Fans of the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe are likely already aware of the latest installment in the franchise, Marvel Zombies. The mini-series, which initially premiered on Disney+ on Sept. 24, has already developed a cult-like following, inspiring droves of viewers to wonder if and when a second season will arrive. For those unfamiliar with the project, Marvel Zombies centers on an alternate universe within the MCU, which becomes plagued by a quantum zombie virus after a trip to the quantum realm goes horribly awry. Like our usual Marvel universe, caped crusaders including Spider-Man, Ant-Man and the Avengers must come together to battle this spreading pandemic, or face certain death. Unlike the standard Avengers outings, however, Marvel Zombies is an animated Disney+ original, allowing the creators to take their stories to bold and shocking new places.
If you’re fresh off a binge-watch of Marvel Zombies‘ initial four-episode run, and still processing how it all shook out, be sure to read ahead. We’ll unpack a few of the craziest moments from the mini-series, parse through a few key details and look forward to the future of the franchise. With no further preamble, let’s dive right in and see what we can learn about the next leg of the MCU.
Is ‘Marvel Zombies’ connected to ‘What If’?
Hardcore Marvel fans will surely note that the story of Marvel Zombies started all the way back in 2021, with an episode of another Disney+ series titled What If…? The anthology series centers on a different universe in each episode, offering fans a glimpse into various hypothetical stories surrounding their favorite comic book heroes.
Popular episodes of What If center on T’Challa becoming Star-Lord in place of Peter Quill, Doctor Strange untangling the fabric of the multiverse using the Darkhold and Ultron defeating the Avengers before taking over the globe. One of the most lauded episodes, however, is titled “What If… Zombies?!” In this outing, Hank Pym accidentally unleashes a zombie virus from the quantum realm, which quickly spreads to several high-profile heroes.
Iron Man, Thanos and other recognizable Marvel characters quickly succumb to the virus and become walking corpses with a hunger for brains and blood. This forces the likes of Scott Lang, Peter Parker and T’Challa to battle their way through hordes of undead, eventually converging at a military training center in New Jersey.
The episode then ends with a climactic battle between the Incredible Hulk and a zombified Scarlett Witch. In the Marvel Zombies series, we leap forward five years, revealing that the apocalyptic virus has continued to wreak havoc on this universe. The brief series then follows a small group of survivors, while also exploring some of humanity’s follies through flashbacks.
Was Ikaris a zombie?
In the first episode of Marvel Zombies, we follow Kate Bishop, Riri Williams and Kamala Khan. Together, the trio survives the apocalypse in New York City while utilizing their special abilities and access to S.H.I.E.L.D. technology. Along the way, the gang becomes aware of a homing beacon they can use to signal the Nova Corps for help. While trying to activate the beacon, they unknowingly wander into a battle zone, where a zombified Carol Danvers attacks Ikaris the Eternal. Ikaris has somehow managed to avoid being bitten at this point in the story, though his incredible powers seem to be just barely enough to keep him alive. In the chaos of their scuffle, Ikaris and Danvers accidentally kill Kate and Riri, leaving Kamala to continue on her own.
Just when it looks like the zombie horde is too powerful for Kamala to handle, she is picked up and rescued by none other than Blade Knight. As Kamala rides away with Blade, we get our last glimpse of Ikaris for the season. He continues staving off further zombie infections from Danvers, implying that the duo are locked in a never-ending stalemate.
Does Yelena die?
Once Kamala arrives at the beacon in Ohio, she encounters the Thunderbolts squad, consisting of Melina Vostokoff, Alexei Shostakov and Yelena Belova. Melina has managed to utilize her mind control abilities to command a small army of infected, giving the gang a leg up on the nearby horde. Unfortunately, a zombified Wanda Maximoff has taken control of an even larger undead army, which includes several of the OG Avengers.
Surmising that the beacon is a threat to her zombie empire, Wanda sicks her horde against the facility, sparking another bloody brawl. Kamala and the others manage to escape narrowly, but Melina sacrifices herself in the process. Some time later, the crew seeks refuge on the fortified prison Raft, which Helmut Zemo has repurposed into a floating fortress.
While on the raft, Kamala talks strategy with Blade, Yelena and Shang-Chi. They determine that they’ll need to make contact with an Asgardian ship to amplify the beacon’s message through deep space. Before they can depart to commandeer the ship, the raft is besieged by Wanda and her goons, forcing Yelena to hang back and fight.
Alexei and the others protest, though they are ultimately only able to escape thanks to Yelena’s sacrifice. The narrative then follows Kamala and the gang to New Asgard, leaving no definitive answer as to whether Yelena’s corpse joins Wanda’s undead army.
Why is Wanda evil?
Unlike most zombie media, it seems that the undead superheroes in Marvel Zombies retain certain aspects of their mental processing power. For Wanda Maximoff, this means turning from the heroic Scarlett Witch to the evil Red Queen. This heel-turn shouldn’t come as a major surprise though, since MCU fans have already seen Wanda turn to the dark side in outings such as WandaVision and Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness.
Since the character has suffered such great losses and trauma, it’s easy to see why certain circumstances would push her over the edge. Even still, her character in Marvel Zombies is especially despicable, as she makes great efforts to destroy the world with her undead army.
When Kamala arrives at New Asgard, she and her friends participate in a welcome feast, which the locals claim is a gift from the gods. After chowing down, they quickly surmise that something is wrong with the food, just in time for Valkyrie to reveal that the god in question is Wanda, the Red Queen. The meat turns out to be infected zombie flesh, causing an outbreak among the Asgardians and killing Alexei.
Kamala and the others flee the feast as Wanda descends upon Asgard, leaving Thor to fight her off. Together, they commandeer a ship and head for deep space. Unfortunately, they quickly learn that the Nova Corps has already quarantined Earth and left its population for dead. The Nova Corps shoots the Asgardian ship out of the sky and sends it careening back to the atmosphere, where Kamala and company must face off against Wanda once and for all.
What happens at the end of ‘Marvel Zombies’?
In the end, Kamala and her crew prepare for an epic battle with Wanda. The undead queen unleashes a powerful horde of zombified creatures, consisting of a number of fan-favorite characters. Infinity Hulk has the best shot at defending the survivors, though even he becomes overwhelmed after years of intense battle.
With each of the Earth’s mightiest heroes destroyed, Wanda turns to Kamala with an offer to rebuild the world in their own image. Kamala refuses at first, but ultimately caves when confronted by her grim reality. Using the power of the infinity stones, Kamala snaps her fingers and wakes up in a seemingly normal world.
For now, it remains unclear if the final scene is real. The everyday world may be a quick resolution for the zombie virus, or a figment of Kamala’s imagination. Riri, who is alive once more, appears in the final moments of episode four to tell Kamala that what she’s seeing is actually a glitch in Wanda’s mind control matrix. To know how things shake out for sure, all we can do is wait patiently for new episodes in the expansive Marvel Zombies universe.
What happens to Spider-Man?
Though Spider-Man was a key character in the initial What If episode, he only appears briefly in the Marvel Zombies mini-series. Thanks to a flashback sequence in the penultimate episode, we see the friendly neighborhood web-slinger face off against zombie Thanos in a climactic battle, alongside other Marvel heroes like Thor, Rocket Raccoon and T’Challa.
The group faces heavy casualties along the way, though they ultimately manage to defeat Thanos, right before he can snap the Infinity Gauntlet. Spider-Man and his pals are then rewarded for their heroic efforts when the surviving sorcerers of Kamar-Taj invite them to seek haven at their training and medical facility. Spider-Man then begins studying the zombie virus in a lab. If Marvel Zombies does get a second season, it’s safe to assume that the web-head will be leading the charge in developing a cure for the quantum virus.
Will there be more episodes of ‘Marvel Zombies’?
At the time of this writing, Disney has neither confirmed a second season of Marvel Zombies nor officially cancelled the show. The executives behind the series are likely waiting to see the audience response to the initial batch of episodes before officially announcing any new materials. If you’re truly hopeful about further installments of the story, be sure to watch the show, share it with your friends and discuss your theories in online communities. This will show Disney execs that fan interest is high, and that adding new episodes will likely drive up subscription numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who voices Blade in Marvel Zombies?
Though Mahershala Ali has been selected to portray Blade in Marvel’s upcoming live-action adventures, the character of Blade Knight is voiced by Todd Williams in Marvel Zombies. The animated character is likely a distinct, alternate universe take on the iconic vampire hunter, and one who will bear little resemblance to Ali’s portrayal when the live-action version finally releases. Outside of Marvel Zombies, Todd Williams is best known for various roles in projects like San Andreas, The Vampire Diaries and Invincible.
How many episodes are there of Marvel Zombies?
For now, there are only four episodes of Marvel Zombies, not counting the original What If adventure that kick-started the show. Since the animated adventure has been so brief, many fans are hoping that the production gap between the first and potential second season will be highly abridged.