Royals: The Sinister Snarks

The Inhuman royal family has faced its fair share of villains over the years—and soon they’ll face off against another clan of nobles eager to usurp our heroes and assert their own galactic sovereignty. On September 6, join writer Al Ewing and artist Kevin Libranda for a showdown between the Inhumans and the Snarks in ROYALS #7!

These baddies, the monarchical leaders of an alien reptile species, certainly shouldn’t be underestimated. And just what will go down when these two royal families clash? We caught up with writer Al Ewing to find out.

Marvel.com: The Snarks have a ruling royal family, but one that differs quite a bit from from the Inhumans’ royals. Do the two groups serve as foils for each other?

Al Ewing: They do! It was kind of an accident how it happened—I was casting about for warlike alien races in the Marvel Universe that hadn’t been used much for a while and the Snarks fit the bill. I didn’t realize until I was already well into writing the thing that from the Snarks’ point of view, their royals are on an adventure into space to gain power—kind of a mirror quest to the Inhuman Royals—so it’s actually pretty neat that they end up bumping into one another like this.

Marvel.com: What motivates the Snarks? It seems like they want to watch the world burn, but do they have any other goals or priorities that the Inhumans can use to their advantage?

Al Ewing: The Snarks are warlike, but they’re not just rampaging aliens—their wars are mostly civil wars, battles for succession to the Snark throne. The last time Marvel readers got a close look at one of these royal intrigues was back in the ‘80s when POWER PACK was on the shelves and Prince Jakar of the Zn’rx had the bright idea of stealing Power Pack’s powers to assist him and his mother in usurping the Emperor—well, that’s something that’s caught on. Fast forward to the present and a faction of Snark heirs are roaming the galaxy looking for “weapons”—useful powers they can steal. And they’ve targeted the Universal Inhumans in particular.

Marvel.com: Compared to, say Thanos or Ultron, we’d consider the Snarks lesser known villains, but they still pose quite a threat. What makes them formidable opponents?

Al Ewing: This particular crew have already stolen Kymellian “weapons” before we meet them, which means they have all the powers of Power Pack—essentially, a degree of control over the fundamental forces of the universe. So when they enter the story, they’re already capable of giving the Royals a serious fight… And that’s before they start taking Inhuman abilities.

Marvel.com: Does their reptilian physiology give them any unique advantages or disadvantages?

Al Ewing: Not so much—like human beings, they come in all manner of shapes and sizes, and even within Prince Hyinar’s retinue there are plenty of different personality types butting heads. That said, this particular bunch are especially cold-blooded—and not just literally.

Marvel.com: Would you like to mention or tease anything else?

Al Ewing: I should thank everyone who’s buying and reading the book—it’s always very much appreciated. And to tempt in the curious, I should mention that over the course of this arc, two of the Royals are going to hook up, one of them is going to be changed forever—at least if I have anything to do with it—and we’re going to learn the secret of the Skyspears, in glorious, double-page technicolor! And with the absolutely gorgeous art of Kevin Libranda to feast your eyes on, there’s never been a better time to jump on!

Enter the fray with Al Ewing and artist Kevin Libranda in ROYALS #7 on September 6!