Ms. Marvel might not be an Inhuman on the small screen of the MCU, but what's the Terrigen process like on the comic book pages?
While Ms. Marvel might gain her powers in an alternative way on the small screen, the comics see Kamala Khan undergo the Terrigen process, which so many other Inhumans have previously experienced. But what exactly is this method of gaining powers, how does it work and who else has undergone such a transformative episode?
Well, the comics have plenty of answers about how Terrigen actually reacts to different people, what its purpose initially was and how this actually impacts the Inhuman royal family itself. The process has actually been adapted to screen from the page before as well, which shouldn't be ignored in the context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Terrigen process is actually caused by a mist that can interact with physical matter, acting in a transformative way for specific individuals. The mist is created from Terrigen crystals, which are incredibly rare to find and can only be utilized under controlled conditions.
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A specific temperature has to be created for the Terrigen crystals to be in the right state. They must then be given access to water, which will begin the process of creating the mist. Other versions of the crystals, as seen on screen, see them react when they have been broken, crushed, or smashed.
After the Inhumans were created as a new species by the Kree, a scientist called Randac looked to try and evolve his people further. By looking at their genetic makeup, he thought he was able to isolate a specific component, forging Terrigen crystals in the process.
He tested them on himself and was given god-like abilities. Realizing the powers could be used to battle the Kree, he allowed the mist to be used by a range of volunteers that could perhaps build a roster of heroes to help defend the Inhumans. The process has only gotten more precise since.
Inhuman abilities can be found in the DNA of a person. That means that there could actually be regular humans out there who actually have some kind of coding in their genetics that might react to the Terrigen crystals. This can be because of a mutation but is more likely due to inheriting those abilities.
The powers themselves are considered random though despite some research suggesting certain gifts have been inherited. While there are rumors that they are the remnants of other species, it's evident that even those who are related to one another don't usually exhibit the same gifts. It's a process that the Inhumans continue to research to allow for some more predictability in who will exhibit powers and what they could be. There's even evidence that non-human entities can be impacted by the process.
The process of transformation has become a regular occurrence now though, despite the elements that scientists still don't fully comprehend. Most notably, comic book fans are well aware that those who undergo Terrigenesis will form into a type of cocoon to allow the process to begin.
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It's frightening for those who don't understand what's happening, but usually, the people inside the cocoons are in a comatose state. The length of the process can really depend on the person. Some changes are almost instant, but more complicated transformations could even take months.
Following the Infinity storyline, the Terrigen mists were released across a lot of the Marvel Universe, causing plenty of people to transform into their Inhuman form. It was a surprising process for many, who never would have thought they would have Inhuman genes. Even some Mutants were affected by it.
This is how Ms. Marvel gained her gift, with nobody getting the choice of whether they truly wanted to find out what their abilities are. It caused havoc within the Inhuman community and caused trouble for supers who now had a range of new heroes to teach and foes to face.
The Royal Family of the Inhumans are some of the most powerful of their species and are largely a single family who have ruled over Attilan for much of its history. Each member of the royal family has undergone Terrigensis and some versions of the team only allow true Inhumans into their court.
Led by the immense Black Bolt, the Terrigen process is almost worshipped by the royal family, who see it as a huge part of their culture, despite being slightly wary of its end results. Interestingly, Maximus the Mad spent most of his early years without his gifts, with the process not allowing them to surface immediately, causing tension among the royals.
The process of Terrigenesis can actually be controlled as more research on the topic has been undertaken. The Inhumans believe they can even identify what a person's genes say about how they may transform. Not every Inhuman now undergoes the process due to this fact.
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As a way of protecting people, some are stopped from actually getting any contact with the mists. Their powers might manifest in a way that becomes a danger to themselves or those around them. Of course, this is almost like playing god, causing an ideological battle among the Inhumans. There is some evidence that the personality of someone might impact their powers!
For the Inhumans, there's a lot of ceremony involved in going through the Terrigenesis process. In fact, it's seen as a coming-of-age moment or a rite of passage, where an Inhuman will be able to become the best version of themselves after they have discovered their true gift.
The age of this transformation appears to continue to get older though, with some Inhumans spending a lot of their life actually preparing for how everything can change. There's a religious connotation within Attilan to this mystical moment that holds Terrigen crystals as an almost legendary object.
Some of the most powerful members of the Inhumans have actually undergone the process of secondary Terrigenesis. It's a rare process but sees an Inhuman with the right genes get exposed to the mists once again, actually upgrading them into what some have named Nuhumans.
There are physical changes to this process, with the powers themselves getting even stronger. However, this is certainly a dangerous path to go down and once again feels like playing god, taking even more than perhaps the Inhumans were destined to have. It's a controversial decision to undergo secondary Terrigenesis.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has actually adapted the Inhumans to the small screen, first in Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. before garnering their own spin-off titled Inhumans. Black Bolt of the latter has returned to the MCU, but the version of the group seen on S.H.I.E.L.D. is perhaps more accurate.
Key characters like Quake have undergone the process, which actually plays on most of the same traits as the comics, from the cocoons to the nature of the mist itself and the presence of the crystals. Ms. Marvel on Disney+ appears to be distancing itself from the character's source material Inhuman origins though, but perhaps the process will return on screen again in the future.
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Politics graduate, freelance writer and all around film geek. If George isn't lecturing someone on the history of the MCU, he's probably ranting about the political consequences of Boris Johnson's latest hairstyle.