At San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel fans were treated to a first look at Marvel Zombies, a series that spins off of the fifth episode of Marvel What If…? Taking place in the same universe as that episode, the series will follow a new group of characters as they struggle to survive in a world filled with zombies.
Given that the premise has already been fleshed out in various Marvel comic runs, fans are hoping to gain more insight into a world overrun by (Quantum-Virus infected) zombies. The series is currently set to come out in 2024, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t already questions regarding the state of things once the series begins.
What Happened To Spider-Man’s Team?
At the end of What If…Zombies!?, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and the head of Ant-Man were on their way to Wakanda to use its technology to broadcast the Mind Stone’s energy as a cure, not knowing that a zombie Thanos was already there.
Unfortunately, it’s unclear what happened to Spider-Man and his team after that, and SDCC didn’t offer up much on their fate. Obviously, their plan to cure the world with the Mind Stone, much like Vision cured Ant-Man, doesn’t go as planned, but it’s unknown if the trio is still alive or not. Spider-Man’s knowledge of horror movies gives him the best chance of survival, but even he may not be able to defeat a zombie Thanos. Although, this is assuming that the team even made it to Wakanda and didn’t get taken down by another powerful zombie on the way.
Are The Zombies Evolving?
One of the stills presented to fans at SDCC featured a group shot of some of the zombie characters that will be featured in the series, including Captain Marvel, Hawkeye, and Abomination. However, this still could be revealing something that would make the survivors’ lives even worse.
In the original Marvel Zombies, one of the best zombie stories ever, the zombies not only could use their powers, but they also had intelligence and could speak. While the What If…? episode only demonstrated that the zombies had slight intelligence, seeing this new still with the zombies together could suggest that the zombies are evolving and are now actively working together in order to hunt down survivors. Evolving zombies would be an interesting plot twist and make these zombies more faithful to their comic counterparts.
How Did These Characters Get Together?
From another still, audiences learned that the main group of survivors that the series would be following include many Phase 4 heroes, including Kate Bishop, Shang-Chi, and Kamala Khan. But that raises the question of how these characters managed to find each other.
Given that the zombie outbreak begins before the events of Avengers: Infinity War, that means that all these survivors are spread out all over the country (and the world, in the case of characters like Yelena and Red Guardian). With a zombie apocalypse likely grounding flights and quarantining areas, it makes it even harder for these characters to meet up with each other. Yet somehow, the characters are together. How this is possible is yet to be seen.
Are There Other Survivor Camps?
The zombie apocalypse is one of the scariest MCU apocalypses, but despite the onslaught of zombies, there were at least a few survivor camps out there, including the one that Vision was in. This could mean that there are even more survivor camps out there.
Having more survivor camps in the series would add a sense of hope in the series, but also a sense of dread, as many of these camps would certainly be wiped out by the Zombie Avengers, especially if our focus heroes are hiding out there. It would also add to the massive amount of blood and gore that the series plans on offering with its MA rating. And more survivor camps do seem to make sense; after all, humanity can’t be completely wiped out, especially with fortresses like Wakanda and Kamar-Taj being good places to hide out.
Are There Villains Out There That Are Still Human?
There have certainly been plenty of villains in the MCU, many of whom died at the end of their first appearance. Some villains, however, do manage to survive, leaving the door open for them to appear in Marvel Zombies.
While Abomination is seen as a zombie in one of the images shown at Comic-Con, there are still a few other villains out there that could still be alive, such as Zemo and Mordo. These villains certainly have the strength and know-how to survive a zombie apocalypse, and given that they lack the morality that the heroes would have, they would be more willing to kill off anyone that’s infected or is potentially infected. Some of them might even want to work with the remaining heroes – or serve as non-zombie antagonists.
What Are The Skrulls Up To?
Another one of the images released shows off a group of four Skrulls dressed as if they were in a biker gang. This has led to the question of what the Skrulls are doing on Earth and what they’ll be up to in the series.
With Secret Invasion coming out, the Skrulls will certainly have some big moments in the MCU’s future. There might’ve even been some characters that have already been replaced by Skrulls. With these shapeshifting aliens also on Earth during the zombie apocalypse, they could be up to something more than just surviving. Of bigger concern would be if a zombie Skrull would be able to pass as a human. Having zombies that can disguise themselves as humans would be a terrifying hurdle for the heroes to overcome.
What Happened To Hulk?
When audiences last saw Hulk, he was battling against a zombie Scarlet Witch. With the overall outcome of the fight not shown in the episode, it’s up to fans to decide what happened to the strongest Avenger.
Given that Scarlet Witch is going to be a main zombie in the series, it could mean that Hulk is either dead or infected. With Hulk’s skin apparently too tough to penetrate and infect, it’s more likely that Hulk is dead. However, there is a chance that Hulk managed to escape the camp to parts unknown. His only goal was to hold Wanda off until Spider-Man and his crew escaped. With his job done, he could’ve gotten away from all the zombies and could reappear to battle his old nemesis, Abomination.
Will Other Heroes Show Up?
The main team of heroes that the audience will be following is made up of major Phase 4 heroes, but there are still some other characters that could show up.
There are plenty of Phase 4 heroes that could still be alive, like Monica Rambeau and Moon Knight. There are even some Infinity Saga heroes that have yet to appear in this universe, like War Machine and Thor. The Guardians of the Galaxy could even come into play as well. More heroes not part of the main team appearing for a few episodes before ultimately getting killed off and turned into zombies would play a deep role in the series and improve on the original episode, given that viewers have more time to spend watching these characters die.
Is The Zombie Virus Spreading Off Earth?
Captain Marvel’s appearance as a zombie could indicate that Nick Fury called her in to deal with the zombie threat. But it could also mean that the zombie virus is spreading off Earth.
With access to teleportation technology in the form of sorcerers and their sling rings, it’s quite possible for the zombies to get off Earth to infect the galaxy. The ship belonging to Ebony Maw, presumably still in orbit, gives the zombies another option for galactic expansion. Even if this isn’t the case and the zombie virus is still stuck on Earth, Captain Marvel’s infection is a clear sign that it could soon spread all over the galaxy, leading to the infection of cosmic heroes and even some extremely powerful cosmic entities.
Will A Cure Be Used?
The What If…? episode ended with the revelation that the Mind Stone could cure people of the zombie virus. However, audiences never got to see if it would work on the large scale that the heroes were planning.
Unfortunately for humanity, the only people that knew about this cure were Vision and Spider-Man’s crew, all of which are either dead or missing. It’s unclear whether or not this new group of heroes will learn of this cure or if they will even try to find it. A cure would be perfect for saving the world, but dealing with the trauma that many would have after killing their friends and family when they turned into zombies may be a little bit too much for them to handle, not to mention would be too bright an ending for such a bleak series.
