Iwan Rheon to Star in Marvel's 'Inhumans' — As Maximus the Mad!

With filming about to start on Marvel's Inhumans, fans have been eagerly awaiting news about casting for the show. Today, finally, we've been introduced to the first member of the cast – Iwan Rheon, best known to Game of Thrones fans as the deliriously insane Ramsay Bolton. Inhumans will feature Rheon in the role of Maximus the Mad; and, in a surprising twist, he'll be starring in the show!

Who is Maximus?

As #Marvel fans will know, the Inhumans are a subset of the human race whose genes have been altered by alien experimentation. When an Inhuman is subjected to Terrigen, they are transformed, gaining tremendous superhuman abilities! Maximus is among the best-known Inhumans – but, intriguingly, he's usually the villain of stories featuring the characters.

You see, the classic Inhumans live in an isolated community known as Attilan, and they're ruled by a royal family. Maximus's brother Black Bolt is the King of Attilan – and Maximus doesn't like that one bit. For Maximus, Terrigenesis transformed his mind, gifting him with genius-level intelligence and rudimentary telepathic abilities. He tends to believe that the smartest man around should really be the one to rule the roost.

That usually makes Maximus the villain of the piece, the man who's attempting to turn events in his favor and overthrow his brother. But it seems that Marvel is about to take things in a very different direction.

It seems that Iwan Rheon is actually the star of the series! Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb told The Hollywood Reporter:

"Maximus is a complex character. Likable, charming, tragic and villainous all in the same moment, and I’m very excited to have someone of Iwan’s considerable talent."

While Marvel Studios has never really taken too much trouble to flesh out their villains, Marvel Entertainment has a better record when it comes to the bad guys. Head over to their Netflix shows, and you have tremendous, well-developed three-dimensional villains like Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk and David Tennant's Kilgrave. Still, they're definitely upping the ante when it comes to making the villain the star of the show!

If The Hollywood Reporter's comments are any indication, Inhumans will see Maximus struggle with two parts of his own nature; his devotion to his people and his brother, and his lust for power. Marvel fans will have a good idea of where this is going to go, but we're sure to enjoy the journey!

It's becoming ever-clearer that Inhumans will be the #MCU's answer to Game of Thrones, a deeply personal yet wonderfully fantastical tale where rivals vie for power in the hidden kingdom of Attilan. Marvel's making the connection more explicit than I'd ever expected, right down to lifting actors from that show! This first casting detail is an exciting hint of things to come - we'll have to wait and see who's announced next!

The first two hours of Inhumans will premiere in IMAX theaters in September, after which the show will be seen on ABC.