Captain Marvel 2 Should Reboot The MCU's Inhumans

Captain Marvel 2 should reboot the MCU's Inhumans. The first Captain Marvel film counts as one of the MCU's biggest successes, with Brie Larson's titular hero going "higher, further, faster" and grossing a stunning $1.1 billion in the global box office, but the two attempts at incorporating the Inhumans into Marvel's live-action franchise have not gone as well. Though Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been successful creatively, the Marvel Cinematic Universe films have largely ignored it, and the short-running TV series Inhumans was one of Marvel's few creative and commercial failures.

Captain Marvel 2 has now been set for July 8, 2022. The announcement came at the tail-end of sweeping changes made to the Phase 4 slate, a necessary adjustment because of the coronavirus pandemic. Little is known about Captain Marvel 2, not least whether it will be set in the MCU's 'present day' or whether it will explore what Carol Danvers was doing between her origin story in 1995 and her arrival on Earth in 2018. Certainly Marvel appears to be switching things up because Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are not expected to return as directors.

The Phase 4 slate is something of a mystery right now, but fortunately it's possible to deduce potential themes and arcs by looking at additional content in the works for Disney+. Marvel is planning a Ms. Marvel series for the streaming service, and there are reports Kamala Khan - Carol Danvers' protege - will be making her jump to the films shortly after. It's reasonable to assume Kamala will be playing some sort of role in Captain Marvel 2, and if so that raises the possibility Carol Danvers is about to meet the Inhumans.

The MCU Looks Set To (Re)Introduce Inhumans

In the comics, Kamala Khan is essentially a Carol Danvers fan who gets superpowers and is inspired by her hero to use them for good. According to Kevin Feige, the MCU's Kamala Khan will be pretty comic-book-accurate in this regard, with Feige explaining they'd held Kamala back until Captain Marvel was well-established. "We wanted to get Captain Marvel out there first," he observed, "so that there is something for a young Muslim girl to get inspired by."

The story of Kamala Khan isn't just tied to Carol Danvers, though; she's actually an Inhuman. Millennia ago, Kamala's ancestors were experimented upon by the alien race known as the Kree, and they introduced a special gene in her bloodline. When Kamala was exposed to the Terrigen Mists, this gene was triggered, granting her phenomenal super-powers. The Inhumans have had a presence in the wider MCU before; Marvel Television explored the concept in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. at length and even made a poorly-received Inhumans TV series, but they've never been acknowledged by Marvel Studios before. For all that's the case, though, a leaked casting report from the Ms. Marvel series does indeed indicate there will be an Inhuman presence in the show.

It will be interesting to see what approach Marvel takes now that the Disney+ series are confirmed to be in the MCU canon. They could choose to do a full reboot, erasing all Marvel Television's history and starting again; that would be a shame, given the enduring popularity of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Alternatively, they could simply choose to forget about the Inhumans TV series, generally seen as the worst show produced by Marvel Television. Regardless, it does indeed look as though the Inhumans are entering the mainstream MCU.

The Inhumans Are Another Kree Legacy

There are fascinating thematic similarities between the Inhumans and the MCU's Captain Marvel; both have their origin in the militaristic race known as the Kree. In the comics, the Kree visited Earth millennia ago attempting to create genetically-engineered superhuman warriors to serve on the front lines of their endless war with the Skrulls. They were successful, but the Supreme Intelligence foresaw a time when the Inhumans would rise up against them, and as a result they abandoned the experiment, but unwittingly left a handful of Inhuman colonies scattered across the galaxy, including on Earth. The majority of Earth's Inhumans secreted themselves away from humanity in an ancient Kree outpost called Attilan, ruled over by a Royal Family. Others decided to live among the humans, explaining how Inhuman genes were introduced into conventional human DNA.

Carol Danvers' story in the MCU is strikingly similar. She absorbed a blast of Tesseract energy into her body and thus was transformed into a powerhouse. The Kree viewed her as a potential weapon, brainwashing her to believe she was a member of their elite Starforce. Captain Marvel served among the Starforce for several years, battling against the Skrulls, until a mission brought her back to Earth and restored her memories. She rebelled and opposed the Kree when they planned to raze the Earth, which is an arc almost identical to that of the Inhumans; the Kree are woven into both origin stories, both were intended to serve as weapons, and both were destined to rebel.

How The Inhumans Could Fit Into Captain Marvel 2

Of course, this raises the question of just how the MCU should incorporate the Inhumans. The best approach would be to absorb the continuity of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but ignore the Inhumans TV series. In Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2, Terrigen was introduced into the world's oceans, subsequently absorbed by Marine life. Anyone with an Inhuman gene who came into contact with it - by eating fish or by using fish-based skin oils - had their latent powers triggered. That would explain how Kamala Khan, a random Muslim teenager who just happens to have an Inhuman gene, suddenly developed powers. She could then serve as a bridge to a rebooted Inhuman royal family.

Captain Marvel ended with Carol Danvers pledging to bring an end to the Kree's brutal wars. She's evidently been successful; by Guardians of the Galaxy, the Kree were ending their millennia-long conflict with Xandar, signing a peace treaty. But the Inhuman Royal Family would be useful allies, especially if Marvel Studios drew inspiration from the comics. There, Black Bolt - the monarch of Attilan - is the prophesied "Midnight King," destined to overthrow the Supreme Intelligence who rules the Kree. In fact, the Inhumans even took control of the Kree Empire at once point, becoming its rulers and attempting to lead the militaristic race in a new direction.

In thematic terms, this idea would fit perfectly with Marvel's overall approach to Phase 4. Marvel has traditionally attempted to present their films as though they are set in "the world outside your window," albeit with superpowers, but that won't work after the spectacular events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The new MCU seems to be shaped by ancient cultures and powers who are emerging from the shadows like Wakanda, New Asgard, the Eternals, even the Masters of the Mystic Arts. Attilan would be another of these previously hidden forces, with the Inhumans finally ready to make themselves known to humans in Captain Marvel 2.

More: Every Captain Marvel 2 Character Already In The MCU