‘Marvel Zombies’ is a Giant Pot of MCU Destruction

Fair Warning: If you have any affection for the heroes of the MCU, the makers of Marvel Zombies—Bryan Andrews and Zeb Wells—are determined to f#©k your feelings.

THE BACKSTORY
(Julian)

The term “Marvel Zombie” was first coined in reference to Marvel Comics fans who were so die-hard for Marvel Comics that they’d buy them no matter what. A playful nickname that stuck was first introduced into the comics in the Ultimate Fantastic Four title when they were contacted by their counterparts from another universe, where everyone was zombified. They were looking for a new world to devour. A play on the Marvel Comics 616 universe team, the Frightful Four, the zombie concept got fans excited. Leading to the Robert Kirkman-written and Sean Phillips-drawn series, titled Marvel Zombies. Kirkman, who was gaining fame for his comic The Walking Dead at the time, was the perfect writer at the time for this type of comic book. Flash forward to the MCU time in the 2021 first season of What If…? The fifth episode “What If…Zombies?!” brought the concept of the MCU. This four-episode series continues after the events of that episode.

THE SET-UP
(Sherin)

Episode 1 is a real heartbreaker for anyone who’s not familiar with the Marvel Zombies franchise. It opens with the post-apocalyptic friendship between three members of the Young Avengers: Kate aka Hawkeye, Riri aka Ironheart, and Kamala aka Ms. Marvel—all voiced by their MCU actors: Hailee Steinfeld, Dominque Thorne, and Iman Vellani. The ‘Zombie Armageddon’ goes down a whole lot better when you’re surviving it with your girls. It’s almost like they’re in a lonely sorority; you can feel their interdependence and love for one another. And yet, the opportunity to return to super heroics crash-lands in front of them, in the form of a device hidden in the belly of a pilot. After a stomach-turning game of Operation, it’s time to go to work. This scientific marvel may be the key to turning back the zombie horde. If only they can get some help to realize its potential.

JL: I did not like this show. I think people know I have my biases on MCU stuff, but I do give things a fair shake. But this show, which didn’t need to be a show in the first place since it’s the same length as a movie, just didn’t work for me in terms of story or use of the characters. I feel the overreliance on tying everything to the MCU stuff we’ve seen before completely crushes anything new and imaginative they could do with this concept. I wish I saw a minuscule fraction of the creativity I got when reading any of the Marvel Zombies comics. Having Kamala/Ms. Marvel as the main character is cool though. It’s always welcome to see or hear Iman Vellani back in this role.

SN: I think that’s how it got me, the relationships between the women and girls are central to this version. I’ve never read the Marvel Zombie comics, so I didn’t have a comparison. But here, in this breakneck-paced limited series, I experienced a similar gobsmacked bitterness as watching the analogue Justice League die horribly in Episode 1 of Invincible. For MCU fans, It’s the same kind of emotional punch. That’s why when the character arcs and abilities stop making sense, Marvel Zombies still gets to you. It’s crushing seeing so many beloved heroes in their zombie forms, retaining all of their power, but none of their heroics or humanity—watching the survivors sacrifice so much again and again is rougher.

Speaking of the emotional gut punch that comes from having a connection to these characters. Folks probably shouldn’t show this to kids under 12 years old. With all the blood and gore hitting their favorites, that might be meaner than an UNO Draw 25.

For zombie fans, this series celebrates its predecessors. In Episode 2 we get nods to Attack on Titan and World War Z sprinkled with Mad Max. When you add those titles to The Walking Dead-styling of Episode 1, you realize we’re wandering through a zombie wonderland combined with a post-apocalyptic smorgasbord. Which is good foreshadowing for when the ocean comes into play, since it’s one of the biggest sources of life and therefore death on the planet.

Before I get into what didn’t work for me, was there anything that worked for you?

Zombie Okoye is relentless when commanding the Marvel Zombie horde

JL: Nothing worked for me here. It felt like I wasted two hours of my time watching this. Thor is sad, I’ve seen that in Endgame. Wanda is a threat; I’ve seen that before. I wish there were more nods to Marvel stories rather than to outside properties. I don’t feel it really used the zombie concept well. They finally debuted a cool character that’s been in limbo, and he’s not him; they connected him to something else in a weird way. There’s so much zombie stuff that it’s hard to find and make something that jumps those hurdles to make it interesting, versus just going and watching those things (or playing). The gore could be seen as a bit much, but it’s also so cartoony. In my opinion, some might not find it that bad. For me, this is the worst Marvel Animation thing they’ve produced after having a pretty strong run of late. I’ll say the direction isn’t bad, but I do think the story and writing are not good.

SN: It’s funny, because what didn’t work for you is similar to what didn’t work for me. I would tell people to: Imagine a builder set called the Super Marvel Destructo Box and you pretty much understand the games writer, Zeb Wells, is playing. It’s the utter devastation of the MCU with zombie-ism as the story engine.

Episode 4 is absolutely stunning. The battle choreography, the design of the power displays, all of it is amazing to watch—but it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense when you think about it. Which is pretty much the MCU way. You can’t think about the plot or it falls apart. Kind of like the pink goo used to make chicken nuggets, you just have to enjoy the final product and forget everything else. Marvel Zombies is twist-y and turn-y, but the MCU needs new villains and fresh lore. I love a remix but the Final Boss roster in Marvel Entertainment is turning into “Old Town Road.” An Infinity War of remixes without an impactful Endgame.

In the end, Marvel Zombies is a potboiler full of morsels from across the MCU, all set to be devoured by the zombie apocalypse. Is it satisfying? That’s debatable. But the ending pops—you have to love the horror of it.

What’s your final thought?

JL: My final thought is that if you’re coming into this liking the Marvel Zombies comic, this might be a huge disappointment for you. If not, it might also be an utterly forgettable piece of content that may entertain you while you watch it. For me, it’s trash tho.