Inhumans star Iwan Rheon wants another crack at playing Maximus the Mad, Black Bolt's brother, in the MCU after ABC canceled the Inhumans show.
Iwan Rheon, star of ABC's Inhumans, wants another crack at playing Maximus in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A few years after Marvel Studios announced plans to make an Inhumans movie and fans saw no movement on that front, Marvel Television announced that ABC and IMAX partnered together to bring the powerful Marvel characters to the small screen. The series focusing on the Inhuman royal family had a special IMAX premiere ahead of its premiere on ABC in 2017. However, Inhumans became one of Marvel's biggest flops instead of becoming a giant hit. ABC canceled the show after only one season and left the Inhumans with a questionable MCU future.
Following Inhumans' cancelation, Agents of SHIELD continued to use some Inhumans characters, namely Daisy Johnson/Quake (Chloe Bennett). However, the main cast of Inhumans did not cross over with the adjacent Marvel series or any other Marvel property. This is likely the result of the series' poor reception and criticisms for how it brought great comic characters like Black Bolt (Anson Mount), Medusa (Serinda Swan), and Maximus the Mad (Iwan Rheon) to the screen. Even though it has been more than four years since Inhumans season 1 ended, there is not much clamor for these characters to return, unlike the constant calls for Agents of SHIELD and Defenders characters to come back.
Now, one of the Inhumans stars is vying for his return to the MCU. Iwan Rheon starred in the series as Maximus Boltagon, the charming and manipulative younger brother of Black Bolt. Based on his performance as Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones, there was great excitement for him to become a Marvel villain. Even though his time as Maximus didn't last long, Rheon wants another attempt after Inhumans. He revealed this during a recent interview with Comicbook, where he said the following:
I'll take anything really. I'd love to have another crack at -- I'd love to do Maximus again. I think he's a really interesting character. And also I feel a bit sorry for him, because he is just stuck on the Moon still, but yeah, I'd love to do any of that stuff. Anything. I'm not fussy, give me anything.
Despite the criticism that Inhumans received, most would agree that the issue with the show was not with its casting. Iwan Rheon made for a great Maximus in theory, but the story and direction of Inhumans didn't serve him or any of the other characters favorably. For that reason, it is somewhat difficult to truly gauge if Iwan could make for a good Maximus in a future MCU project. If he is interested in reprising the role and proving he wasn't why Inhumans was poorly received, there is a chance Marvel Studios could come calling in the future.
The real question for Iwan Rheon is whether or not Maximus and the Inhumans are part of the MCU's future plans. Kamala Khan's introduction in Phase 4 could've paved the way for them, but it seems the MCU is changing Ms. Marvel's origin and power set to sever her Inhumans ties - at least for now. There have been plenty of rumors Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness could bring the Inhumans to the MCU, even with Anson Mount being the one to play Black Bolt. If that comes to pass, then the idea of Iwan Rheon playing Maximus again in the future might not be too far-fetched after all.
Source: Comicbook
