The new book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios has spilled the beans on the origins of several MCU projects and developments. The book also discusses the ill-fated TV series Inhumans, recalling it was initially intended to be a theatrical film released in July 2019. Despite its resemblance to Game of Thrones, the movie project was shelved. But the question still remains: why was the film never made?
Marvel’s Creative Committee decided to move the characters, including Daredevil, Blade, Ghost Rider, and Luke Cage, to Marvel Television. The reason given for this move was that they believed Kevin Feige was busy with the production of The Avengers.
Inhumans Could’ve Been a Part Of The Avengers
In 2014, Ike Perlmutter, former Marvel Entertainment CEO, and Alan Fine, the chair of the Creative Committee, decided to shift attention away from X-Men and Fantastic Four. Their aim was to prevent giving free promotions for 20th Century Fox’s movies that featured those characters. Consequently, their focus shifted to the Inhumans.
According to MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios:
“Marvel Studios had been developing an Inhumans movie for years, but Feige was never satisfied with the script and wasn’t eager to do battle with Fox on Perlmutter’s behalf. As soon as Kevin Feige pulled the Inhumans movie from the release schedule (in April 2016), Marvel Entertainment ordered Loeb to fast-track Inhumans content on TV. Just two months later, the Inhumans appeared on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
Following this decision, it was decided that the Inhumans TV series would make its debut in IMAX theaters and then on ABC. However, the reviews were very negative, which eventually led to the cancelation of the two-part premiere and later episodes on the big screens. Sadly, the Inhumans series was a disaster in terms of ratings on TV, which led to its cancellation.
An excerpt from the Book reads:
“Because of budgetary constraints, many of the Inhumans were swiftly depowered. Medusa, the Inhuman queen, had her prehensile red hair — expensive to render in CGI — shaved off her head. The teleporting dog Lockjaw had to be grievously wounded so most of the action could stay in a single location (the show filmed on the Hawaiian island of Oahu).”
Had the Inhumans movie come to fruition, it was highly likely that the whole team of superheroes would’ve appeared in The Avengers. Sadly, that prospect still remains in the realm of ‘what ifs.’
Will Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Have a Future in the MCU
For fans who believe Marvel Studios could bring Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. into the MCU, it’s pretty much evident that they have always tried keeping their distance from Marvel Television as much as possible.
The book reads:
“When it developed a movie starring another obscure superteam, the Eternals, the creators were instructed that none of it could take place in Hawaii. The studio didn’t want any risk that audiences might be reminded of the Inhumans.”
In 2022, Marvel Studios released Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, letting Anson Mount play the comic-faithful role of Black Bolt. This variant of the superhero originated from Earth-838 and met his tragic end at the hands of the Scarlet Witch. Whether Black Bolt or any other Inhuman character exists in Earth-616 is still unclear.
