HBO viewers, especially those of a certain fantasy medieval drama series that loves to kill everybody, would recognize the name Iwan Rheon. After all, he played the charismatic yet insanely murderous antagonist Ramsay Bolton in “Game of Thrones”, the nigh-invincible and seemingly unbeatable kin-slayer, wife-rapist, leader of “twenty good men” who killed a boat-load of named characters before finally dying in Season 6’s penultimate episode.
Say what you will about the character’s evilness, one can certainly appreciate the sheer skill that the Welsh actor brought towards bringing the Bastard of Dreadfort to blood-chilling life on TV.
His time in “GoT” has ended but work won’t be lacking for Rheon, as he has been picked up to again be a dark antagonistic figure in a new epic setting of sorts, none other than the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) where’s slated to star in the upcoming series “The Inhumans”.
From the Bastard to the Mad
Marvel Studios, in cooperation with ABC which oversees their MCU TV properties, along with IMAX for this particular production, has cast Iwan Rheon on their new television series "The Inhumans". He will be playing an Inhuman named Maximus, known in the comics as Maximus the Mad. Thus far the character blurb for Rheon's role hews close to Maximus' portrayal in print, described as being charismatic and outwardly loyal to his brother, who King of the Inhumans.
Maximus however has plans to usurp the throne and rule in his own name. With his character premiering in the Marvel comic book "Fantastic Four" in 1966, Maximus has been a principal character in the Inhuman race of super-humans, possessing enhanced intellect and inventive drive, plus myriad mental powers, but also hobbled by a creeping insanity that limits his full potential.
Regarding the casting of Ramsay Bolton's actor in the series, Marvel Television head and "Inhumans" executive producer Jeph Loeb remarks, Iwan’s ability to be charming, roguish, and still completely unexpectedly dangerous were all the different sides we needed to bring the character to life. We’re thrilled to have him on board.” This sentiment is echoed by show-runner Scott Buck, who was also executive producer of the Marvel Netflix series "Iron Fist"; he believes that Rheon's acting chops will help bring across the complexity of a conflicted character like Maximus.
Time of the Inhumans
The Inhumans in the universe of Marvel comics are descendants of prehistoric cavemen who were experimented on by alien beings called the Kree. Their already superior bodies are able to gain extreme powers and transformations from exposure to the Terrigen Mist, and a large group of them have lived as a hidden civilization apart from humanity until recent times. The MCU has already introduced the Inhumans in ABC's "Agents of SHIELD", but only as the descendants who lived among humans for eons. The new series, formerly a film, will bring the actual Inhuman secret civilization into live-action for the first time.
