Marvel’s Inhumans Finds its Black Bolt: Anson Mount of Hell on Wheels

Marvel’s Inhumans has found its Black Bolt.

Per Variety, Hell on Wheels alum Anson Mount will be playing the King of the Inhumans in ABC’s forthcoming series, a character distinguished by a voice so powerful that it can destroy an entire city. To contain this destructiveness, the Black Bolt of the original comics does not speak, and apparently, neither will Mount. In fact, it was the character’s silence—and the subsequent challenge of using non-verbal gestures to communicate the King’s complexity—that drew Mount to the role. On Mount’s fit for the part, head of Marvel Television and the executive producer of the series Jeph Loeb remarked, “[The actor’s] enthusiasm mixed with his imposing, almost regal persona made it easy to see why he is our Black Bolt.”

Live-action, superhero-themed television has been experiencing something of a renaissance over the past several years, with DC’s Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl steadily chugging through multiple seasons, Marvel’s pre-Defenders series garnering widespread acclaim and a sprinkling of other shows making ripples on other networks (most recent among these is FX’s very well-received Legion). For better or for worse, this trend doesn’t look to be ending anytime soon.

Inhumans comes to IMAX theaters and ABC this September, and also stars Iwan Rheon, of Game of Thrones infamy, as Black Bolt’s younger brother Maximus the Mad. Find Paste’s recent coverage of the series here.