Inhuman Royal Family

"Inhumans" redirects here. For the race of people, see Inhuman.

The Inhuman Royal Family is the ruling family of the Inhuman race, led by the rightful king, Black Bolt. Prominent members of the family also include Black Bolt's estranged brother, Maximus, and several cousins, all in the same generation: brothers Karnak and Triton; sisters Medusa and Crystal; and Gorgon. The Inhuman dog Lockjaw is also a valued member of the family.

History

Rise of Maximus

In the early 1960s, King Black Bolt ruled Attilan peacefully and justly while his mad brother Maximus was imprisoned. Maximus used his mental powers to grant a modicum of intelligence to a trio of Alpha Primitives in an attempt to foment a rebellion. The three absorbed the Terrigen Mist and became three floating balls of raw energy known as the Trikon. The Alpha Primitives revolted as planned, freeing Maximus and generally causing havoc. Medusa went after the Trikon in a sky-sled, but they blasted her hard to the ground with a beam of energy, striking her with amnesia. She wandered out of Attilan, conscious of little beyond her own name. Black Bolt and Lockjaw teamed up, creating a portal to the Negative Zone and sending the Trikon through it with a whisper. The family sans Medusa returned to the throne room to find that Maximus aimed to usurp Black Bolt's crown in the wake of the rebellion. Gorgon went to attack him, but Maximus revealed that he held Gorgon's parents, Korath and Milena, prisoner, and would kill Korath if Gorgon and the others resisted. Maximus led them to a secret corridor underground where hundreds of hostages were held at gunpoint by his followers. Maximus forced Black Bolt's hand, demanding that he peacefully surrender the throne to him or he would kill the hostages. The next day, Black Bolt transferred power to his brother at the royal meeting hall, to mixed reactions from those assembled. Maximus constructed the façade that Black Bolt felt himself responsible for the rebellion and was voluntarily abdicating. As part of that abdication, Black Bolt and his allies were to leave Attilan—in truth, an exile imposed by the new king. With his rule secured, Maximus ordered his loyal lieutenant, the Seeker, to round up and kill the leading Alpha Primitive rebels to quell any possibility of further revolt.

The hunt for Medusa

The family spent the next several months searching for Medusa, their powers attracting unwanted attention in Europe. The young Crystal in particular grew restless without children her age to play with. Gorgon split from the group, telling them he'd be back in two weeks, and returned to Attilan, hoping to grant the family succor and Crystal a healthy upbringing. Maximus gave him an audience and agreed on two conditions: one, that Medusa was returned; and two, that Gorgon's parents would remain under house arrest. Gorgon wanted to see his parents, so Seeker led him to the dungeon, where Milena told him that Korath had been killed in an attempted escape. Seeker shot Gorgon with a stun beam, placed a transmitter in his headband, and dropped him outside Attilan. Maximus told Gorgon through a video screen that if he returned again without Medusa, Milena would be killed as well. Maximus's intent in returning Medusa was twofold: one, her presence would pacify the citizens of Attilan; and two, he wished to make her his bride. Maximus ordered the Seeker to keep track of the family until Medusa was found, "and then bring them all back [...] in chains."

Medusa for her part was in Paris, fleeing judgmental and dangerous human eyes, and her amnesia made it even more difficult than usual to survive. Fleeing into an apartment, she met a jewel thief named Paul Dumas, who trained her as a thief and integrated her into Parisian high society, a task for which her powers made her well suited. Within two years, the two had amassed a quarter of a million francs between them, but Medusa remained distraught at her lack of a true identity. Dumas tried to romance her, but she refused, and left him. In an act of petty retaliation, Paul called the police on her, forcing her to flee the city penniless. Gorgon found Medusa soon after, but she fled him as well due to a subconscious association with the Trikon.

Reemergence

Medusa hid out on a Mediterranean island for months, aimless and hopeless. While fighting off the police one day, she was spotted and recruited by the Wizard, a brilliant criminal who sought to form a team to defeat the Fantastic Four, known as the Frightful Four. By 1965, she joined him along with the Sandman and Paste-Pot Pete (later known as the Trapster), moving to New York City. The four proved a potent challenge to the famous heroes, but in the end, all but Medusa were captured and incarcerated. Medusa became an infamous figure, and her publicity drew the family to New York, where they hid in an underground base in the Bowery while Gorgon pursued her. The family's private meetings were transmitted in full to the Seeker, who arrived in New York shortly after the Frightful Four were defeated.

Medusa fled from Gorgon to the Fantastic Four's headquarters, the Baxter Building, and abducted the Human Torch, Johnny Storm. Medusa forced him to drive her away from Gorgon using a "vacuum gun" that kept his flames at bay. Gorgon climbed to the top of the Baxter Building and stole the Fantastic Four's helicopter to give chase. After hours of driving, they stopped at Dead Man's Lake near State University. Johnny tried to ask what was going on, but Medusa refused to cooperate, and they fought, and Medusa knocked him out with a vacuum pellet. Suddenly, the monstrous Dragon Man leapt out of the ground and began to attack, but hesitated, drawn to Medusa's beauty. Unbeknownst to Medusa, Dragon Man had battled the Fantastic Four in the recent past, and had been similarly drawn to Invisible Girl. Gorgon arrived in the Fantastic Four's helicopter and went after Medusa, but he was attacked by the firebreathing Dragon Man. The two fought, and Medusa took the opportunity to escape via Johnny's car. Dragon Man pursued her, grabbing the car and flying through the air as Gorgon followed in the helicopter. Johnny recovered, absorbing Dragon Man's fire to keep it from spreading, and began to search for Medusa.

Dragon Man brought Medusa to a rooftop near the Baxter Building, where the Fantastic Four (minus Johnny) and Gorgon soon arrived. Medusa pleaded with the Four to protect her as he attacked. The simpleminded Dragon Man focused on protecting Medusa and Invisible Girl, knocking back anyone who got close to them for any reason. Gorgon used his powerful hooves to stomp a hole in the roof, sending Dragon Man plummeting several floors down into the derelict building. Gorgon explained that Medusa belonged to his race and that she had defied their people's customs by mingling with humans. The Thing was inclined to smash him, but Mr. Fantastic encouraged him to entertain the diplomatic option. Torch soon arrived and had to be similarly talked down. Gorgon demonstrated his power by destroying a block of abandoned buildings with a single stomp and continued to demand that Medusa be handed over to him. Medusa tried to escape, but Dragon Man stormed back to the roof and flew off with Sue. Gorgon grabbed Medusa and stomped again, causing the building beneath them all to begin to crumble.

Gorgon successfully escaped with Medusa and returned her to the hideout while the Fantastic Four escaped the building's collapse and placated Dragon Man, giving him shelter in the Baxter Building. Medusa's memory was restored, though it's unclear how—it's possible that being around her entire family triggered the return of her memories. Later, Crystal wandered outside the hideout, and was spotted by the Human Torch. Crystal didn't know who he was, but ran for fear of being found out by humans. He soon caught up to her and lied that he was one of her people. The young and naïve Crystal introduced him to Lockjaw and brought him to the hideout, where he met the other Inhumans, save Black Bolt, who was out. Medusa recognized him, exposing his deception, and Torch fled through the ceiling—exposing in return the Inhumans' sanctuary. He signaled for his teammates, who soon arrived and confronted the Inhumans.

Black Bolt returned from a brief excursion at that critical moment, and began fighting the Thing. Black Bolt proved a mighty challenge to the Fantastic Four's powerhouse. He even seemingly came close to defeating him, but his electron charge ran out, forcing Karnak to grab his limp body and flee. Mr. Fantastic fought Triton, ripping his robe and unwittingly forcing him to flee into the ocean. Almost immediately after diving in, Triton was found by the Seeker and abducted. Seeker and his men imprisoned Triton in a small aquarium in a secret base nearby. They also held the unconscious Dragon Man captive, having taken him from the Baxter Building after assuming he was Inhuman. The other Inhumans discovered that Triton had been taken, and concluded that their hideout had been compromised. Afraid of the Seeker's pursuit, they decided to take the fight to Maximus in Attilan using Lockjaw's portal. Crystal wanted to remain with Johnny, and Medusa supported giving her the chance to live as a human, but Karnak and Gorgon held her back, insisting that she remain to keep the family together. For his part, Black Bolt's electron energy had been expended, leaving him disabled. The Fantastic Four tracked down the Seeker's base and infiltrated it to rescue Dragon Man. Dragon Man awoke soon after they arrived, bursting into a frenzy and battling Seeker's men. The battle destroyed Triton's aquarium, leaving him prone and suffocating on the floor as Dragon Man escaped into the city.

Reclaiming Attilan

While Thing and Torch pursued Dragon Man, Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Girl returned Triton to a new tank of water with the help of the Seeker. He reminded them that Triton was his prisoner, and explained that they had no right to interfere in the procedure of Inhuman law. Mr. Fantastic agreed for the time being, but planted a homing device on the Seeker's ship as he left for Attilan with Triton in tow. Meanwhile, the family arrived in Attilan and confronted Maximus in the throne room, fighting off a group of Alpha Primitives. Maximus put on an air of humility, welcoming the family with faux friendliness. He made his intentions known: namely, that he wished to make Medusa his queen. In an act of desperation, Black Bolt snatched the crown from Maximus's head and wore it himself, reclaiming his rightful title. Maximus knew he was no match for Black Bolt in combat, and decided to bide his time while glad-handing his brother. They asked about Triton, and Maximus revealed a monitor showing him contained in water in another room. Just then, the Inhumans saw the Human Torch flying outside, much to Crystal's delight. The rest of the Fantastic Four arrived on the ground outside, and Crystal ran to them to greet Johnny. The other Inhumans came outside to separate them, escalating tensions between the two groups. Speaking on Black Bolt's behalf, Medusa told the Fantastic Four that the king would spare their lives if they left now and told no one of what they had seen. Mr. Fantastic tried to convince them to cease their isolationism and join Earth society at large. Meanwhile, Maximus retreated to an inner sanctum of the royal palace, revealing a huge, special weapon called the atmo-gun, which would vibrate the Earth's atmosphere in such a way as to kill all humans (but not Inhumans) on the planet. By using it, Maximus hoped to conquer the world upon reclaiming rule of Attilan.

It soon became clear that, though the vibrations were strong enough to knock everyone in the world briefly off balance, Maximus had miscalculated his plan. He had believed that humans were farther away genetically from Inhumans, and thereby unwittingly fired the atmo-gun at a non-fatal frequency. Black Bolt slapped Maximus to the ground, and the Seeker shamelessly submitted to the rightful king's rule. Medusa told Maximus that she would only ever give her heart to Black Bolt—but that she would wait until he had fulfilled his destiny of helping the Inhumans rejoin humanity. Enraged at his failure, Maximus reversed the charge on the atmo-gun and used it to create a thick "negative zone" around the city, perfectly preventing passage in either direction. Invisible Girl hastily made a force field and the Four escaped through the negative zone's dense antimatter before it solidified. Crystal and Johnny nearly stayed with each other, but were each pulled back by their respective factions. The two were desperate to stay together, but Mr. Fantastic knew that there was no way known to man to get through a negative zone. Crystal tried to implore Black Bolt to help her leave Attilan so she could be with Johnny, but Medusa compassionately encouraged her to move on and get used to life in the dome.

Gorgon chased down Maximus and Seeker, eager to mete out revenge for his father's death and their other crimes against their people. Seeker triggered a painful electric shock in Gorgon's headband transmitter, incapacitating him as the two fled. Black Bolt arrived and destroyed the device, and he and Gorgon reunited with Triton in his tank nearby. Triton and Gorgon deduced that Black Bolt's energetic abilities would allow him to track the signal operating the transmitter to locate the Seeker and Maximus. Black Bolt and Gorgon found the villains lying in wait in the dungeons, where Maximus used his mental powers to control the king's mind and attack Gorgon. A downed Gorgon taunted Seeker and demanded that he do the killing himself instead. The arrogant Seeker complied, firing his laser gun at Gorgon, who pulled Black Bolt in front of him. The blast hit Black Bolt's antenna, redirecting and focusing its energy toward Maximus, striking him unconscious. Seeker tried to escape, but Gorgon stomped and caused a cave-in, killing him and achieving vengeance for Korath. Maximus came to, but had suffered severe psychological damage. He was imprisoned once again, and Attilan returned to Black Bolt's peaceful rule.