# Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional superhuman species in [Marvel Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-comics), a genetically modified offshoot of humanity created by the alien Kree whose powers are unlocked by exposure to the Terrigen Mists. They were created by writer-editor [Stan Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/stan-lee) and artist [Jack Kirby](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-kirby) and first appeared in *Fantastic Four* #45 (December 1965), and they are led in most stories by the royal family of their hidden city, Attilan.[1](https://www.parentstv.org/resources/ComicsStudy.pdf) • [2](https://www.wired.com/story/inhumans-review-marvels-first-major-misstep/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Creators and debut | Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; first appearance in *Fantastic Four* #45, December 1965[1](https://www.parentstv.org/resources/ComicsStudy.pdf) |
| Origin | An offshoot of humanity genetically tampered with by the alien Kree millennia ago[2](https://www.wired.com/story/inhumans-review-marvels-first-major-misstep/) |
| Power source | Terrigen Mists, a substance that interacts with human DNA to create superhuman mutations; first user was its discoverer, Randac[3](https://www.xmanalsmrpg.com/downloads/F4Compendium.pdf) |
| Home | Attilan, a mobile city located at different times on the Moon, in the lost city of Atlantis, and in the Himalayas[4](https://rogue-scholar.org/records/z1h42-0pr43) |
| Royal family | Black Bolt (mute king whose voice can level a city), Medusa, Maximus, Karnak, Gorgon, Triton, Crystal, and the teleporting dog Lockjaw[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/marvels_inhumans/s01) • [6](https://www.marvel.com/comics/discover/679/black-bolt) |
| First solo series | *The Inhumans* (October 1975 to August 1977), 12 issues written by Doug Moench and initially drawn by George Pérez[7](https://comicshopsaar.de/wiki/serien/inhumans/) |
| Live action | ABC series *Marvel's Inhumans* premiered September 29, 2017; season 1 scored 10% on the Tomatometer from 48 reviews[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/marvels_inhumans/s01) |
## Concept and society
In Marvel continuity, the Inhumans are a divergent human culture rather than a separate species in the mutant sense. The alien Kree experimented on early humans in an attempt to unlock their own stalled evolutionary process, producing a population whose latent abilities are activated by the Terrigen Mists.[2](https://www.wired.com/story/inhumans-review-marvels-first-major-misstep/) • [8](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Genetic_Council_%28Earth-616%29) The Mists were discovered by the Inhuman Randac, who exposed himself to them and gained psionic powers; exposure triggers a transformation called Terrigenesis, which produces a wide range of powers and, sometimes, non-human appearances.[3](https://www.xmanalsmrpg.com/downloads/F4Compendium.pdf) • [9](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Terrigenesis) Terrigenesis became a sacred ritual and a cornerstone of Inhuman culture.[10](https://inhumans.fandom.com/wiki/Terrigen_Mists)
Inhuman society is an absolute monarchy in which human-looking, super-powered individuals form a ruling caste while less human-looking and unpowered individuals occupy lower castes, a structure that includes a history of enslaved laborers called the Alpha Primitives.[1](https://www.parentstv.org/resources/ComicsStudy.pdf) • [11](https://comicbook.com/comicbook/news/how-marvel-comics-made-the-inhumans-work/) This caste structure and the privileges attached to it became a recurring subject of the comics themselves; writer Christopher Priest addressed slavery and generational privilege directly in the 2017 origin series *Inhumans: Once and Future Kings*.[11](https://comicbook.com/comicbook/news/how-marvel-comics-made-the-inhumans-work/)
The royal family anchors most stories. Blackagar Boltagon, Black Bolt, rules by right of royal blood and possesses a voice so powerful that a whisper can destroy a city, which is why he remains silent.[6](https://www.marvel.com/comics/discover/679/black-bolt) Around him are his wife [Medusa](https://www.edgepedia.org/medusa-comics), whose primary power is control of her hair; his brother Maximus; his cousins [Karnak](https://www.edgepedia.org/karnak-comics), Gorgon, and Triton; Medusa's sister Crystal; and Lockjaw, a giant teleporting dog.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/marvels_inhumans/s01)
## Publication history
The Inhumans spent decades without a comic of their own. After their debut in *Fantastic Four*, their backstory was fleshed out in an ongoing backup feature in *Thor* from 1967 to 1968, which detailed Attilan society, the Inhumans' relationship to the Kree, and their use of Terrigen Mist.[12](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/marvels-inhumans-from-comic-books-to-tv/) Kirby, who had a particular fondness for the characters, repeatedly failed to convince Marvel's publisher to launch an ongoing series, and his Inhumans stories were relegated to backup features in books starring other characters.[13](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/inhumans-comics-to-read/) The characters received their first self-titled series in 1975, written by [Doug Moench](https://www.edgepedia.org/doug-moench) and initially drawn by [George Pérez](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-perez), which ran 12 issues through August 1977.[7](https://comicshopsaar.de/wiki/serien/inhumans/)
**The Marvel Knights era.** The 1998 to 1999 *Inhumans* series, published under the [Marvel Knights](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-knights) imprint and written by Paul Jenkins with art by Jae Lee, is considered by many fans the characters at their finest. It examined the costs and flaws of a secluded society based on evolutionary diversity, with Attilan repositioned on a risen island believed to have once been Atlantis.[13](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/inhumans-comics-to-read/) Joe Quesada, who was among the creators who proposed the Marvel Knights line to Marvel's executives, later recalled that there had never been a successful Inhumans series before it, and that the characters' obscurity meant there were no expectations to live up to.[14](https://www.marvel.com/oral-history-marvel-knights)
**The 2010s expansion.** The characters took center stage in 2013 in two consecutive event stories, *Infinity* and *Inhumanity*. *Infinity* ended with [Black Bolt](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-bolt) making a drastic decision that altered the Inhumans' existence, and *Inhumanity*, written by Matt Fraction and Charles Soule, followed the royal family as they helped the so-called NuHumans, newly activated Inhumans, deal with their powers and with their existence becoming known to the world.[12](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/marvels-inhumans-from-comic-books-to-tv/) • [13](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/inhumans-comics-to-read/) The detonation of a Terrigen Bomb spread the mist across the planet, revealing that many humans carried Inhuman genetics, including [Kamala Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kamala-khan), the new [Ms. Marvel](https://www.edgepedia.org/ms-marvel).[15](https://forgegenesys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/mmrpg_origin.cards_-1.pdf) Two ongoing titles followed: *Uncanny Inhumans*, continuing the royal family's story, and *All-New Inhumans* (2015 to 2016), focused on newer characters born of the Terrigen Bomb.[12](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/marvels-inhumans-from-comic-books-to-tv/) • [16](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/20681/all-new_inhumans_2015_-_present)
## The X-Men rivalry
As Marvel became a film rival to 20th Century Fox, which held the X-Men film and television rights, the publisher made an attempt to position the Inhumans as a replacement concept in the [Marvel Cinematic Universe](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-cinematic-universe), and the comics of this period doubled as incubators for film-ready characters, some of whom appeared on *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.*.[12](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/marvels-inhumans-from-comic-books-to-tv/) The resemblance was deliberate: the Terrigen Bomb and the resulting wave of new Inhumans mirrored the mutant concept, and fan theories that the Inhumans were meant to replace the X-Men were fed by rumors of restrictions on new mutant characters and a downsizing of X-Men merchandise.[17](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/why-the-inhumans-can-never-replace-the-x-men/)
The rivalry turned violent in-universe. The Terrigen Cloud that let the Inhumans flourish on Earth proved poisonous to mutants, first shown in the *Death of X* miniseries, and the resulting sickness and death of many mutants put the two groups on a collision course.[13](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/inhumans-comics-to-read/) • [18](https://www.marvel.com/comics/collection/62176/inhumans_vs_x-men_hc_hardcover) The 2017 event *Inhumans vs. X-Men* (IvX) ended the conflict when Medusa made a decision comparable in consequence to Black Bolt's in *Infinity*, and it closed out Charles Soule's run on the characters.[13](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/inhumans-comics-to-read/) Afterward, Al Ewing wrote the royal family in *Royals* (2017), which sent Medusa and most of the family off Earth with Marvel Boy on a quest for the origin of the Kree, and Donny Cates and Ariel Olivetti later produced *Death of the Inhumans*.[13](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/inhumans-comics-to-read/) • [19](https://www.panini.es/media/paniniFiles/febreroalta.pdf)
## Television adaptation
A planned Inhumans film, once slated by [Marvel Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-studios) for a November 2, 2018 release, was moved to television; [Jeph Loeb](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeph-loeb), head of [Marvel Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-television) and executive producer of the series, described how the project found its way to the small screen.[20](https://time.com/3545717/marvel-universe-upcoming-movies/) • [21](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/marvel-how-inhumans-went-from-movie-to-tv/) *Marvel's Inhumans* premiered on ABC on September 29, 2017, with its first two episodes shown in IMAX theaters, and starred Anson Mount as Black Bolt and Iwan Rheon as Maximus.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/marvels_inhumans/s01) • [22](https://www.wired.com/story/marvel-inhumans-review/) The premise follows the royal family after Maximus stages a coup, stranding them in Hawaii.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/marvels_inhumans/s01)
The series was poorly received. Its season 1 Tomatometer stood at 10% from 48 reviews, with the critics consensus citing an unimaginative narrative, dull design work, weak characters, and disengaging soapy melodrama.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/marvels_inhumans/s01) WIRED called it a show that proves the Marvel Cinematic Universe can become overextended, noting that the characters' powers, such as moving hair and really powerful hooves, lack the wish-fulfillment appeal of most superhero abilities.[22](https://www.wired.com/story/marvel-inhumans-review/) Only one season was filmed.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/marvels_inhumans/s01) Inhumans had earlier appeared in *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.*, where the Terrigen-driven reveal of new Inhumans was a major storyline, though the show's Inhumans are not treated as canon by later MCU material.[12](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/marvels-inhumans-from-comic-books-to-tv/) • [23](https://www.looper.com/2069066/strongest-marvel-teams-ranked/)
## References
1. [Beyond the Icon: Asian American Graphic Narratives (Inhumans debut and caste structure)](https://www.parentstv.org/resources/ComicsStudy.pdf)
2. [Review: Inhumans is Marvel's first major misstep, WIRED](https://www.wired.com/story/inhumans-review-marvels-first-major-misstep/)
3. [FF Compendium (Terrigen Mists and Randac)](https://www.xmanalsmrpg.com/downloads/F4Compendium.pdf)
4. [Less Cult, More Quality? Audience Readings of Pre-Texts for Marvel's Inhumans, Rogue Scholar](https://rogue-scholar.org/records/z1h42-0pr43)
5. [Marvel's Inhumans: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/marvels_inhumans/s01)
6. [Black Bolt reading list, Marvel Comics](https://www.marvel.com/comics/discover/679/black-bolt)
7. [Inhumans (US-Original), ComicShopSaar](https://comicshopsaar.de/wiki/serien/inhumans/)
8. [Genetic Council (Earth-616), Marvel Database](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Genetic_Council_%28Earth-616%29)
9. [Terrigenesis, Marvel Database](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Terrigenesis)
10. [Terrigen Mists, Inhumans Wiki](https://inhumans.fandom.com/wiki/Terrigen_Mists)
11. [How Marvel Comics Made the Inhumans Work, ComicBook.com](https://comicbook.com/comicbook/news/how-marvel-comics-made-the-inhumans-work/)
12. [The Long, Strange Trip of Marvel's Inhumans, Rotten Tomatoes Editorial](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/marvels-inhumans-from-comic-books-to-tv/)
13. [7 Essential Inhumans Comics, ComicBook.com](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/inhumans-comics-to-read/)
14. [Marvel Knights: An Oral History, Marvel](https://www.marvel.com/oral-history-marvel-knights)
15. [Marvel RPG origin cards (Homo sapi-ens inhumanus, Terrigen Bomb, Kamala Khan)](https://forgegenesys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/mmrpg_origin.cards_-1.pdf)
16. [All-New Inhumans (2015–2016), Marvel Comics](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/20681/all-new_inhumans_2015_-_present)
17. [Why The Inhumans Can Never Replace The X-Men, ComicBook.com](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/why-the-inhumans-can-never-replace-the-x-men/)
18. [Inhumans vs. X-Men hardcover, Marvel Comics](https://www.marvel.com/comics/collection/62176/inhumans_vs_x-men_hc_hardcover)
19. [Marvel Must-Have: La Muerte de los Inhumanos (Death of the Inhumans 1–5), Panini](https://www.panini.es/media/paniniFiles/febreroalta.pdf)
20. [A Comic Book Dummy's Guide to the Marvel Universe Plan, TIME](https://time.com/3545717/marvel-universe-upcoming-movies/)
21. [Marvel Reveals How 'Inhumans' Went From A Movie To A TV Show, ComicBook.com](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/marvel-how-inhumans-went-from-movie-to-tv/)
22. ['The Inhumans' Review, WIRED](https://www.wired.com/story/marvel-inhumans-review/)
23. [10 Strongest Marvel Teams Ranked, Looper](https://www.looper.com/2069066/strongest-marvel-teams-ranked/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Creative written works and worlds › Comics and sequential art › Comics characters and fictional worlds › Marvel teams and groups*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license