they can finally explain why the Inhumans wear masks when they don't have secret identities.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Maybe they can finally explain why the Inhumans wear masks when they don't have secret identities.

 

[Turtletrekker]

The Inhumans have mostly been used in conjunction with the Fantastic Four, so I imagine they're FF exclusive.

No, Kevin Feige has mentioned The Inhumans several times in regards to potential projects.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I have no idea where I read this, but it was in a comic, so canonesque from maybe 10 or 15 years ago...

All Inhumans are born looking like human beings, it's not until terrigenesis that most of them become horrifically deformed while being fed all these fairy stories that they are fantastic miracles and god loves them...

The more human looking Inhumans post terrigenesis have to wear masks, if they have any manners or sense of decency, because it's embarrassing how fucked up they are not whenmost of their freinds and family have been bitch slapped by the ugly stick.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

^ Works for me.

 

[milojthatch]

The Inhumans have mostly been used in conjunction with the Fantastic Four, so I imagine they're FF exclusive.

No, Kevin Feige has mentioned The Inhumans several times in regards to potential projects.

I've read this as well. I think Marvel has the right to The Inhumans. The rights that I was surprised to find out recently that Marvel doesn't have is to Namor. Apparently, Universal has them, for now...

 

[kirk55555]

I have no idea where I read this, but it was in a comic, so canonesque from maybe 10 or 15 years ago...

All Inhumans are born looking like human beings, it's not until terrigenesis that most of them become horrifically deformed while being fed all these fairy stories that they are fantastic miracles and god loves them...

The more human looking Inhumans post terrigenesis have to wear masks, if they have any manners or sense of decency, because it's embarrassing how fucked up they are not whenmost of their freinds and family have been bitch slapped by the ugly stick.

You're right about the appearance changing with terrigenesis for the weird looking inhumans (heck, Lockjaw isn't actually a dog, he's an inhuman who became who he is because of terrigenesis), but the mask thing I can only remember from a Marvel story called Fantastic Four: The End, set in an alternate future for the group. There, the mask thing was mentioned, with even Crystal wearing a mask. But, in normal continuity, several human looking inhumans like Maximus [usually], Crystal and her daughter, and Black Bolt's son (most of the time atleast, in the FF book) don't wear masks, although masks do seem to be popular for inhumans. But, in the normal Marvel U, I think its just a ceremonial thing more than because of any dislike of human looking inhumans. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that's how it works in the normal Marvel comic universe.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Lockjaw is a dog.

Pretending that he is a person was a Joke they played on the Thing.

Ben thinks that Lockjaw is a stuck up dick who keeps snubbing him, and everyone else is laughing their ass off behind the Thing's massive brickhouse of a back.

From wikipedia...

At one point, Quicksilver and the Thing witnessed what appeared to be Lockjaw, apparently a sentient being once mutated by Terrigen Mists, speaking to them. This convinces Quicksilver not to expose his daughter Luna to the Mists.[10] However, Lockjaw later brought Quicksilver to Washington, D.C., in search of X-Factor, and Quicksilver there stated that Lockjaw's sentience was actually a hoax perpetrated on the Thing by Karnak and Gorgon.[11]

 

[Relayer1]

only Quicksilver is appearing in both AoU and DOFP.

Is it the same actor/costume/background story ?

 

[Professor Zoom]

only Quicksilver is appearing in both AoU and DOFP.

Is it the same actor/costume/background story ?

Nope. Two different actors. Two different companies are producing two different movies. Each has the right to the comic book character, but they are taking the character in a different direction. Ah, licensing deals...

 

[Robbiesan]

This topic really made me smile today. I actually owned one of the early issues of the Inhumans way back in the day. Here's a panel of the Inhuman Medusa from FF #99 in 1970.

I doubt anyone on the forum ever read them, but Strange Tales came out far before and they weren't in high demand in my area and they'd turn up in rummage sales. They cost a dime and went for far less when resold. Many times comic heroes began in that publication. I owned this October 1961 Kirby illustrated edition with the ridiculous name Fin Fang Foom.

Early Kirby Black Bolt

Though I wasn't that much of a fan of the Thor film when it came it, the costume designer obviously well researched Kirby's art.

 

[Silvercrest]

^ Works for me.

Works for me!

Lockjaw is a dog.

Pretending that he is a person was a Joke they played on the Thing.

Ben thinks that Lockjaw is a stuck up dick who keeps snubbing him, and everyone else is laughing their ass off behind the Thing's massive brickhouse of a back.

That makes some sense; those two had to find a new victim after their ill-advised attempt to make Black Bolt laugh.

 

[bbjeg]

Aren't the Kree responsible for how the Inhumans gained their abilities? Guardians of the Galaxy, an MCU property, will be featuring two Kree, Ronan the Accuser and Korath the Pursuer.

I was wrong on Scarlet Witch being in both X-Men and Avengers 2 but to reiterate my original point, Quicksilver, who will be in both and also ties into the Inhumans in the comics, being hit by the Terrigen Mist and all (and dating Crystal) could be the start of something bigger. A property that can tie Fox and Universal together that wouldn't force them to give up their characters to each other.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I've always felt that Marvel mutants fit awkwardly with the rest of the Marvel universe and work best as their own self-contained universe. Including them with everyone else confuses the social issues that X-Men wants to discuss and leaves you with just the superhero aspects of them. If the plan is to use Inhumans as a substitute for Mutants, that'll be including the most awkward aspects (a whole subset of people who are "different") without even bothering to include the "it's Wolverine!" cool factor.

Now if the Inhumans can stand on their own merits, that's great, but not as substitutes for Mutants.

 

[Sto-Vo-Kory]

I think the whole expansion of the Inhuman race to litter the Earth with powered beings is to make it easier on the cinematic Marvel universe. Once the term "inhuman" is introduced into a future Marvel movie, it'll become a nice simple shorthand for why this person or that villain has powers without having to show a long, expensive-to-film origin story.

For decades, Marvel comics used "mutant" in this fashion. "Hey, that guy can shoot fireballs out of his nostrils!" "He's a mutant." "Oh, that explains it." And that was all the backstory necessary for why Hero X could do amazing things with his nostrils.

Since the "mutant" word is tied up contractually at Fox, Marvel Movie-verse can now just toss out "inhuman" and a super-powered character is good to go, no origin exposition needed.

 

[kirk55555]

Lockjaw is a dog.

Pretending that he is a person was a Joke they played on the Thing.

Ben thinks that Lockjaw is a stuck up dick who keeps snubbing him, and everyone else is laughing their ass off behind the Thing's massive brickhouse of a back.

From wikipedia...

At one point, Quicksilver and the Thing witnessed what appeared to be Lockjaw, apparently a sentient being once mutated by Terrigen Mists, speaking to them. This convinces Quicksilver not to expose his daughter Luna to the Mists.[10] However, Lockjaw later brought Quicksilver to Washington, D.C., in search of X-Factor, and Quicksilver there stated that Lockjaw's sentience was actually a hoax perpetrated on the Thing by Karnak and Gorgon.[11]

Comicvine says he was an inhuman child that became a dog because of terrigenesis, and the marvel wiki says he gained his abilities through terrigenesis as a child, and it would be kind of weird for an animal to have Inhuman DNA and go through terrigenesis.

Also, from Marvel.com

http://marvel.com/universe/Lockjaw

Lockjaw is a member of the Inhumans royal family, mutated by the Terrigen Mists into his canine form.

So, marvel's official site says he was mutated into the dog form, from a normal inhuman. The link does have "contributors", but it looks like Marvel's character stuff isn't just something any random person can edit. Karnak and Gorgon may have faked him speaking one time, but I'm staying with him being a humanoid as a child (which makes more sense than giving a puppy super powers) based off of it being said on Marvel's site, along with the whole puppy terrigenesis thing making no sense.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I think the whole expansion of the Inhuman race to litter the Earth with powered beings is to make it easier on the cinematic Marvel universe. Once the term "inhuman" is introduced into a future Marvel movie, it'll become a nice simple shorthand for why this person or that villain has powers without having to show a long, expensive-to-film origin story.

But there hasn't been a character that just "has" powers in the MCU so far. Even AoS has avoided this. The "walks among us" thing is for the X-Men because, really, it would raise such social implications that it would create an intolerance and suspicion of those with powers.

Besides, it's my understanding that the Inhumans are a specific thing and not the thing you're describing.

For decades, Marvel comics used "mutant" in this fashion. "Hey, that guy can shoot fireballs out of his nostrils!" "He's a mutant." "Oh, that explains it." And that was all the backstory necessary for why Hero X could do amazing things with his nostrils.

And that illustrates my problem with having the X-Men as generally part of the rest of the universe. We hear "oh he's a mutant" when someone has superpowers - except the dozens of times we don't. Hulk isn't a mutant. Iron Man isn't a mutant. Thor isn't a mutant. When average citizens see them, they don't shout "mutant" and form a lynch mob. Except when the X-Men are there to save the day and, suddenly, everyone is socially conscious. It never really made sense. It led to a really awkward moment in the DoFP comic where they have to say "oh, and the Sentinels killed Captain America too."

Since the "mutant" word is tied up contractually at Fox, Marvel Movie-verse can now just toss out "inhuman" and a super-powered character is good to go, no origin exposition needed.

To me, that does a disservice to everything around. It does a disservice to the Inhumans as they exist. It does a disservice to the MCU by tying it up with needless X-Men baggage. And it does a disservice to the social message of the X-Men by tying it up with unrelated superheroes. That's true even if all licenses reverted to Marvel.