8 Reasons Why Inhumans Could Never Replace The X-Men
1. Their History Is Problematic
The Inhumans are a lot harder to do as something the reader can relate to for another reason. That reason is their cultural history is somewhat... problematic.
We're not talking about confusing, because really, pretty much everything in comics is.
It's rather that Inhumans have a societal class system seemingly centred around who has gone through Terrigenesis and who has not, with those having gone through the process and already having special wonderful powers also getting to be the ruling, higher class.
Those who have not gone through it have been shown at times as to have been treated as lesser. Obviously, when Marvel wanted to make Inhumans a focus, they tried to sweep this under the rug somewhat, but it's still pretty evident.
Similarly, up until pretty recently, the Inhumans used a slave race. The Alpha Primitives (wow, what a name) were, according to Marvel Wiki, 'a race of sub-human worker drones once employed by the Inhumans to perform manual labour and menial tasks' which... wow.
It's something that stories did try to do away with, but that history is there and is very, very recent. Moreover, it seems Marvel knows just how icky an aspect of Inhumans culture this was, as when they decided to focus the publishing initiative on Inhumans the Alpha Primitives have all but disappeared entirely.
Which, in itself, is a pretty problematic way of dealing with it too.
Now, we have shows that have lower classes or even slaves, and as problematic as it is we can still enjoy them - the difference is these shows aren't often trying to say these people are just like us and our lives. Ultimately, this whole aspect is another road block on making Inhumans suitable as an allegory in a way that mutants and X-Men are.
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What do you think of the Inhumans? Are they really that bad? Let us know in the comments below!