Due to the extreme danger posed by this power, the character has undergone rigorous mental training to prevent himself from uttering a sound, even in his sleep, and he usually remains completely silent and speaks through sign language or via a spokesperson.

The son of King Agon and Queen Rynda, Black Bolt is exposed to the mutagenic Terrigen Mist while still an embryo, and eventually demonstrates the ability to manipulate electrons.

The crash resulted in the deaths of several members of the Council of Genetics, including his parents, and Maximus was driven insane by his proximity to Black Bolt's use of his voice.

Black Bolt settles a quarrel between Johnny Storm and the mutant Quicksilver for the affections of Crystal, and frees the slave caste of Inhuman society, the Alpha Primitives.

The character encounters the immortal villain the Sphinx—who has defeated the Fantastic Four and the Royal Family blasting him into deep space,[28] aids Kree hero Captain Marvel in preventing a war between the Kree and Skrulls on Earth,[29] joins with Fantastic Four member the Thing to defeat the mutated villain Graviton,[30] and appears briefly during an announcement that Crystal is pregnant with Quicksilver's child.

[32] Black Bolt's search for a new site for the city of Attilan (eventually the Himalayas) is detailed in a back-up feature of the alternate universe title What If?.

[37] He also appears in a one-shot publication featuring humorous parodies of the Marvel Universe - Fantastic Four Roast,[38] and aids superheroine Dazzler against the villain Absorbing Man.

[39] An alien device abandoned on the moon causes Black Bolt, the Royal Family, and the Fantastic Four to experience nightmares until destroyed by Triton.

[53] Black Bolt destroys the alien symbiote that Spider-Man bonds with in another issue of What If?,[54] and with the Royal Family encounters the hero Daredevil.

[57] After aiding the teen super group the New Warriors,[58] the Royal Family joins forces with X-Factor to stop master villain Apocalypse.

With the Royal Family, the Fantastic Four, and Doom's heir Kristoff Vernard, Black Bolt thwarts Morgan le Fay and Maximus again, battling Thor and Sub-Mariner in the process.

[73] After an appearance in the final issue of a Quicksilver limited series[74] Black Bolt and the Inhumans team with Canadian superteam Alpha Flight.

Although the attempt fails and Black Bolt manages to defeat Ronan in personal combat, the Inhuman people choose to leave with the Kree and pursue a new future.

[80] In the title The New Avengers,[81] Black Bolt is revealed to be a member of a superhero council called the Illuminati, which was formed during the Kree–Skrull War[82] to deal with threats to Earth.

During the "Son of M" storyline, Quicksilver steals a canister of Terrigen crystals from Attilan, with Black Bolt and the rest of the Royal Family attempting to retrieve it.

Believing the stolen crystals should be returned to Attilan, Black Bolt issues a warning to the United States concerning further acts of aggression, and eventually launches an offensive against the nation.

Gorgon and other Inhumans are captured during the attack, which prompts Black Bolt to personally head a team to rescue his subjects and retrieve the crystals.

[91] Black Bolt, angered by the repercussions caused by the Skrull invasion, changes tactics and embarks on an aggressive campaign against all former persecutors of the Inhumans in the War of Kings limited series.

Black Bolt intended to release the Terrigen Mist across the galaxy and end the war when, courtesy of the subsequent mutations, all are rendered equal, but the plan was interrupted by Vulcan, the two clashing as the bomb charged up.

[97] Guided by Franklin Richards, Black Bolt confronted the Supreme Intelligence, surviving long enough to surrender and trigger protocols forcing terms of a truce.

Using the Terrigen Codex, Black Bolt discovered Thanos used the tribute demand as a cover for his true mission: to kill his secret Inhuman-descendant son whose identity and location were unknown even by his father.

Black Bolt is capable of channeling all available energy into one devastating punch called his Master Blow, which renders him extremely vulnerable afterward.

Chase Magnett of ComicBook.com called Black Bolt "one of the most outstanding creations from the legendary run of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee on Fantastic Four," writing, "Both as a leader and individual character, he remains stacked with potential.

Though he can't talk, his true power is displayed in his energy blasts that protrude from his mouth, making him a force that very few actually want to mess with, let alone overthrow.

The king doesn't say much, because his voice has the power to level cities, but that's helped lend the character an air of aloof mystery that makes him more compelling.

Two other factors make Black Bolt a popular favorite: First, his Kirby-designed costume is one of the all-time greats, from his thunderous lederhosen to his tuning fork diadem.

Based on a promising first issue, this could end up being one of Marvel’s stronger titles, alongside recent gems Moon Knight and The Mighty Thor.

Its ending calls all of the audience's assumptions about Black Bolt's role in the series into question, leaving fans anxious for the next installment of Darkhold.

What sets this classic retelling apart beyond its confident slow revelations of the truth are David Cutler's depictions of Black Bolt's current state and his past in Attilan.

These bright visions lit with the same charm as prime-era Fantastic Four ideas highlight just how grim Black Bolt's own predicament truly is as well as an artist who is developing a polished and promising style perfectly suited to the genre.