The trailer for the series offers a good look at the colorful cast of characters featured in the show, which is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and focuses on the royal family that leads a genetically enhanced spinoff of humanity that was modified by an alien race many generations ago and manifests powerful abilities through a process called “Terrigenesis.” The Inhumans were first introduced in the Agents of SHIELD television series on ABC, and the royal family was vaguely referenced but never directly identified in the series up to this point.
The primary members of the Inhumans that appear (via the trailer) to have made the leap from page to screen include the king and queen of the ruling family, Black Bolt and Medusa. Portrayed by Hell on Wheels actor Anson Mount, Black Bolt is the silent, contemplative king of the Inhumans, whose voice is a powerful sonic force that can destroy a city with just a whisper. Graceland actress Serinda Swan plays Medusa, who can control her impossibly strong hair and turn it into a powerful weapon or tool at will.
Also appearing in the trailer is Black Bolt’s brother, Maximus, played by Game of Thrones and Misfits actor Iwan Rheon, who schemes to take the throne and assert the Inhumans’ dominance over the human race.
Some of the other characters glimpsed in the trailer that will be familiar to fans of the Inhumans’ comic-book counterparts include Karnak (played by Ken Leung), a royal family adviser who can identify the fault in anything he sees; Crystal (Isabelle Cornish), who’s able to control the elements and is the sister of Medusa; Gorgon (Eme Ikwuakor), who can generate massive seismic waves with his hoofed feet and is the leader of the Inhumans’ military; and Triton (Mike Moh), who can live and breathe underwater and is Black Bolt’s cousin.
Marvel Comics fans will also certainly note the appearance of Lockjaw, the massive dog with the ability to teleport across great distances, who’s a popular supporting character in Marvel’s comic-book universe.
According to the synopsis of the series — which appears to be supported by what we see in the trailer — the show will follow the royal family’s attempts to reclaim their throne after a military coup led by Maximus forces them to flee to Earth. Death Race 2 and The Condemned 2 director Roel Reiné helmed the first two episodes of the series.
The series brings back Iron Fist showrunner and executive producer Scott Buck in the same roles for Inhumans, which will have its first two episodes premiere worldwide in IMAX theaters during a special, two-week screening period. The screenings will kick off September 1, with ABC then debuting the series on the television network Friday, September 29, at 8 p.m. ET.