Marvel Zombies is a four-part adult animated series out of Disney+ that takes place in the world and storyline set up by the 2021 What If…? episode “What If… Zombies?!” With big MCU names like the Scarlett Witch, Captain America, and Thanos already zombified going into this series, there’s no doubt that the few humans and superpowered heroes left definitely have their hands full as they try to save the world. Featuring voice acting from returning MCU stars like Iman Vellani, Dominique Thorne, Florence Pugh, Simu Liu, Elizabeth Olsen, and more, Marvel Zombies has enough cameos and easter eggs to delight most Marvel fans, but is this series accessible to a wider audience?
Opening Shot: An idyllic nature scene is disturbed by a groaning and shuffling zombie, who is quickly put down by an arrow to the head. A group of three armed human girls and some sort of Iron Man teddy bear hybrid being walk past, revealing that what initially seemed to be peaceful woodlands is actually the abandoned, zombie-ravaged wasteland of New York City.
The Gist: In an alternate timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), Riri Williams/Ironheart (Dominique Thorne), and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) are among the few survivors who haven’t been ravaged by the zombie plague affecting the rest of the world. From regular everyday civilians to Avengers and superpowered beings, this virus indiscriminately zombifies humans, heroes, and aliens alike, forcing the trio and Riri’s Iron Man suit-wearing version of Tony Stark’s AI creation, F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Kerry Condon), to fight just to live another day.
For a while, the girls scraped by hiding in Kate’s well-protected home, only venturing into the city to scavenge for food. But when their latest quest for sustenance leads them to witness a crashing Quinjet, they find (literally) within the deceased driver a shrunken transmitter device that holds the key to saving humanity. Determined to take action despite their low odds of success and survival, the trio tries to track down a ping on the S.H.I.E.L.D. network coming from Ohio, but on the way, they run into major trouble in the Valley of the Broken Gods, leaving Kate dead and Riri’s fate unknown.
Now, Kamala must team up with a stoic new ally who introduces himself as Blade (Todd Williams), the avatar for the Egyptian God of the Moon, Khonshu. Together, they reach the Ohio S.H.I.E.L.D. base, where Melina Vostokoff (Kari Wahlgren), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), and Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour) help them to discover that they need to get the transmitter into outer space so they can cure the zombie virus. Unfortunately, a vicious horde of zombies is determined to stop them at all costs while obeying the Queen of the Dead, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), who seems to need the transmitter to enact her own mysterious, nefarious plans.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of?: Naturally, you’ll be reminded of What If…? since it’s the series that spawned this one in the first place, plus other MCU shows like Eyes of Wakanda, Ironheart, Ms. Marvel, WandaVision, and Hawkeye. Marvel Zombies might also remind you of other apocalyptic or zombie-centered titles like The Last of Us and The Walking Dead.
Our Take: Marvel Zombies is much like any other MCU title in that you seem to require lots of prior viewing to fully understand and appreciate it. The show operates under the assumption that you’ve seen What If…?‘s zombie episode and dives in headfirst to a plot that can often be confusing or lost in a technological jargon-filled word salad. While I can always appreciate a show that doesn’t go too heavy on exposition, perhaps SOME exposition up top to rehash the most critical points of “What If… Zombies?!” would have helped the uninitiated viewers get oriented in this zombified alternate universe.
On the positive side, Marvel Zombies is extremely visually interesting, bolstered by impressive animation and exciting fight sequences. This is a show that understands both the superhero and zombie genres well, combining both to paint a gripping and somewhat chilling picture of a world where people need to be protected from their previously reliable superheroes.
It’s an interesting world to be launched into as a viewer and a cool set-up that I genuinely wish was a bit more approachable and comprehensible to a layman viewer like myself, but even without all of the prerequisite MCU knowledge, I still often found myself entertained by the classic quippy Marvel humor, enticed by the mystery of the show’s world, and curious about what would happen next. This isn’t a perfect show, and it’s not for everyone, but the people who get Marvel Zombies will probably enjoy it and be clamoring for more.
Sex and Skin: None. Just lots and lots of flesh-eating zombies.
Parting Shot: Kamala, Blade, Yelena, and Alexei are the sole survivors from the Okoye-led attack on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Ohio base. They mournfully watch as it all burns in the distance, vowing to themselves that they’ll take Earth back from the dead by taking the transmitter to space. Kamala says they don’t have a ship, but Blade suddenly announces that he knows where to find one.
Sleeper Star: There are a lot of big names involved in this show, but it’s one of the MCU’s relative newcomers, Iman Vellani, who particularly stands out with an engaging, emotional, and versatile performance as Kamala Khan.
Most Pilot-y Line: It’s got to be Riri’s reluctant “Ohh fine, let’s go save the world,” although this additional Riri quote is definitely up there as well:
“The firmware is cobbled together S.H.I.E.L.D. code with location-dependent quantum encryption. I need one of their motherboards to fully crack it, but from the metadata, this was part of something called Project Lifeshot, a last-ditch effort to save the planet from the zombie plague.”
Our Call: If you’re a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or if you are super into the zombie apocalypse genre, then you’ll want to STREAM IT, because this show was made specifically for you. Otherwise, despite the vivid animation and high-octane action sequences, Marvel Zombies isn’t the most accessible title, so if you’re not the target audience, you may be better off SKIPPING IT.
Marvel Zombies is currently streaming all four episodes for all Disney+ subscribers.
Disney+ offers a number of subscription options, so you can find the one that works for you. With ads, a subscription costs $9.99/month; without ads, it’s $15.99/month or $159.99/year.
There are also Disney+ bundles with Hulu, Max, and ESPN+, so you can subscribe to up to three services at once and save over 40% every month. The bundles are available in a few different configurations, starting at $10.99/month for Disney+ and Hulu with ads, and going up to $29.99/month for Disney+, Hulu, and Max ad-free.