Though WandaVision has come to a close, Marvel fans are still buzzing with equal amounts of excitement for the upcoming Falcon and the Winter Soldier series. These Marvel Cinematic Universe properties are helping to set the foundation for Phase 4 in an unprecedented way for the studio, but they aren't Marvel's first attempt at branching out into television.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was the MCU television venture and was quite successful during its run. Unfortunately, things only went downhill from there, as their next series, Agent Carter, didn't do so well, and the following series, Inhumans, was arguably a disaster.
Inhumans began its run in the MCU with a rocky start. Introduced in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Inhumans expanded upon the comic characters of the same name. The show centered on the Inhuman Royal Family, led by Black Bolt. Originally, Marvel wished to further explore these heroes in a stand-alone movie, which was announced in 2014 and set to be part of Phase 3. However, the film was removed from the lineup in 2016 and relegated to a television series.
Inhumans lasted for a grand total of 8 episodes before Marvel announced it would not be renewed. The cancelation came as no surprise, as the series unfortunately fell flat on audiences and critics alike. Several factors contributed to this, with the most prominent being creative decisions and the show's story.
Marvel Television head Jeph Loeb took on the responsibility of Inhumans after Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter split with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. In an ambitious venture to make this new series seem larger than life, Loeb decided to use IMAX cameras for Inhumans. To its credit, Inhumans was the first live-action television show to have an in-theater IMAX release. It debuted on September 1, 2017, with the theatrical run lasting two weeks before it aired on television. However, the IMAX-shot scenes did not translate well to TV screens, and the grandeur was lost as it looked just like a normal show.
What really killed Inhumans was its story. Scott Buck, showrunner of Iron Fist Season 1, was the showrunner for Inhumans as well, but reviews were brutal and the series was maligned by critics and fans alike. The storyline felt rushed, undeveloped and boring, and viewership only lessened as Inhumans reached its eighth and final episode.
What once was a show that had great potential is now a property that most Marvel fans would like to forget. However, the Inhumans of the comics are still fascinating and could make for a great story down the line as the MCU continues to churn out Disney+ shows.