by Charles Kirkland, Jr.
After the Avengers are overtaken by a zombie plague, a group of survivors discovers the key to bringing an end to the super-powered undead but must race across a dystopian landscape and risk their lives to save the world in the Disney+ series, Marvel Zombies.
The Marvel Universe, including most of its superheroes, is succumbing to a virus that turns the infected into zombies. Fortunately, The Young Avengers (Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, Kate Bishop/Hawkeye, and Riri Williams/Ironheart) have come across a solution, a cure that will put the world back to normal. To get the help the world needs, they must travel across the post-apocalyptic country to find SHIELD technology that will allow them to contact the Nova Corps. It’s an arduous task that will expose the team to unforeseen dangers, deadly enemies, and other superpowered friends, but it’s an odyssey that they must take to save the world.
Marvel Zombies is a four-episode animated series that serves as a direct continuation of the popular “What If… Zombies?!” episode from Marvel’s What If…? anthology. The ensemble voice-over cast includes Iman Vellani, Hailee Steinfeld, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Elizabeth Olsen and many others. Bryan Andrews (director/showrunner) and Zeb Wells (head writer) helm the series, which is notably marked as Marvel Studios Animation’s first TV-MA-rated project. The series is based on the surprising comic book series that started in 2005.
Marvel Zombies is set in an alternate MCU timeline devastated by a zombie virus, featuring superpowered survivors and undead versions of beloved heroes as they battle for survival in an apocalyptic world. The story is relentless and dark, with major MCU characters facing gruesome fates and a zombie apocalypse backdrop that allows for plenty of action, tragedy, and surprising alliances. This narrative progression builds on the original premise and brings new faces and heroes into the spotlight, and offers a different take on some of Marvel’s iconic cast.
The animation style is consistent with What If…?, but Marvel Zombies amplifies its horror, violence, and suspense, making full use of its rating for mature storytelling and visceral imagery. The show delivers impressive action sequences and unsettling body horror, while also introducing clever homages to both MCU lore and the original Marvel Zombies comics. Like What If…?, the series introduces themes and plot lines that differ greatly from the norm, and the wonder is whether either the characters introduced or the powers and abilities they use will be reflected in the main MCU storyline.
Rated TV-MA for frightening and intense scenes, violence, and gore, Marvel Zombies is a daring and darkly inventive series that combines horror and superhero elements to challenge norms and probe existential questions of identity and morality under extreme conditions. Its graphic content and bleak tone are integral to its power, though not without the risk of alienating some viewers. Beware, this adventure is not for the weak nor the young.
All episodes of Marvel Zombies can be seen now on Disney+.
Grade: B
