Marvel Zombies

Set in the alternate timeline that was first introduced in Marvel's What If...? series, Marvel Zombies follows a group of survivors as they risk their lives fighting superpowered zombies in a desperate attempt to save their world.

Now, while I may have been disappointed with the What If...? series as a whole, I actually really liked the zombie episode! Sure, it may have had some weird tonal issues, but it was fun! So I was definitely looking forward to seeing more of this zombie universe.

Unfortunately, I can't deny that I was a bit underwhelmed by Marvel Zombies. And I think that mostly has to do with the characters who were featured in this series.

By which I mean: the What If…? episode focused on characters like Spider-Man, Ant-Man, Black Panther, and more. So, going in to this series, I was looking forward to seeing their specific journey. Because I was already invested in their story. But Marvel Zombies doesn't really follow their characters; they're barely even in this series!

Instead, each episode of Marvel Zombies focuses on an entirely different set of characters. And that's totally fine, but since each episode is only half an hour long, there's not enough time to fully establish these versions of the characters.

The premiere episode, for example, decided to focus on Kamala Khan, Riri Williams, and Kate Bishop; characters who never really interacted in the main timeline before. But here, they're the best of friends. So, while I was trying to be engaged by their dynamic, I found myself wondering more about how these characters met up in the first place. Especially since their superhero origin stories all took place after Endgame. But the zombie apocalypse occurred right before the events of Infinity War. So, the time frame didn't make a whole lot of sense to me, and this was the first of many continuity issues that I did have with the series.

But, aside from the continuity, I just wasn't as invested in their story as I wanted to be. And I think, if the episode had a longer runtime, it could have done a better job of getting me to care for this specific trio. Because, before we get the chance to really know these characters, the second episode comes along to introduce an entirely new cast of characters.

Thankfully, I was able to enjoy the second episode a lot better than the first. Probably because it managed to flesh out the world in an interesting and engaging way. Sure, the characters still suffered from feeling a little thin, but the story did a good job of expanding upon what was already established.

Plus, I absolutely loved the action that was featured in this episode. Seeing a zombified Namor was ridiculously awesome. Though, his presence did bring up some more of those pesky continuity issues that I had.

Like, how did Namor and his people even get infected in the first place? They live way down in the ocean; how could the infection possibly make its way down to them? I mean, if the people of Talokan weren't too drastically affected by The Blip, then how the hell were they all infected by this virus? I don't know, and the series never takes the time to explain this. It just zips along from one set piece to the next.

Speaking of which: the third episode finally does reveal what happened to Spider-Man, Ant-Man, and Black Panther. Unfortunately, that story basically acts as the episode's prologue. So, as much as I did enjoy seeing Spider-Man in a battle with Zombie Thanos, I was far more disappointed to see that he wasn't the main character of this episode - or of this entire series, for that matter.

According to Marvel executive Brad Winderbaum, Marvel Zombies was originally conceived as an animated film. But, since Marvel doesn't have the rights to use Spider-Man in a film that isn't distributed by Sony, they retooled the project into a series just so they could incorporate Spider-Man's character.

Now, with that information in mind, you would think that Spider-Man would have a much larger role to play in the story being told here. But, nope! As I stated earlier, he's barely even in this series! Which is absolutely baffling to me.

I mean, I didn't need this series to be a Spider-Man centric one, I was just surprised when I learned that this series was going to focus on a completely different character. Especially since that character didn't have a lot of time to feel fully developed.

Because, as the story comes to its finale, it's clear that Kamala Khan is actually the main character of this series. And that's totally fine! I like Kamala Khan, and I definitely like Iman Vellani's depiction of the character. I just have no idea why she's the main character of this show.

Because, she happens to play an integral role in the show's finale, but it's never explained as to why that is. I have no idea why she's so important to the main villain! So, her role in the story's climax felt so random to me.

To be fair, I do think that the finale provided us with an interesting spectacle, but the story didn't seem to naturally build up to said finale.

Plus, I thought the Nova Corps wasn't around during Infinity War and Endgame due to the fact that Thanos decimated Xandar in his quest for the power stone. So, if Zombie Thanos has the power stone, shouldn't that mean this version of Xandar is also decimated? Because, if that's true, then how the hell do the Nova Corps still exist? Where do they operate? Who do they report to?

I don't know... but I think the series could have done a better job of fleshing out these concepts and these characters if it had more episodes with longer runtimes. But, as it stands now... Marvel Zombies is a huge disappointment in my book.

I'm not even sure if I would be interested in watching another season of this show. But, based on how this season ends, I'm pretty sure there is going to be another season, regardless of whether or not anyone wants it. Which is interesting…

And I am happy for anyone who actually did enjoy this series; I just think that it could have been a whole lot better. So, whenever the new season does get released, I really hope that it'll turn out to be better than this one.

Because, if you couldn't tell by the tone of this review, Marvel Zombies would, unfortunately, not get a recommendation from me.