Warning: Spoilers for Marvel Zombies: Black, White, and Blood #4!Even as undead zombies, the Avengers remain one of the better teams the Marvel Universe has to offer, if not the best. One would assume that when someone joins the Avengers, they are an Avenger for life. Incidentally, when the idea of death (or, rather, a zombified undeath) enters the equation, it becomes safe to assume that an Avengers membership extends even beyond death.
The post-death longevity of Avengers status has never been more apparent than in Marvel Zombies: Black, White, and Blood #4 during the story “Strange-Ass Bedfellows” by Steve Skroce, Brian Reber, and VC’s Clayton Cowles. It focuses on Blade roaming the world in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, and his Avengers cohorts are the zombies he’s confronted by.
Interestingly enough, the Avengers – despite being turned into mindless creatures of the night – still have the wherewithal to come together as a team, right down to a zombified Captain America seemingly screaming, “Avengers, assemble!” in zombie-speak.
The Zombie Avengers Assemble
Back in the earliest days of the Avengers, there was a time when the heroes on the team treated the job of being an Avenger as just that: a job. Members would be suspended for a week on grounds of insubordination, and everyone was advised not to learn or get involved in each other’s personal lives. Their original rule made them Marvel’s worst team, but in more recent years, a legitimate bond has been focused upon to establish just how close this team is. They’re more than just co-workers or teammates, they’re friends.
That friendly bond shines throughout the newest iteration of the Avengers led by Captain Marvel, and perhaps even more so now in this post-apocalyptic alternate future where they have become zombies. Perhaps just on instinct, even with brains defiled from their transformation, they still remember who to stand side by side with in the face of danger. Even when the only mission at hand is eating people, they depend on each other to achieve the mission at hand. Maybe it speaks to just how close their tight-knit bond really is, or the unexpected savviness of zombiehood.
The Avengers are Avengers for Life
There may not be a more impressive super-team membership card than that of the Avengers, following this new revelation. With most teams, one’s membership ends when they find themselves in a coffin and naturally can’t fulfill their duties when they are dead. But the Avengers (who, in fairness, have all died and come back dozens of times over) are willing to maintain their membership status not only after they are dead, but once they become new members of the undead. Few teams have such longevity (in more ways than one), but the Avengers certainly do.
Marvel Zombies: Black, White, and Blood #4 is available now from Marvel Comics.
