Even Iwan Rheon Couldn't Save Marvel's Worst Show With 11% on Rotten Tomatoes

Inhumans was planned and promoted as a big project. The creators separated it from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. so as not to limit themselves to the loyal but not very large audience.

But the main thing was the unprecedented partnership between ABC and IMAX. The series was filmed on their cameras, and the first two episodes were shown in IMAX theaters a month before they aired on TV – something that has never been done before.

And unfortunately, it looks like it will not happen again. Inhumans has become Marvel's biggest failure on television.

What Is Inhumans About?

A race of super-powered humans known as Inhumans, bred by aliens, hide from ordinary people on the moon in the city of Attilan.

Inhuman society is based on a caste system: the greater the power gained through terrigenesis (the process that reveals the Inhuman's abilities), the higher the position.

The king's brother, Maximus, who became an ordinary man after terrigenesis, dreams of breaking the humiliating system and seizing the throne.

Inhumans Is a Show About Superheroes Who Don't Use Their Superpowers

The first thing you notice is that we have a show about superhumans who don't use their powers.

This is especially noticeable against the backdrop of the simultaneously launched X-Men series The Gifted, which showed a community of mutants using their abilities in all sorts of ways with a much smaller budget.

During the scene where Medusa's hair is shaved off, you can hear the producers sigh of relief – they won't have to spend more money on complex hair animation for the rest of the season.

Inhumans Writers Failed at Both Political Intrigue and Character Development

In Inhumans, the attitude toward superhumans is the opposite of what we saw in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. There, good guys from government organizations rescued oppressed superhumans.

But the socio-political situation has changed, and the approach has been turned on its head. In Inhumans, the evil government is trying to capture or kill them.

But attempts to play on the political field turn out to be a failure. Focused on fighting the unfair system and promoting democracy on the moon, the plot misses all the personal arcs of the characters.

An interesting antagonist, Maximus, played by Iwan Rheon, turns into a selfish, power-hungry madman in the end. At the same time, the palace intrigues themselves are poorly written, and there are many plot holes in the characters' actions.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of Inhumans?

Fans agree that there is no worse Marvel series than Inhumans, and it's an experience best forgotten. Redditor cruise02 wrote:

“It actually did have a pretty decent cast, but they were wasted on this show. Absolutely the worst Marvel TV show, and there's not really a close second.”

• Inhumans has 11% from critics and 42% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• Om IMDb, the Marvel show has a score of 4.9/10.