Super Groups: The Inhumans

              Alright, I’m going to level with ya’ll. When I said I’d be doing Medusa next, I honestly thought I had one more person to cover for my theme week. I guess She-Hulk and Rescue kind of blurred together in my head. They became a sort of Iron She-Hulk, if you will. Put a pin in that Idea, because it sounds awesome. Back on task, after mentioning Medusa, I realized that the Inhumans are a group that you probably aren’t familiar with. If I said Mutants, you’d think something like, “X-men, the people that get superpowers because of genetics.” If I said Kryptonians, you’d think something like, “The Superman aliens, they have superpowers for…reasons.” And if I said Green Lantern Corps, you’d probably think, “Magic green rings.” But, Inhumans, now that’s a group that are at the bottom of the barrel, like the Guardians of the Galaxy were until about last year. So, this seemed like a perfect opportunity to do a new segment, Super Groups. It’ll be a lot like the Hero/Villain Profiles, but I’ll be focusing on the broader group rather than individuals. I’ll save Medusa and the rest of the Inhumans until their movie is a little closer. I need to plan a little. Let’s get to it.

The Inhuman Royal Family.
Left to Right, Triton, Gorgon, Karnak
Black Bolt, Medusa, Crystal.

Group: The Inhumans.

Created by: The Kree

Leadership: The Inhuman Royal Family, currently lead by King Blackagar Boltagon (Black Bolt)

A few million years ago a little spat known as the Kree-Skrull war was just starting out. The two alien empires searched the stars for something that could give them the edge over their enemy. The Kree set up shop on a moon of Uranus, a strategic point between the two empires, and noticed early man running around the Third Rock from the Sun. Apparently in the Marvel-verse, Humanity owes a great deal to a group known as the Celestials. They seeded Marvel’s version of Humanity with a genetic potential that intrigued the Kree.

The blue aliens began experimenting on a few proto-human tribes for two reasons. First and foremost, it was an attempt to circumvent their own evolutionary stagnation. Apparently they’d been screwing around trying to make their own Cosmic Cube, and an accident basically turned off mutation in the Kree’s genome. So let that be a lesson to you, don’t screw with cosmically powered geometric shapes. The second goal was to make a race of Mutant Super Soldiers that they could just throw at the Skrull. After a few thousand tries they had created a breed of superior sort-of-humans, but were forced to abandon the project when the Kree Supreme Intelligence predicted that the result of the experiment would lead to its destruction. Keep in mind, the KSI is the bio-computer that tried to create the Cube, which lead to the genetic stagnation, and the Kree’s current predicament. Why are you guys still following it? No answer, typical.

Terrigen Crystals + Water + Inhuman = Superman or
Super Freak. Who's willing to roll the dice?

The Inhumans were left to fend for themselves, a small group verses the rapidly growing numbers of Homo Sapien. While the Inhumans were stronger and more advanced, numbers > intellect. Don’t believe me? Read a history text book. The Inhumans retreated into the abandoned Kree research facility, naming it Attilan, and kept to themselves for the majority of human history. Attilan itself can move, so they’ve been to a few of the most isolated places on Earth, deep forests, mountain ranges, and even colonized the moon. They created a small area on the moon known as the Blue Area, which has a breathable atmosphere. Just don’t go beyond the edge, suffocation is a nasty way to go.

They thrived in their tiny city, outstripping humanity in terms of technology and science by leaps and bounds. You know how the 50s pictured the 2000s, with jetpacks, robot workers, and flying cars? Yeah, they did that before the time of Christ. They beat us badly. Things were good, until about 25,000 years ago. An Inhuman geneticist named Randac discovered that Terrigen Mist, a vapor that is more or less vented by the Terrigen Crystals that grew naturally near the Attilan compound. Randac discovered that when an Inhuman immerses his or herself in the Mist, it unlocked hidden genetic potential. In Randac’s case it was mental powers of Phoenix proportions. Rendac insisted, probably using his psychic powers to make himself more convincing, that all Inhumans undergo the process he called Terrigenesis.

Attilan, not much of a yard, but a great view.

Now I know what you’re thinking, Mist = Superpowers, why the heck not? Because the Terrigen Mist is…complicated. On the one hand, it does unlock superhuman powers in a small percent of Inhumans. For the rest, it plays roulette with their genetic codes, turning the average citizens into deformed monsters. This led to some... issues. After some infighting, and the a huge reduction in the numbers the Inhumans had gathered, the Inhumans regained order, set up a caste system and utilized eugenics and birth control to decrease birth defects. In the end, only those deemed most “pure” are at the top of Inhuman Society and allowed to bathe in the Mist. At the very bottom are those that are so horribly mutated they can't even pass for subhuman... Sub-Inhuman... the really freaky looking ones. 25,000 years later and even in the Royal Family, supposedly the purest of Inhumans, problems persist. Some get the superpowers, no problem. Others still have a small deformation or “throw back” like gaining the legs of a bull or reptilian tails. Others still become complete genetic throw backs. King Black Bolt’s cousin Triton is a man-fish, he’s green, scaly and can’t breathe out of water without a special apparatus. And a few others get the superpowers, but get a little more than they can handle. Black Bolt, for example, can’t speak. He’s physically capable, but his voice is SOOOO powerful he can’t even whisper without creating minor tremors. He was exposed in his infancy, so you can imagine how much that sucks.

In the Modern Age, the Inhuman’s have relaxed their isolationist policies. Black Bolt is a member of several Marvel teams, like the Illuminati and helps out with the Avengers. His wife Medusa and her sister Crystal have both been subs for the Fantastic Four. They’ve intermixed a little with humanity. For example, Crystal was married to Quicksilver, Magneto’s son. They are still wary of the Human race, but are willing to see the possibilities of working together. Now if only the rest of us could see that point of view.

Mist + humans = these guys.
Not pleasant.

Your typical Inhuman is superior to your average human in a number of ways. They are a much…sturdier species. The average lifespan is about 150, and are ridiculously strong. An Inhuman body builder at peak strength can lift one ton easily. Karnak, an Inhuman of the Royal Family who hasn't gone through Terrigenesis is physically on par with Captain America. They have increased reaction time, reflexes, and speed as well. The major downside to Inhuman physiology is that they have a weaker immune system than we humans, and need cleaner air and water to support their bodies.

Exposure to Terrigen Mist, for an Inhuman, is like spinning three roulette wheels. The first determines which ability manifests. The second how “strong” their power is. And third, and most important really, what if any negative side effects they receive. Ideally, the third wheel doesn’t factor in at all, but, as mentioned above, hiccups persist. Given the look at the Inhuman Royal family, the perfect success, no problems, occurs maybe 40% of the time. Another 50% have some small genetic devolutions, like for another of Black Bolt’s cousins, Gorgon, who gained immense strength but his legs morphed into that of a bull’s. 5% have the major genetic mutation like Triton. And 5% have powers so strong they can’t control, like for Black Bolt. Keep in mind, this is only for the Royal Family and the highest Caste in Inhuman society. If someone from the lower echelon gets exposed to the Mists, risk of unsavory mutations and deformities are significantly higher. Oh, and if one of us, normal humans, were exposed to the Mist, you’d turn into an incredibly strong, incredibly stupid creature known as an Alpha Primitive. Not fun. But, if a member of Homo Superior is exposed, they gain a hyper focused form of their power for a limited time. For example, Quicksilver had lost his super-speed after his sister the Scarlet Witch re-reset the universe. He found, however, that exposure to the Mist made him so fast he could travel back and forth through time. He need to be exposed again after a few days, but that is a pretty handy supercharge, wouldn’t you say?

What can happen if an Inhuman is "Unworthy"
Genetically speaking.

As I said at the start, the Inhumans are D-list in terms of popularity. Not saying they’re a boring group, but, I will say unless you are a fan you’ve probably never heard of them.

They appear mostly in Fantastic Four related properties like in the 1994 Fantastic Four. The Inhuman Royal Family and Attilan appeared in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. They were mostly there to teach Hulk and his team a lesson about the pros and cons of isolationism.

Again, while I haven’t seen it, the Kree and the Inhumans are hinted at in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I believe two of their cast members are revealed to be Inhumans and have gone through Terrigenisis. Way to utilize your resources S.H.I.E.L.D. writers.

The Inhumans have a movie in the works, set to be release November 2018. It’s at the bare bones stage, so nothing is really known about it. Vin Diesel has hinted that he might be tied to the Inhumans. Personally, I’d find it hilarious if they had him slated to be the silent king Black Bolt. First he’s Groot who can only say one phrase, then he’s Black Bolt who shouldn’t say a word. Craziness.

The Inhumans are an interesting group. They have an X-men vibe to them, but with the added bit that even their own gifts can be incredibly dangerous. Imagine having the chance to have a superpower, but have the threat of horrible deformity hanging over your head like the Sword of Damocles. Sucky. I hope that, like Guardians of the Galaxy, the film proves to be the ignition that propels this D-list group up a few spaces. At the very least I hope this little blurb helps give you a better understanding of an obscure hero team. Next time, I think it’s high time for another DC TV review. We’ll go over the show that ended too soon, Young Justice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inhumans
http://marvel.wikia.com/Terrigen_Crystals
http://marvel.wikia.com/Attilan
http://www.comicvine.com/alpha-primitives/4060-55902/
http://marvel.wikia.com/Terrigenesis