After Infinity Comes Inhumanity

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Infinity up through issue #3.

We've known for a while now that Marvel is following up the current Infinity event with a new over-arching storyline called Inhumanity. Hinging on a new ongoing series called Inhuman from writer Matt Fraction and artist Joe Madureira, Inhumanity explores the fallout of Infinity and the sudden appearance of millions of new Inhumans across the globe. In the last couple weeks we've learned more about what Inhumanity entails. Inhumanity will kick off as part of All-New Marvel NOW! in January with a one-shot special from Fraction and artist Olivier Coipel. The story spirals out from there into Inhuman and various tie-in books like Uncanny X-Men and Indestructible Hulk. Much like Age of Ultron and its .AU issues, these tie-in issues will carry a ".INH" tag as part of their numbering.

We've also seen increased build-up to Inhumanity within the pages of Infinity. Recent installments have revealed that hidden sects of Inhumans already exist in various spots across the world, and also that Thanos' son is hidden among them. And Infinity #3 concluded with Black Bolt destroying the floating city of Attilan (and possibly himself) in an attempt to stop Thanos' rampage.

With the future of the Inhumans becoming more clear, Marvel held one of the "Next Big Thing" press calls today to shed more light on Inhumanity. Fraction, Senior Editor Nick Lowe and Editor-n-Chief Axel Alonso were in attendance to talk about the future of these characters, how Inhumanity impacts the Marvel Universe as a whole, and what separates being an Inhuman from being a mutant.

Fraction started off the call by talking about how Infinity #3's cliffhanger sets the tone for Inhumanity. "The fall of Attilan is one of those moments where the status quo for a big chunk of the Marvel Universes changes, and one of those moments where you can plant a flag and sit back and realize all the stuff that comes after," he said. "Inhumanity #1 spills out of Infinity and deals with the immediate ramifications of what the fall of Attilan means - what it means for the royal family, and more importantly... what it means to Inhumans all around the world." The one-shot will be framed from Karnak's perspective, who Fraction described as a "martial arts genius" whose ability to see flaws and work through puzzles is essential to providing a vantage point for the wider conflict.

Fraction them referenced Alonso referring to the Inhumans as "space hippies." "if that's the case, then San Francisco has been destroyed. They don't get to hide out in their secret superhero city anymore. It kind of comes raining down on New York City. This kind of hidden race doesn't get to hide anymore. We find out there are a lot more Inhumans than ever imagined. And that's where things start to get interesting." He continued, "It's not a book about just the royal family... It has to be like what [Brian] Bendis and [Mark] Millar were feeling when they were cooking up the Ultimate Universe back in the day. There's this freedom to do all kinds of crazy stuff and all sorts of different stories and all kinds of characters, whether it's old, established, recognizable guys or completely new takes on power sets or entirely new characters and situations altogether."

Inhumanity #1 cover

Alonso then said, "Matt's going to be writing a very textured story. In the foreground of that story is going to be the ground's eye view of new characters you're going to be introduced to from scratch, who will be your eyes into this world; who will show you not only what it's like to discover you're an Inhuman, but linked to something long." Fraction compared it to "finding out your grandfather used to be a pirate. A higher, amazing legacy you're connected to that you discover very suddenly. It's sort of like, as the Marvel Universe is discovering the Inhumans, hopefully at the same time the readers are, as well."

For many readers, one of the big questions surrounding Infinity has been what separates the concept of being Inhuman from being a mutant. After all, aren't both groups comprised of superhuman individuals hiding in plain sight who face fear and persecution from the rest of society? While everyone was reluctant to say too much for fear of spoiling Infinity #4, Fraction said, "The history is wildly different, and the circumstances are wildly different, and I think the metaphor is wildly different."

Alonso said, "There's a lot we can't say right now. I'll point out a few objective things that set apart Inhumans from everyone else. One of them is that they predate the birth of the superhuman and the mutant. They go back millennia and they have a long and complicated, very bloody history that we're going to fill over time." Fraction elaborated, "We literally see prehistoric man in the pages of Inhumanity. It's a big, long story.

Inhumanity #1 cover (Skottie Young variant)

Alonso continued, "It's the type of **** that Shakespeare would have a hard time coming up with. Another thing, too, if you take a look at their birth, they were really never meant to be. They were the result of a botched experiment... There's a big, existential 'Eff You!' at the core of their existence. It's something that bothered them. Gods played with science and came up with this. I could keep going, but there's a lot more. This race is essentially nomadic. They've been nomadic for eons, only in this case, this is a society that managed to travel with its kingdom. They've popped up in various places across the galaxy, searching for a safe haven they've never gotten. If you take away that, what do you have? Are they sick of running? These are the types of questions we're going to answer... Suffice it to say, they're very different from anything else in the Marvel Universe, and we're going to spend a lot of time reminding you of that."

Marvel NOW! brought about a number of visual changes to Marvel's books, from costume designs to basic elements like the design of cover dresses and recap pages. We asked how the look of the Inhumans and their world might change now that Coipel and Madureira are at the helm. Fraction said, "I've been all for letting two of the best designers working at Marvel Comics go wild and freshen things up a bit. We want these guys to be recognizable, but at the same time, if Olivier and Joe want to be Olivier and Joe and add a coat of modern polish to some of this stuff, I'm not going to object too terribly much. I love Joe's character design work especially, and would love to see him take a crack at 'What do wartime Inhumans look like with Joe Mad?' What do Inhumans on the run look like when Joe Mad designs them?"

Fraction briefly touched on the comparisons between Inhumanity and Game of Thrones, saying that while they were convenient because Game of Thrones is "so of the now," he doesn't necessarily put much stock in the connection. He noted that Dune and the Metabarons comic book series were far more influential in developing his take on the franchise. Fraction also confirmed that the material focused on Medusa, her son Ahura, and her brother-in-law Maximus the Mad in his FF run will play directly into Inhumanity. He wouldn't, however, confirm whether Maximus actually survives the destruction of Attilan in Infinity #3.

Inhumanity #1 cover (Nick Bradshaw variant)

Lowe discussed the tie-ins and how they play into the larger picture of Inhumanity. "All the tie-ins I've been really pleased with... and it's been really interesting to see how the different points of view attack this concept. It's a huge story, and it's been really fun to see how naturally people go at different angles." Fraction and Lowe singled out Mark Waid's Indestructible Hulk tie-in as one worth watching, citing Waid's early involvement in the development of Inhumanity.

Fraction elaborated, "It's a collaborative universe, and all of us are working on these stories that kind of move this one cohesive thing at once. Part of the fun has been to leave as much red meat out as possible and not answer all of the questions and let Mark Waid run with the ball for a while, and let Kelly Sue and Warren Ellis run with the ball. I'm not going to note it. Dream big. Take it somewhere I hadn't thought of. Hopefully what Jonathan has done for all of us is give us this great problem to solve. And I think we're starting to see all these different solutions."

Finally, it was confirmed that Fraction is penning at least one other one-shot issue in addition to Inhumanity #1. That issue will be revealed in the January 2014 solicitations next month. It's a probably a safe bet that Marvel will have much more to say about Inhumanity at NYCC once those solicits are out and Infinity #4 has shipped.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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