Rumors Swirl: Will We Get a Second Season of Marvel's Inhumans?

Marvel's Inhumans has proved to be their most controversial project yet. The result of a unique partnership between Marvel, ABC, and IMAX, the first two episodes were released at IMAX cinemas on September 1. Box office performance was actually fairly positive, but Inhumans was soon pulled from many screens in order to make way for the It juggernaut.

Unfortunately, fans and critics alike were united in expressing disappointment with the first two episodes. Meanwhile, ABC doesn't exactly seem confident about the show's performance, and the series will air in the "graveyard slot" of Friday nights. There's a lot of speculation among fans that Season 2 has been officially canceled.

I've Got a Bad Feeling About This

This, surprisingly enough, is the evidence. It's an image that's being circulated, and you'll note that it tells viewers that they can see "the COMPLETE series" from September 29, rather than "the first season." It's being viewed as a subtle hint that Season 2 plans have already been changed, and that ABC has passed on renewing Inhumans for a second season.

The catch? This poster actually comes from May, and is just being distributed again. ABC has been consistently marketing this as a "first chapter" in IMAX cinemas, with the "complete series" airing at the end of the month. We're reading too much into this.

What's Next For the Inhumans?

It's worth noting that Marvel has long been confident in the Inhumans brand, often in spite of poor comic sales. What's more, they've been laying the groundwork for this series in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. since 2014. While the show's future is certainly in doubt, cancellation would undoubtedly be a real blow to Marvel Television's long-term strategy, and it would likely cause major problems throughout the wider MCU. After all, if Inhumans ultimately comes to a close with the human race learning of a city of super-powered beings who live on the Moon, there's no way this wouldn't have an impact on other shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..

It's also worth remembering that we'd expect Season 1 to close with setup for a second season. Those plot threads will likely involve future interaction between the Inhumans and Earth, and may even involve something as extreme as the City of Attilan moving to Hawaii! If you thought the cancellation of Agent Carter left plot threads dangling, you haven't seen anything yet.

Inhumans has undoubtedly proved to be a controversial series so far, and fan and critic responses haven't been positive. Meanwhile, the sad truth is that a very negative narrative has built up around the show; we'll have to wait for the viewing figures to get a sense of whether or not Inhumans can overcome that problem. If it can't, Marvel Television will be faced with a real challenge going forward — where do they go from here?