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Warning: Spoilers for Power Man: Timeless #2!!
Many powerful superhero teams call the Marvel Universe home, but one of their most intriguing groups of heroes fell to the wayside after failing to make a lasting impression on screen. It has been years since the Inhumans have been in the spotlight, but Power Man might be their gateway back at last. With Luke facing down a powerful Inhuman villain, the tides could be turning.
Previews for the upcoming Power Man: Timeless #2 – written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, with art by Bernard Chang – show Power Man facing off with the mysterious and ultra-powerful Aeon the Knife, who just managed to destroy the Heart of a Celestial.
As Aeon prepares for further confrontation, he reveals that he’s actually Inhuman, potentially indicating that things for the forgotten franchise are finally turning around. Since their maligned turn in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Inhumans haven’t played a decisive role in Marvel Comics, but that might soon change.
Power Man: Timeless #2 – Written By Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly; Art By Bernard Chang; Color By Marcelo Maiolo; Lettering Travis Lanham
Though he’s fresh on the scene, Aeon’s design and powerset are both impressive so far, making him a worthy catalyst for bringing the Inhumans off the bench. They’ve been trapped in limbo for years, but it may be time to shake off the failed TV show. The Inhumans have played a pivotal role in Marvel lore in the past – yet lately they have languished, aside from the reveal of Kamala Khan’s part-Inhuman origin, as bit players in the overall scheme of the Marvel Universe. Aeon the Knife could signify a rennaissance for the powerful stable of characters.
Aeon the Knife debuted in Power Man: Timeless #1, where he intervened to kill the Heart of a Celestial and showed no signs of stopping there; with his massive blade, electric blue armor, and overall killer design, Aeon is already a standout new villain on the scene. In his building confrontation with Luke Cage, he revealed the source of his incredible power: exposure to the Terrigen Mists, marking him as one of the mysterious, yet often forgotten Inhumans. He was taken in by the Kree as a weapon but shares an origin with characters like Black Bolt, Medusa, and more.
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Black Bolt Sidelined the Inhumans From Marvel With Just One Scream
Black Bolt’s powerful voice once led to the deaths of his fellow Inhumans, as the hero had no choice but to unleash his scream upon them.
While it remains to be seen whether Aeon himself will become a long-term fixture in the Marvel Universe, by introducing him and revealing him as an Inhuman so early in Power Man: Timeless, it seems that Marvel is finally ready to give the entire franchise a little attention again. It’s been ages since the last Inhumans book, as a series of mistakes led the Inhumans TV show to bomb with audiences, but the franchise still has plenty of stories to tell and is brimming with potential. Aeon the Knife may be the first step in bringing them to the forefront again.
The Failure Of Marvel’s “Inhumans” TV Show Disrupted The Franchise, But They Deserve A Comeback
Time To Give Them A Second Chance
Not everything can find success onscreen, and Inhumans proved that once and for all. Critics and audiences maligned Marvel’s attempt to bring Medusa, Black Bolt, and their family to TV, as a mixture of poor storytelling and design ensured the series flopped soon after its debut. Consequently, the Inhumans in the comic-verse suffered, too, as titles like Uncanny Inhumans were shelved and the characters began dropping into obscurity. It was an unfortunate turn for fans, as there were plenty of stories left to be told on the page, even if they failed to translate well into the wider cinematic universe.
Marvel has told plenty of compelling stories with the Inhumans in the past, and the franchise is stacked with characters who deserve a second chance.
Like the X-Men, powersets among the Inhumans have practically unlimited potential thanks to the ever-evolving and unpredictable Terrigen Mists, which grant them their abilities. From Black Bolt’s world-destroying voice to Crystal Amaquelin’s control of the elements, their abilities are boundless. The franchise has even produced stand-out characters like Ms. Marvel, but her beginnings as an Inhuman have taken a backseat to the reveal that she’s also a mutant, effectively pushing her original origin story away. Marvel has told plenty of compelling stories with the Inhumans in the past, and the franchise is stacked with characters who deserve a second chance.
There Remains Plenty Of Room In The Marvel Universe For The Inhumans’ Return
Aeon The Knife Opens The Door
Although 2018’s Death of the Inhumans, by Donny Cates and Ariel Olivetti, effectively killed off huge swaths of Inhumans, leaving only the royal family and the few scattered Inhumans still on Earth, Marvel could easily revive the franchise. All the major players are still out there, and teams like the X-Men are already going through major overhauls and changes as the Marvel Universe ushers in its new era. There’s never been a better time to bring the Inhumans back into the fray. There are multiple possible entry points, beginning with the newly introduced and deadly Aeon the Knife.
By revealing Aeon the Knife’s Terrigen Mists-laced origin, Marvel is hopefully signaling that it’s ready to breathe life back into its neglected Inhumans franchise and let it shine again.
Aeon is merely a glimpse at what the Inhumans as a whole are capable of, as they have been forced to idle for long enough. Power Man is the perfect jump-off point to bringing them back to audiences, but it doesn’t have to begin and end there. There’s room for the Inhumans to join forces with former allies like the Fantastic Four or the Avengers, too, and make a larger impact. By revealing Aeon the Knife’s Terrigen Mists-laced origin, Marvel is hopefully signaling that it’s ready to breathe life back into its neglected Inhumans franchise and let it shine again.
Power Man: Timeless #2 will be available March 12, 2025 from Marvel Comics.
Inhumans
Release Date
2013 – 2012
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