In preparation for Marvel’s The Inhumans series, which has already begun filming in Hawaii, we are continuing our tour through the history of the Royal Family and their allies. Next up is Auran, a lesser-known character who will be rising to prominence in the live action version. Sonya Balmores (Beyond the Break) will be portraying her onscreen, and the character breakdown described her as “a capable and no-nonsense woman” who is fiercely loyal to the King of Attilan. But what was she like on the page? Let’s uncover what the Inhumans comics and adjacent series had to say about her.
Auran debuted at the end of 2014, first appearing in Inhuman #7 by Charles Soule. She had been a member of the Attilan’s security force until the Terrigen Mist exploded over the city. Auran escaped along with her twin daughters, Treste and Irelle, and became part of Medusa’s New Attilan Security Force in New York City.
Auran’s Inhuman powers include parabolic hearing, meaning she can pinpoint the origin of a specific sound or word from anywhere in the world. This skill leads to her reputation as the greatest detective around, and it’s the reason Medusa hires her and her partner Frank McGee to find the missing Black Bolt. Meanwhile, her appearance is very unique – with yellow skin and pointy ears – but she refuses to hide who she is for anyone.
Auran and her NuHuman partner Frank McGee track Black Bolt’s location by listening for talk of his brother Maximus, and that’s where the trouble really starts for our heroine. Since Maximus’ mind control can’t affect Auran because he’s too focused on controlling Black Bolt, he instead uses his brother as a weapon against Auran and Frank.
Auran protects Frank from the blast of Black Bolt’s voice, dying tragically instead. This is not a fate her young daughters are willing to accept, so they construct a book filled with memories from everyone who knew her and convince the Reader to read it for them. His words bring Auran back to life, but she is an incomplete copy based on the recollection of others and not her own memories or DNA. What follows is a painful reconstruction, but she becomes more like the original Auron with help from Black Bolt. After he unwittingly caused her death, it’s fitting that he is the one to encourage her true rebirth.
Given that Auran has one very specific story in the comics, I hope that The Inhumans will expand on it and not kill her off from the start. More emphasis on her skills as an investigator would make for an interesting subplot in the show, especially if she needs to track down other Inhumans or face off with an enemy that requires more than physical strength. Her gift of super hearing might seem rather uninteresting, but there are many creative ways to explore it on the show. What’s important is that Auran be allowed to be more than an imposing Head of the Royal Guards, focusing instead on her resilience and cleverness.
The Inhumans will premiere in September 2017 on IMAX before moving to ABC.