2010s
He in fact survived the explosion. It was revealed that Black Bolt likely represents the anomaly of the Kree Inhuman genetics program that had been predicted hundreds of thousands of years ago. The genetic prophecy was that this anomaly would bring about the end of the Supreme Intelligence. To prevent this outcome, the Kree Supreme Intelligence had ordered the destruction of all the worlds where the genetic experiments took place. Only five colonies escaped, including Earth's: these were the Universal Inhumans. After his return to Attilan, Black Bolt joined the Universal Inhumans and was presented with four new brides, one from each of the other colonies.
They returned to Earth to help defeat the last four Reeds of the Interdimensional Council. They then faced the Kree Armada, who had been ordered by the resurrected Kree Supreme Intelligence to wipe out Earth and the Inhumans. After the Kree fled in defeat, the Inhumans followed in pursuit. Guided by Franklin Richards, Black Bolt confronted the Supreme Intelligence, surviving long enough to surrender and trigger protocols forcing terms of a truce. He convinced them that the prophecy has been broken, and that he was no longer a threat. They parted ways, but Black Bolt had to agree to Ronan (Crystal's husband) returning alone to the Kree domain.
During the Infinity storyline, Black Bolt was visited by Thanos' Black Order to demand a tribute, the heads of Inhuman younglings between the ages of 16 and 22 or the annihilation of Earth's inhabitants. 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. After the Inhumans denied the tribute to Corvus Glaive, Thanos personally visited Black Bolt in Attilan. Finding the Inhuman city empty with only Black Bolt left, Black Bolt unleashed a powerful scream which tore down Attilan itself and activated a Terrigen Bomb which spread the Mists across the Earth. Thanos survived the attack and found Black Bolt still alive in the rubble. Thanos demanded to know the location of his son. Black Bolt refused and continued attacking Thanos with his voice until an enraged Thanos knocked him out. Black Bolt was held captive for Thanos to use his power to activate the Illuminati's anti-matter bombs to destroy the Earth. When the Illuminati arrived in the Necropolis, they found Thanos' general Supergiant, with Black Bolt under her control as she uses Black Bolt to defeat them. When Supergiant activated the bombs, Maximus appeared with the trigger. He triggered the bombs, but also used Lockjaw to transport the anti-matter bomb along with Supergiant to a distant uninhabited planet where she died in the explosion. Black Bolt was liberated and left the scene along with Maximus and Lockjaw. In the ancient location of Attilan in the Himalayas, Black Bolt hid the Terrigen Codex and made Maximus understand his survival and that of his brother were to be kept a secret. Maximus also deduced that Black Bolt was always going to activate the Terrigen Bomb irrespective of Thanos' arrival which was to herald a new age of the Inhumans. After being examined by Maximus, Black Bolt discovered with his brother that the Terrigen Bomb had greatly diminished Black Bolt's powers. Black Bolt and Maximus agreed to keep this a secret.
Using exogenetically charged waters, Maximus was able to help Black Bolt recover from the power loss he suffered after the detonation of the Terrigen Bomb.
During the "Secret Wars" storyline, Black Bolt takes part in the incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610. He is taken out by the Children of Tomorrow.
In the aftermath of the Secret Wars storyline, Medusa sends Nur and Auran to find Black Bolt who is forced by Maximus to use his voice against them, killing Auran. Black Bolt and Medusa end up separating over his prolonged absence from Attilan. Nonetheless, they team up to battle Kang the Conqueror for their son Ahura (Black Bolt had earlier given Ahura over to Kang for safe-keeping during the incursions). Unwelcome in Attilan, Black Bolt now runs the "Quiet Room," a nightclub that functions as a neutral zone for metahumans. At one point, a resurrected Auran steals his voice, but it is restored with the help of Sterilon.
During the "Death of X" storyline, Black Bolt is framed for the death of Cyclops.
When the truce between the Inhumans and X-Men is broken during the Inhumans vs. X-Men storyline, Black Bolt is subsequently ambushed by Emma Frost and Dazzler in the Quiet Room. A disguised Dazzler is able to absorb the energy from his voice and counterattack him with it. He is held captive by the X-Men in Forge's workshop in the dimension of Limbo until his rescue by Medusa and the Inhumans. He helps Medusa neutralize Emma Frost. In the aftermath, there is hope of reconciliation between the Royal couple as she joins Black Bolt in the Quiet Room.
Black Bolt and a group of Inhumans tracked down Maximus and captured him for his trial. Black Bolt later spoke to Maximus privately.
Black Bolt was imprisoned in a deep space torture prison that was meant for Maximus. Upon defeating his fellow inmate Absorbing Man, Black Bolt confronted the as-yet-unidentified jailer. When his quasi-sonic no longer worked, Black Bolt was killed and revived. Black Bolt later made acquaintances with Absorbing Man, Blinky, Metal Master, and Raava. After discovering that the Jailer is an Inhuman who was incarcerated in the torture prison and has since taken over it, Black Bolt and his fellow inmates fight the Jailer. Absorbing Man sacrifices himself so that Black Bolt can kill the Jailer and enable his fellow inmates to escape.
Black Bolt returns to Earth with Blinky. They inform Titania about her husband Crusher's heroic death. At the funeral, Blinky is kidnapped by Lash. He forces Black Bolt to surrender and injects him with a poison to prepare his blood to be used as part of a new Terrigen-type bomb that will produce new Inhumans. The pain of the process sends Black Bolt's mind towards Medusa's mind. They interact on a psychic plane and update each other. He finds out about Medusa's love for Gorgon and they determine that they cannot go back to their marriage. Instead, they will move forward and Medusa promises to find them as they get separated. Black Bolt breaks free only to succumb to the poison. Blinky tries to protect him, but turns into a monster channeling the Jailer.
After an encounter with the Progenitors, Medusa and Black Bolt meet on the Astral Plane and agreed to continue as partners and not lovers. When Medusa takes the Primagen, it restores her hair and health while also causing a backlash in the attacking Progenitor to destroy the approaching Progenitors causing the Ordinator-Class Progenitors that saw the attack from the World Farm to spare Earth from their invasion.
In "Death of the Inhumans," Black Bolt calls together the four Queens of the Universal Inhuman tribes to respond to this threat. However, the meeting goes far from as planned, as an Inhuman executioner named Vox, a Super-Inhuman created by the Kree, begins his bloody rampage across the place. Vox controls several Inhumans, forcing Black Bolt to battle them. During the conflict, Maximus and Triton are killed.
During the "Imperial" storyline, Black Bolt and Lockjaw arrive on the planet Kal Lak'Thunn to confront Grandmaster and a resurrected Maximus. After defeating Grandmaster, Black Bolt leaves with Maximus and Lockjaw to rebuild the Inhuman empire.
