Season 3 of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. starts tonight and it’s very ‘Inhuman’.
The world is a dramatically different place after Season 2, when a powerful alien chemical contagion was accidentally released out into the world, the result of which either enhances people, giving them incredible powers.
Here’s a clip from Season 3’s premiere and a guide to everything you need to know about this mysterious super powered race.
The Inhumans were first introduced on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, with an Inhumans movie coming to cinemas in 2019.
Fans theorised the Inhumans storyline to be a plot device by Marvel Studios to replace the “mutant storyline” made famous by the X-Men ().
Because the X-Men’s rights are owned by Fox Studios, it means anything “mutant” is unaccessible to Marvel Studios – so characters such as Professor X (Fox Studios) and Captain America (Marvel Studios) may never meet onscreen (but never say never).
The Inhuman storyline is Marvel Studio’s opportunity for more super powered stories.
So what are The Inhumans? And who are they? This is your guide to getting ahead and finding out more!
[The below contains ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ season 2 spoilers]
What We Know So Far
The Inhumans are a race of humans that were genetically altered by an alien race known as the Kree Empire, a large interstellar imperial group that encompasses various planets.
Centuries ago, the Kree empire waged war across many years with high casualties – what they needed were more soldiers to win the war.
One vicious faction of Kree decided to genetically alter the DNA of intelligent life forms across various planets, with the intention of creating a war slave race that it could control. Eventually, the Kree came to Earth and built an installation where they experimented on groups of humans, giving them the latent potential to develop superhuman abilities.
A holographic map of an ancient Kree outpost, as seen in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Before the experiments could be completed, another faction of Kree came to Earth and shut it down. Believing the experiments to be abominations and unsuccessful, all of the Kree left Earth, not knowing that these human test subjects would have the latent potential to develop super powers and would pass down these super human genes through generations. The Kree left behind Terrigen Crystals which could be used to activate dormant powers hidden within their altered genes.
The test subjects would scattering across the globe, mating with the human population, producing a number of seemingly normal-looking humans with a dormant Inhuman gene. Some forming their own secret tribes, in which they would live in seclusion from the rest of humankind, developing their own culture, abilities, and in some cases producing technology that is a millennia ahead of humans.
Terrigenesis
Inhumans can look like regular humans with no visible powers. However, they can alter in appearance when they undergo a process called “Terrigenesis” – a state of transformation that happens when Inhumans are exposed to a vapour (“Terrigen Mist”) that is released from sacred, rare minerals called Terrigen Crystals.
Once exposed to the Terrigen mist, Inhumans are encased in a cocoon until their transformation is complete and they emerge as their new selves, unleashing their full genetic potential with powers that range from a scale of subtle to monstrously powerful. However, Terrigen Crystals are lethal upon contact of normal human beings, causing them to disintegrate.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Kree existence was first confirmed in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (and later, Guardians of the Galaxy), after it was discovered that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been secretly working on genetic experiments of their own using alien blood from a deceased Kree body.
The Kree blood was encoded with the blueprint of an ancient Earth-based Kree station that eventually put S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA in a race to find an ancient Kree station (predating the Egyptian temples) and uncover a Terrigenesis hidden within it.
Skye and Raina
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D characters Skye and Raina were revealed to be Inhuman descendants as they underwent Terrigenesis in the 10th episode and midseason finale ‘What They Become’. Skye, who was adopted without knowledge of her true parentage, also had her identity revealed as Daisy Johnson, who in the comic books is known as a superhuman S.H.I.E.L.D. agent codenamed ‘Quake’, with the devastating power to unleash shockwaves that result in mass destruction.
Inhuman Culture
Inhumans exist as tribes, a small percentage of Earth’s population, scattered across the globe. The biggest tribe of humans formed its own civilisation away from human eyes.
Inhumans are mostly reclusive, not wanting any contact with humans and choosing to remain hidden from them, using the camouflage technology afforded to them. They’re also migratory as part of their belief in change being positive, so they are known to shift their entire civilisation to various “uninhabitable” locations around the world where humans won’t interfere with them, such as the himalayas, deep under the sea and on one occasion the Earth’s Moon.
Lai Shi, otherwise known as ‘Afterlife’, is home to a small tribe of Inhumans, as seen on Agents of SHIELD.
While this subsection of Inhumans are highly evolved and more technologically advanced than humans, their way of life can seem quite medieval. Ruled by an elected monarchy, the most powerful Inhuman is given the responsibility of leading their people unless contested and defeated which would give way to the champion as the new monarch.
A conformist society, each Inhuman is assigned a place in their society that demands the level of their skill or abilities. For example, those with more formidable powers would be assigned a place in the Royal Guard without argument or choice to change. Controversially, those who emerge with lesser abilities or retardation suffer a fate worse than death as they’re treated as outcasts, sent to live in the outskirts of their society or underground as slaves that help power the Inhuman city of Attilan.
The kingdom of Attilan, home to the Inhumans.
As people who worship evolution in an almost religious way, favour is given amongst Inhumans who are the “most evolved” after Terrigenesis: the more powerful or monstrous-looking, the more they’re respected. Abnormality is power and with power comes status.
Terrigenesis is a “rite of passage” as a deeply sacred tradition that adolescent Inhumans are exposed to when they “come of age” (or in very rare cases – infancy).
Selective breeding and the forbidding of inter-race relationships keeps the Inhuman genetic line pure and powerful.
Meet The Royal Family
The House of Agon are the Inhuman royal family and are like something out of ‘Game of Thrones’ with their fights over the Inhuman throne, fratricide and incest.
Black Bolt
Blackagar Boltagon is King of the Inhumans and was experimented on with Terrigen in the womb as an embryo – born with frighteningly destructive powers that make him the most powerful Inhuman ever known. Black Bolt is like a supercharged battery, constantly absorbing ambient energy like electrons that are used for many abilities.
His most incredible ability is his supersonic voice. It is said that Black Bolt can destroy a mountain with a whisper. Black Bolt cannot speak without destroying everything around him, including those he loves (he accidentally killed his parents), so he remains mute. Black Bolt is a character that is both stoic, cunning, secretive and very disciplined, especially in meditation, so he never slips out a word or sound, even in his sleep.
His energy abilities also give Black Bolt superhuman strength, speed, durability and flight.
Medusa
Medusalith Amaquelin, Queen of the Inhumans, is the right-hand and “voice” of her husband with whom she shares a deep telepathic bond. Keeping with the Inhuman “purebred” theme, her father was also brother to Blackbolt’s mother, making Blackbolt her first cousin (which is common even in human ‘blue blood’ history). Medusa was subjected to Terrigenesis as an infant, giving her super-dense and strong hair that she can telekinetically control and stretch at almost twice it’s length, able to shield her from gunfire and lift objects over a tonne. Medusa makes for a monarch that is fiercely protective over her people and even more so her family with an attitude that can only be considered as “headstrong” (pun intended).
Crystal
Crystalia Amaquelin is the younger sister of Medusalith, Queen of the Inhumans and through her parentage is considered to be part of the Inhuman Royal Family. Crystal has the ability to manifest and telekinetically control all four elements including earth, air, fire and water (and to an extended degree: ice and electricity).
Maximus
Maximus ‘The Mad’ Boltagon is the brother of Black Bolt and frequent enemy of the Inhumans through his mad schemes to usurp his brother from the throne and rule in his place. As one of the most brilliant minds in existence, Maximus is a scientific genius and inventor with a superior intellect. His Inhuman power is the ability to control and manipulate the minds of others.
Lockjaw
Probably the coolest pet one could ever have! Lockjaw is a giant Inhuman dog with the power to teleport himself and others over great distances throughout the world and the galaxy. Lockjaw communicates through feelings empathically and can digest pretty much anything, including robots. Lockjaw is more than a pet but a loyal guardian to the Inhuman Royal family who is always there in need.
Karnak
Karnak is cousin to the Boltagon family. Unlike most Inhumans, Karnak’s parents feared and refused to expose him to the Terrigen Mist. However, through extensive martial arts and meditation training, Karnak has natural powers in perception – the ability to see weaknesses and stress points in people and objects, enabling him to shatter seemingly invincible objects and take down opponents with ease. His ability even works in strategy, able to see the flaws in plans.
Triton
Triton is the brother of Karnak. His aquatic physiology means he cannot survive without being submerged in water. He is superhumanly strong, able to withstand deep sea pressures and has incredible speed, stamina and reflexes.
Gorgon
Gorgon is also cousin to Black Bolt. With hoofed feet he’s superhumanly strong and can create devastating shockwaves at 7.5 on the richter scale. It is said that just by stomping his feet he could bring down cities. He’s also very strong and his skin is resistant to injury and high impact.
This is awesome! =)