Marvel Animation’s newest project, “Marvel Zombies,” invites viewers into a world in which some of their favorite Marvel characters have become infected with a zombie virus. With this world initially being introduced in “What If…?” season one episode five, this four-part series picks right up where that show left off.
Inspired by the fan-favorite comic series of the same name, which debuted in 2005 and was written by Robert Kirkman, “Marvel Zombies” presents an alternate world inhabited by zombified versions of some of our favorite Marvel heroes and villains. This comic series paved the way for the new show.
In “What If…?,” it was established that this story began in 2018 when Janet Van Dyne, the original Wasp, contracted a zombie virus during her time in the Quantum Realm and returned to Earth with it. The virus would eventually begin to spread throughout the city of San Francisco, to the point where the Avengers assembled once again to try and stop the virus from spreading any further. In their attempt to do so, they themselves became the thing they were trying to stop.
From there, the infection spread across the continent, with only a small group of heroes surviving. This group, comprising heroes such as Spider-Man, the Winter Soldier, and Bruce Banner, sought a cure for this virus. Eventually, they stumbled upon Vision, and from there, they determined that the Mind Stone in Vision’s forehead emitted a frequency that the zombies avoided and could cure the virus.
With hope now regained in the remaining heroes, they began to work towards a solution to cure everyone. Later, it was uncovered that Vision had actually contained a zombified Wanda Maximoff and was feeding her living people to keep her at bay and satisfy her hunger. Realizing what he had done, Vision tore the Mind Stone from his forehead, killing him, allowing a horde of zombies to swarm the base. The heroes put up a triumphant fight, but many fell to the virus, leaving three heroes to escape with the Mind Stone.
Now armed with a cure, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Ant-Man head for Wakanda; little did they know, a zombified Thanos and a giant horde of zombies were waiting for them. That is how the “What If…?” episode ended, leaving viewers with a cliffhanger that is now being picked up with the release of “Marvel Zombies.”
Released on Sept. 24, this series is the first TV-MA animated project released by Marvel, and is only the second time any Marvel movie or show has had the TV-MA rating. This is unique for Marvel. With almost all of their projects being PG-13, this series shows the more gruesome and gory side of Marvel in ways we’ve never seen before.
“I am so glad that it is TV-MA rated,” senior Mainor Martinez Castillo said. “It would've been such a disservice to have made this adaptation anything but TV-MA. I just can't envision the series being any good if they would've changed it to not be TV-MA due to the source material also being graphic.”
Along with continuing the story, characters from phases four and five of the MCU are being introduced in this season, like Shang-Chi, Yelena Belova, and Ms. Marvel. Not only are they returning for this series, but a new character is being introduced for the first time, Blade, the Fist of Khonshu. This character takes elements from two heroes from Marvel Comics: Blade, a dhampir who hunts vampires, and Moon Knight, the avatar of the moon god, Khonshu.
I highly recommend this series for anyone who is a Marvel fan or who wants to see an action-packed, animated zombie adventure. I also recommend watching the episode of “What If…?” that introduced us to this universe. This series is a breath of fresh air for many Marvel fans, receiving a Rotten Tomatoes score of 68% and an audience score of 79%. So, make sure to tune in to see “Marvel Zombies,” available now on Disney+.