Marvel Zombies definitely have a voracious appetite. Established at the end of 2005, the killer hunger of this undead menace has raged through more than 30 releases through almost 20 years via Marvel Comics. And now, just in time for the spooky season, the Marvel Zombies will finally rise up. Premiering on Disney Plus, Marvel Zombies will eat your heart out (literally) on the small screen via a four-episode event to die for…
Originating in a parallel world, The Hunger has consumed many a hero. And when characters with superhero abilities get infected, all sorts of hell is raised. First appearing within the pages of Ultimate Fantastic Four, the storyline proved popular enough to warrant multiple stand-alone graphic novels. The continuation of these stories often seemed a bit complicated, to say the least, with the highlights of each one usually involving the death of our heroes.
But the covers were always the best thing about these issues, which were created by Arthur Suydam. The writer-artist is well known by comic book fans worldwide, having been featured on more than 70 Marvel Comics covers, that include more than a few homages to previously popular portraits.
And now, back to the new show. This animated miniseries is a spin-off of a previous What If…? episode that revolved around a different outcome from the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers: Infinity War. When a Zombie Apocalypse breaks out and a cure is not immediately found, these hordes of walking dead become weapons of mass destruction, devouring everything (and everyone) in sight.
Following the events of that episode, Episode 1 picks up with Kamala Kahn (voiced by Iman Vellani), Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) and F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Kerry Condon) taking a road trip in order to find a cure for the planet’s undead epidemic. Written and directed by Bryan Andrews, many of the big-screen MCU actors reprise their roles, intermixed with a few non-MCU creations (some will soon be introduced to audiences everywhere). While it is not necessary to have watched all three seasons of What If…? to fully recognize what’s happening in this grrrl power adventure, it wouldn’t hurt to fully explain the floating, talking head of Scott Lang, here.
“Let the heroes feed the beast…”
While this sci-fi horror story differs greatly from the original source material, much like most of the MCU, the (undead) spirit of the original source material lives on throughout each episode. The pilot deals with much world building, while Episode 2 focuses on a lot of character development — I did like its portrayal of a Mad Max-like wasteland, although the karaoke session that breaks out made me feel like I was breaking out (with disgust). Episode 3 is where it all comes together, as the What If…? storyline picks up, and some much-needed action finally breaks out.
“Zombie Thanos was learning. It wouldn’t be long until he’s unstoppable.”
Sacrifices are made; there is so much hopelessness (and oneliners)… and will our heroes survive? You’ll have to watch all four episodes in order to find out. I’ll most likely return with a reaction article to its conclusion, but I will mention that the very best part of the comic stoies was the disposability of the main characters in order to move the story forward, as there are so many, focusing on just a few and taking them out slowly was always entertaining (the survivors were practically never predictable).
I really enjoyed the references to past MCU releases, some of which are simply Easter Eggs, which include the shuttered Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Moon Knight, Ironheart, The Marvels and Hawkeye from the small screen, and Ant-Man, Black Panther, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Deadpool, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy, Shang-Chi,Spider-Man, Thunderbolts* and the upcoming Blade release from the big screen.
“They think themselves safe? No one is safe.”
What’s great about the Marvel Zombies storyline is it’s culled from the Marvel Comics multiverse, which movie fans should be well versed on, by now. It’s bloody, gory and gruesome, but also brilliant in parts. These Zombies are sentient, so they can speak… but briefly. Voraciously driven, will the last Avenger standing please shut the door on the way out?
I truly hope this is the first of many seasons to explore ending this world-wide pandemic, and wonder if the proposed disinfection protocol will actually prove successful. This is a good start of a franchise, but it’s simply an approach I wouldn’t have made, when you’ve already got some great written stories eagerly awaiting their adaptations in the backlog. The cameos, references, Easter Eggs and connections are fun to make, so stay sharp and pay close attention to it all!
The plague consuming humanity creates a lot of problems. Make sure you add it to your must-see spooky season viewing, as it arrives today on the streaming service. And with an annual Halloween release three years in a row now for streaming (including Werewolf by Night, Agatha All Along and now this), as a longtime fan of Marvel Zombies, I’m actually looking forward to catching up on all the past MCU releases I have missed throughout the years in preparation for All Hallow’s Eve for NEXT year. You never know what will premiere next…
“That’s a bold choice for a Zombie Apocalypse…”
Ash and Matt
Zombies in My Blog covers everything in Geek and Pop Culture.
