Marvel's Inhumans Cast Responds To Mixed Reactions

Despite what their planet of residence might have you believe, the royal family in Marvel's Inhumans aren't entirely out of this world. According to fans, they're mediocre at best.

The latest television entry into the Marvel Extended Universe, Inhumans has garnered some mixed critical reactions over the past few weeks, with many calling into question the quality of the series' trailers and stills. Fans pointed to shoddy visuals, namely the unimpressive displays of powers in the first look and Medusa's (Serinda Swan) stiff-looking hair. Even the show's director Roel Reine admitted that he wasn't pleased with how the initial trailer came out, as it didn't include the full range of special effects needed to bring the Inhumans' abilities to life, and stated that it had been released far too early, in his opinion. 

During recent interviews with Associated Press, the cast of Marvel's Inhumans spoke out about the criticisms brought up by fans and critics. Ken Leung, who plays Karnak Mander-Azur in the series, noted that Inhumans is only based off the comic books, and won't be a completely faithful adaptation of the source material fans are familiar with. 

"We are kind of just loosely based on the comics," Leung said. "The source of some of the mixed reactions to the little that people have seen so far [is] that a lot of people love the comics, they have been around for decades and it remains to be seen how people will accept something that is its own iteration of something that's already beloved."

Leung went on to state that the show is introducing a new King Blackagar "Black Bolt" Boltagon, played by Anson Mount, as well as refreshed versions of the other heroes. Additionally, Inhumans won't be of the same caliber as other Netflix and Marvel-collaborated shows like Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and Luke Cage; instead, the series and its characters will have a cinematic feel to them. 

For Mount, his only hope is that that audiences give the series a chance before forming a definitive opinion. The actor also cleared up the claims that the Inhumans cast stepped away from a Q&A session at the Television Critics Association press tour in July, an allegation that has added another layer of tension to the series' already strained pre-release reputation. "I think that the quote-unquote awkwardness at the [TCAs] was blown out of proportions. There was all this news that we ended the Q&A early, which we did not. It was actually scheduled to end at that time. I think people should just see the thing," said Mount. 

Marvel's Inhumans also stars Swan as Medusalith Amaquelin "Medusa" Boltagon, Iwan Rheon as Maximus "Maximus the Mad" Boltagon, Isabelle Cornish as Crystallia Amaquelin "Crystal" Maximoff, Eme Ikwaukor as Gorgon Petragon, Sonya Balmores as Auran, Mike Moh as Triton Mander-Azur, Ellen Woglom as Louise, Henry Ian Cusick as Dr. Evan Declan, Chad James Buchanan as Dave, and Michael Buie as King Agon.

Here's the official synopsis for the series: "The Inhumans, a race of superhumans with diverse and singularly unique powers, were first introduced in Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1965. Since that time, they have grown in prominence and become some of the most popular and iconic characters in the Marvel Universe. Marvel's The Inhumans will explore the never-before-told epic adventure of Black Bolt and the royal family."

The first two episodes of Marvel's Inhumans will be shown in IMAX theaters during an exclusive two-week run starting September 1. On September 29, the series kicks off its regularly scheduled programming on ABC, where it will run for eight episodes total. 

Meanwhile, find out why the show could create major problems for Marvel.