Marvel Zombies Releases on Disney +

Beware. This article contains some spoilers. If you want the full story, watch Marvel Zombies and What If? on Disney +

BY: JAMES SGOUPIS / STAFF WRITER

(Photo Credit: Variety)

Marvel Zombies officially hit Disney+ on September 24 with four episodes. First introduced in Marvel's What If…? in an episode called “What If…Zombies?!” Marvel Zombies follows the devastation caused by a zombie plague.

 For those who haven't watched this episode from What If?, the zombie plague started in what would have been present-day “Ant-Man and the Wasp”, the real movie. In this movie, Hank Pym goes through the Quantum Tunnel into the Quantum Realm to save Janet Van Dyne, his wife. The episode of What If…? essentially asks,  “What If Janet was infected with a quantum virus and brought it back to Earth?” 

This is where the episode of “What If…Zombies” kicks off. Upon returning to Earth, Hank and Janet come out as zombies. This marks the beginning of the plague. What makes this plague so different from any other plague in any other zombie movie? 

First off, it infects humans and gods, so nobody, unless they are inorganic, is safe. Secondly, those infected retain their powers and know how to use them. Zombie Ghost can still phase, Zombie Hawkeye can still shoot, Zombie Dr. Strange can still portal, and Zombie Wasp can still shrink. To save time, the episode concludes with Spider-Man, Ant-Man's head, and Blank Panther trying to get to Wakanda.

Marvel Zombies shifts the focus of the original surviving heroes to another group: Riri Williams, Ms. Marvel, Kate Bishop, and F.R.I.D.A.Y. These are the heroes that the first episode focuses on. This episode introduces the audience to a different type of world, one without most forms of life, where survival comes at all costs. 

The second episode introduces new survivors: Blade Knight (Blade is now the avatar of Khonshu), Red Guardian, Yelena Belova, and Melina Vostokoff. This is the first episode where Scarlet Witch, the Queen of the Dead, is physically seen and makes herself known. It sets her up as the main antagonist of the series, with her army carrying out every move. 

The third episode brings us back to the end of “What If…Zombies?!” as Black Panther, Spider-Man, and Ant-Man head to fight against Zombie Thanos. In parallel with “Infinity War,” Thor, Groot, and Rocket Raccoon join the fight as well. Continuing with the other episodes, the remaining group goes to New Asgard and meets another survivor, Valkyrie. Every battle in this show comes at a cost. To discover a possible cure, the cost is worth it. 

The fourth and final episode represents the final battle. The Queen of the Dead commands her army, and the remaining heroes fight back, protecting the Scarlet Witch from taking the power the Hulk now has. The end of the episode raises a bunch of questions for the audience. What is real? What isn't real? 

Marvel Zombies gives audiences something new to feast on. It expands into a new world only briefly touched on in other shows. It ultimately emphasizes what it means to be human.