One of the biggest TV events of the fall season will be the action-filled series premiere of Marvel's Inhumans, which will take over both ABC and IMAX in September. And though fans haven't really gotten to see all that much from the highly anticipated superpowered drama, given the massive secrecy, attendees at this year's Comic-Con were able to get their eyes on a batch of new scenes, as well as a brand new trailer (which was then released online). I was present for the panel, and after everyone checks out the trailer below, we'll discuss the pretty-good-but-not-great exclusive footage.
For a lot of Inhumans fans and devotees, this trailer blew minds, and not just to see Lockjaw showing up for more transportational goodness. . For one, fans got their first good look at the digital wizardry that went into giving Medusa's hair its most inhumanly movement. Moderator and Marvel icon Jeph Loeb did not shy away from referencing the issues that fans have voiced concerning said follicles, which haven't been showcased in previous footage. But they came alive in the trailer, as well as in one of the clips that we got to watch.
Not to get into spoilery material, but Medusa got a good part of the spotlight in two of the scenes shown to Comic-Con audiences, and the one where her hair got violent was largely a dialogue scene between Serinda Swan's Atitilan Queen and Iwan Rheon's antagonistic Maximus. A bit of dramatic build-up led to some hair flairs, culminating in the brief choke-out moment seen in the trailer. There's something about the dialogue and acting in these moments that feels self-important and unrealistic, but I couldn't help but get pumped to see her hair in action.
Medusa also played into an elaborate dinner scene, in which the full cast of heroes (and Maximus) were all sat for a meal, when personal and political issues came up, which always ruin a dinnerr. Here, the focus was put more on the growing conflict between Maximus and Anson Mount's silent-but-deadly leader Black Bolt. This also included a closer look at Black Bolt using that special sign language that Medusa is tuned into. Actresss Serinda Swan pointed out during the panel that she and Mount were completely in tune with the sign language, and that Medusa's expertise with it does allow her the advantage of being able to fib to others about what Black Bolt is actually saying. Trouble!
Admittedly, my favorite part of said Dinner Scene was just how booming and deep Eme Ikwuakor's footsteps were. Or should I say "hoof-steps," since he is rocking an abundantly powerful pair of hooves. Those came out in full force for another scene shown to Comic-Con audiences, which saw the actor's military-minded Gorgon making seismic waves by stomping. Ikwuakor was a hoot during the panel, too, so I hope some of that sense of humor shines through in the comic character.
Inhumans finally got a spotlight through footage on the underwater-dwelling Triton, played by the super athletic Mike Moh. Part of that scene showed up in the trailer, only in a limited capacity, which is the same thing that happened with our first look at the powers of Ken Leung's Karnac. That was easily the best of the scenes screened for Comic-Con viewers, as it offered up the most fisticuffs we've seen thus far, as well as a really solid look at Karnak's unique skill set.
All in all, the footage didn't feel quite like the kind of thing that Marvel fans are truly going to freak out about when it makes its big premiere. But it was specifically pointed out that there is such an abundance of CGI sequences and shots that it's made it difficult for ABC and Marvel to show off the Inhumans moments that will really blow fans away. That's also what we're hoping, since Inhumans doesn't necessarily stand up to most of Marvel's other small screen efforts. Plus, we didn't get to see anything from Henry Ian Cusick's much-cloaked geneticist.
Marvel's Inhumans will make its big debut with its first two episodes hitting IMAX on September 1, while Season 1 will officially make its TV debut on ABC on Friday, September 23. To see when everything else is heading to the small screen, head to our summer premiere schedule.
