How Black Bolt Will Communicate In Inhumans

Marvel's Inhumans

Just from what we know so far about Anson Mount's Black Bolt In Marvel's Inhumans, the actor has quite a task on his hands. And, I mean that literally, as Mount's latest comment on his characters' lack of speaking sounds more challenging than we once previously thought:

I actually have to do more preparation when it comes to scenes in which I sign, and I can't use American Sign Language. Because he's not from Earth, he wouldn't know American Sign Language, so I'm making my own sign system.

So not only will Anson Mount have to do most of his acting without speaking, he also has to develop an entirely new language separate from all forms of human nonverbal communication! Mount also tells EW that Black Bolt will learn the catastrophic strength of his voice, which seems to confirm that we will see Black Bolt speak at some point and witness some sort of destruction from it in Season 1 of Inhumans. Seeing as though we're going to be seeing a lot of Mount using pretend sign language, I wonder how the series will translate his dialogue, considering he's one of the main characters in the show? At the moment, that answer has me more intrigued than how they're going to bring a 2,000-pound dog to life!

Considering the fairly sizable cast and the premise of Inhumans, we can imagine someone in the royal family will always be around to translate Black Bolt's regal hand gestures. Another option might be to simply do subtitles, although I can see many fans who would be turned off by having to read the additional dialogue and keep up with the action. I'm just curious as to how Inhumans are such an advanced civilization and yet they don't have anything similar to a Speak and Say? Maximus, the brother of Black Bolt played by Iwan Rheon, is a supposed genius so you'd think he could whip something up, although he may not be so willing to considering the two's long history.

If you're curious as to the destruction Black Bolt can do with just a whisper, check out the video below!

The world will get its first look at Inhumans when the first two episodes air in IMAX theaters September 1st for a two week period. After that, you can expect to see the series premiere on ABC beginning September 26th. If September feels all too far away, be sure you're loading up your schedule with great television to watch leading up until then. There are plenty of shows for you to view on our summer premiere schedule and once you've gotten your fill of those, hit up our renewal guide to see which of your favorite shows will be returning next year.

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.