Comic book TV shows are all the rage nowadays, and Marvel is debuting something brand new in the fall that already has comic fans excited. Marvel's Inhumans will be giving a group of iconic comic characters their own series, and we'll get to see live action versions of Black Bolt, Medusa, and many others in the not-too-distant future. Of course, adaptations of comic books always take liberties with the source material, so we've only been able to guess about how closely the show will follow the comics. Luckily, Inhumans actor Henry Ian Cusick recently spoke with CinemaBlend about what's to come in the new project, and he had this to say:
I don't know all of the comics obviously, but faithful in the sense that the main characters are like the characters in the comics, yes, absolutely. If you want to go into the nitty gritty, I don't know the comics well enough to say but I would imagine so, because we had a lot of Marvel executives on set and a lot of Marvel people saying, 'Oh no, you're doing that wrong. This is how it is.' You know, little things... that people in the Marvel universe know about, about how you would hold certain things, about how certain things appear in other Marvel shows or something. [They] said, 'Oh, no, no, no, you have to do it this way.' So we have those executives on set, so I'm hoping that they are faithful to the comics so that the fans enjoy the show.
It seems that the new series won't follow any of the comic stories exactly, so readers can count on something they've never seen before when Inhumans debuts in the fall. Henry Ian Cusick's comments indicate that we'll get to see the comic characters in all their glory, even if not in a narrative that we already know. As Cusick will actually be playing an exciting original character for the series, we can definitely count on some variables that never appeared in the source material.
Even if the actors themselves weren't experts in Inhumans comics at the time of filming, the folks behind the scenes were clearly going to great lengths to make sure that the series would make sense within the existing Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU is already comprised of blockbuster films, streaming shows, and an ABC series, so there is a lot of continuity that must be maintained from project to project. Inhumans evidently will not stick out like the sore thumb of the MCU with little continuity errors all over the place. Marvel fans should be able to enjoy episodes on their own and as installments in the MCU.
Henry Ian Cusick went on to tell me about how the social media platform, called JamBios, can help TV fans discuss what happens on the small screen with shows like Inhumans in a brand new way. The platform allows users to create lasting memories by writing their thoughts, and then choose to either share with other users or keep private. The spokesperson for JamBios, Cusick explained how it can be useful for TV viewers, saying this:
I think it's a perfect platform. If this was around when Lost was around, because Lost was really one of the first online shows. I have fans who got together in chat rooms and shared stories and theories and eventually became friends. And now I'm friendly with those [fans]. So yes, I think it's a great example. You could write about different chapters in JamBios. A chapter about whatever, Inhumans, Lost, this scene, this moment.
Based on what we know about Inhumans so far, there will be plenty to discuss on social media. The show will actually debut in IMAX, with the first two episodes serving as a sort of movie event prior to the primetime premiere on ABC. The first look at the Inhumans of the show points to a Royal Family that comic fans and newcomers alike will want to follow as they fight amongst themselves and end up interacting with humans. Plus, there will be a giant dog. What's not to look forward to?
The eight episodes of Marvel's Inhumans will air on Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC starting this fall. In the meantime, be sure to check out Henry Ian Cusick's social media platform JamBios. Don't forget to drop by our summer TV premiere schedule to discover all your viewing options now and in the coming weeks.
