Thread drift: Marvel's promotion of Inhumans vis-à-vis "replacement" Mutants

[Factor]

Guess what... Inhuman have and aways will be mutants. That is what Stan Lee wanted when he created them.

As stated in the Fantastic Four/Inhumans "Atlantis Rising" collection, Stan Lee describes the creation of the Inhumans as "a different type of group...mutants with powers that go beyond the X-men." He wanted to create a society of mutants, in control of their own nation in the Inhumans.

X-men and Inhumans will always have ties due to this, for this is how they were created.

I think nation and cultural identity should be the main theme and metaphor of Inhuman books. It's what would set them apart from X-books.
Inhumans, particularly the NuHumans, can't really escape from the whole feared for being different thing that used to the define mutants, but by focusing on them as a group of people who just discovered they don't really belong to the society they have been raised in and that instead they belong to this weird Inhuman nation that has its own culture and traditions would provide for some interesting stories.
Inhuman books should explore the cultural clash between traditional Inhumans and NuHumans. The Royal family would be trying to make NuHumans part of their society but NuHumans wouldn't really fit in, some wouldn't even want to.
I think having Inhuman books focus on this cultural clash would be more interesting than exploring the "hated for being different" as a metaphor for racial and sexual identities, that should be the X-men's thing, IMO.

[Factor]

"in their own society" being the unique qualifier. they are all over the place now, and are being activated at random. that is not "historically" inhuman. that's mutant.

not only that, but their gas cloud is hurting all the actual mutants.

again, you seem angry that people (specifically x-men fans) aren't buying this push for the inhumans. yet, these inhumans today resemble x-men more than any "historical" inhuman i have ever seen.

Agreed. Removing the society angle from the Inhumans is a huge mistake. Inhumans should be trying to preserve their culture and nation while mutants should be trying to fit into regular society (Xavier's dream was all about integration, after all). The difference should be pretty big, but Marvel isn't really interested in exploring it.

[theilikepie]

they were also created as an isolationist slave society who ruled by nepotism and discriminated against their own kind if they got the short end of the stick from the terrigene gas.

marvel have taken away everything that made inhumans unique in their own right and are trying to market them as mutants.

guess what, mutants already exist and they already have their own dedicated audience. the inhumans need to find their own concept or get lost.

There not trying to market them as mutants. They have there own city, and there not persecuted like mutants, and what's All the talk about marvel trying to hide the x men. Don't the x men have the same number of books as the inhumans? Why are you so angry, the mutant will still be here and popular. It's not going to affect them. Actually marvel would be really stupid at trying to decrease the significance of the x men, so calm down

[Blue Reloaded]

I think nation and cultural identity should be the main theme and metaphor of Inhuman books. It's what would set them apart from X-books.
Inhumans, particularly the NuHumans, can't really escape from the whole feared for being different thing that used to the define mutants, but by focusing on them as a group of people who just discovered they don't really belong to the society they have been raised in and that instead they belong to this weird Inhuman nation that has its own culture and traditions would provide for some interesting stories.

That hasn't been unique just to the X-men though. The Inhumans "Great Refuge" (hmmm, I wonder why it was called that) Attilian has been attacked repeatedly because of other nations' fear for the unknown and different. They've been attacked by the Chinese, Americans, UN, etc., to play on that fear. Maximus used that fear to drive the outsiders to war with Attilian in their most recognized arc in the Jenkins and Lee run.

Inhuman books should explore the cultural clash between traditional Inhumans and NuHumans. The Royal family would be trying to make NuHumans part of their society but NuHumans wouldn't really fit in, some wouldn't even want to.
I think having Inhuman books focus on this cultural clash would be more interesting than exploring the "hated for being different" as a metaphor for racial and sexual identities, that should be the X-men's thing, IMO.

That's the thing, the Inhuman series really hasn't focused on the "hated for being different" narrative, in fact it's been quite the opposite as humans regularly come to New Attilian for trading at an open market with the Inhumans. All of the plot lines have really focused on the power void left from Black Bolt's exodus and an introduction to being Inhuman for the NuHumans.

Come to think of it, I can't think of a single plot where Soule uses the "hated for being different" narrative in Inhuman.

[Blue Reloaded]

I think nation and cultural identity should be the main theme and metaphor of Inhuman books.

Largely, that is what Soule's Inhuman run has been about-- Medusa introducing the NuHumans to what it means to be Inhuman. Of course, what it means to be Inhuman is different depending on your view of the Royal family and Soule also uses that to his advantage through the hidden tribes.

[AcesX1X]

There not trying to market them as mutants. They have there own city, and there not persecuted like mutants, and what's All the talk about marvel trying to hide the x men. Don't the x men have the same number of books as the inhumans? Why are you so angry, the mutant will still be here and popular. It's not going to affect them. Actually marvel would be really stupid at trying to decrease the significance of the x men, so calm down

their own city floating off the shores of manhattan? where have i seen that before? oh, right. uncanny x-men did that with utopia for years, except they were in san francisco.

and the whole point is that mutants will not be here. what part of "the terrigen is hurting the mutants" is being lost here?

you can't force people to love something they don't want to love. that's not how the world works.

if you want to take issue with someone, take it up with marvel comics.

[redrunner97]

the central theme of the x-men is protecting a world that fears and hates them, and the concept behind mutants is that it is a condition locked within their genetic code, and could belong to anyone and could activate at anytime.

with inhumanity, they took the once-unique aspect of the inhumans - the one thing that truly separated them from the mutants, and collapsed it. there is no more terrigenesis ceremony, it is no longer a path of maturity.

it is now something widespread, a sickness roving the earth that puts the inhuman population in the direct space mutants used to occupy. "anyone could be an inhuman."

The Inhumans don't particularly desire protecting humankind, and humnakind doesn't particularly hate or fear Inhumans. So right there the basic theme of mutants is not applicable to Inhumans.

There is more than one thing that separated Inhumans from mutants, but it's like no one is willing to look beyond the few similarities and see the MANY differences -even now, post-Inhumanity.

As for the "could activate at any time" point, yes that's the case now. But for all we know the T-Cloud issue will be resolved and things won't be that way permanently.

The effects of Inhumanity are fueling a new plot and direction for Inhumans, one that's more intertwined with humans. That's a superficial similarity to mutants, but the themes and message of the Inhumans haven't changed.

That image was MARKETING after Inhumanity. I fully concede that Marvel is certianly (or rather, WAS certainly) trying to market the Inhumans as "the next X-Men", but that wasn't the theme of the product and that clearly isn't the plan moving forward, assuming Attilan literally does "rise".

[autbey]

. Actually marvel would be really stupid at trying to decrease the significance of the x men, so calm down

They've obviously been trying to decrease the significance of the X-Men for a while now. When was the last X-Men video game released? Why no X-Men animated series since WATXM?

[AcesX1X]

is there anything about these new inhuman characters that makes them uniquely inhuman whatsoever? if you took the same exact character, changed nothing but their "inhuman" status and switched it to mutant, would you have a fundamentally different character, or a fundamentally the same character?

this includes ms. marvel.

[Blue Reloaded]

is there anything about these new inhuman characters that makes them uniquely inhuman whatsoever? if you took the same exact character, changed nothing but their "inhuman" status and switched it to mutant, would you have a fundamentally different character, or a fundamentally the same character?

this includes ms. marvel.

Gained their powers through Terrigenesis.

[autbey]

Gained their powers through Terrigenesis.

Born with powers vs inhaling crystal flatulence?

[Blue Reloaded]

Born with powers vs inhaling crystal flatulence?

Very few heroes in the Marvel Universe are actually born with powers.

And since you are obviously trolling with the crystal flatulence remark, this will be the last I respond to you.

[AcesX1X]

Gained their powers through Terrigenesis.

randomly activated powers? that's mutant.

terrigenesis is a very specific tradition that is passed down, and most importantly --- volunteered for.

if that's the only thing, then good luck convincing anyone the inhumans haven't been transformed into bargain basement mutant knock-offs.

terrigenesis used to mean something special.

[Blue Reloaded]

randomly activated powers? that's mutant.

terrigenesis is a very specific tradition that is passed down, and most importantly --- volunteered for.

It's not randomly activated if it was activated by a substance, i.e. terrigen

if that's the only thing, then good luck convincing anyone the inhumans haven't been transformed into bargain basement mutant knock-offs.

by that definition, isn't just about every hero in the MU a bargain basement X-man knockoff?

terrigenesis used to mean something special

It still does, that is why Lash and members of the hidden tribes are in conflict with the Royal family now.

Serious question, have you even read the books or are you just spouting non-sequitors for fun?

[redrunner97]

and the whole point is that mutants will not be here. what part of "the terrigen is hurting the mutants" is being lost here?

It's a PLOT DEVICE. This is going to cause the X-Men and the Inhumans to be at odds.
The Inhumans comics aren't literally killing off the X-Men comics.

you can't force people to love something they don't want to love. that's not how the world works.

You don't have to love it. Neither does any one else. The Inhumans have their fanbase, even if it is smaller than the X-Men's.

randomly activated powers? that's mutant.

terrigenesis is a very specific tradition that is passed down, and most importantly --- volunteered for.

terrigenesis used to mean something special.

How do we know that the Inhumans won't return to their roots (at least in part), while simultaneously having NuHumans on Earth??
That could be the plan in the very near future, hence the need for TWO Inhumans books.

It's not randomly activated if it was activated by a substance, i.e. terrigen

It still does, that is why Lash and members of the hidden tribes are in conflict with the Royal family now.

I agree with both of these points.

Lash was KILLING NuHumans because he and his people believed that their powers were only meant for those who earned and deserved the Terrigen mist.

And there are potentially many other Inhumans with the latent genes that won't ever come in contact with the Terrigen cloud in their entire life, and will die never knowing they were even Inhuman... that's distinctly not a characteristic of mutants!

That's the thing, the Inhuman series really hasn't focused on the "hated for being different" narrative, in fact it's been quite the opposite as humans regularly come to New Attilian for trading at an open market with the Inhumans. All of the plot lines have really focused on the power void left from Black Bolt's exodus and an introduction to being Inhuman for the NuHumans.

Come to think of it, I can't think of a single plot where Soule uses the "hated for being different" narrative in Inhuman.

Exactly!! The only people who hate the NuHumans are OTHER Inhumans, who believe they aren't worthy of the powers they ended up with.