Marvel Zombies Season One Review

The possibilities of animation are seemingly endless and to the credit of Marvel Television and Marvel Animation, they have been exploring those venues, most recently in What If?, which ran for 3 seasons and 26 episodes from 2021 to 2024. One of those episodes, Season 1’s ‘What If… Zombies?!,’ put out the idea of zombies in the MCU. Arguably one of the most successful episodes of the series, it largely left viewers wanting more and now that more is upon us with the aptly-titled Marvel Zombies. Following along the lines of that aforementioned What If? episode, the series is an extension of that world with a new story and plenty of MCU characters (with many of the original actors returning to voice their animated counterparts) to follow along with as they try to survive a zombie plague. Meanwhile, a departure from the animated MCU fare to this point, the series boasts a TV-MA rating for graphic violence as hoards of functioning zombies are dispatched. Placing audiences right into a complete warzone from the very start, the why of it all kind of gets lost in the chaos of the situation as the season takes some time to get going. Though with only four roughly 30-minute episodes, that could be a problem, or at least until the chaos becomes so much that the eventual why essentially doesn’t matter. Nevertheless, Marvel Zombies is still a fun watch yet is one that will leave viewers wanting more.

Setting the stage, as much of the world, including the Avengers, is taken over by a zombie plague, it is up to the survivors to find a way to stop these powerful zombies before it is too late, risking their lives while navigating through a ravaged dystopian landscape to do so. From the start, the series makes it clear that no one is safe, delivering actual stakes when it comes to the characters. Basically using the first three episodes to set up the world through the lens of different subsets of characters, before bringing them together for the obligatory climax/final battle, the one character that connects it all is Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani). As viewers learn where the characters are and how the current day world came to be, the episodes were meant to see them in action while advancing towards the season’s inevitable conclusion, a final battle that is the epitome of what the series should have been more of. In that, the selling point is watching the likes of Kamala Khan, Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Hudson Thames), Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), fit within a zombie tale. To their credit, they make the most of it. However, considering the level of talent assembled here, it’s just a shame that there couldn’t have been a better story built around them.

In terms of animation, Marvel Zombies is more akin to the style of What If? than Eyes of Wakanda. Similar to the zombie-themed What If? episode, the diversity in the zombies themselves and the MCU characters that appear across the four episodes makes for a compelling mix, even if there wasn’t nearly enough of it here. Earning a TV-MA rating for its graphic violence, the series finds the right balance, without going overboard. Finding themselves most in the line of fire are of course the zombies, but no one is safe. Not playing it safe, there is some tension to be had as the story has a few surprises up its sleeve. Had the season had more time to develop its story, it would undoubtedly have been more effective. Leaving the door open for more story, perhaps the series will come together, however, this should have happened here. Focusing on Kamala Khan, rather than spending more time developing the story, the season could have seen a different fate.

In the end, the best part of Marvel Zombies is the voice acting. What will bring viewers to the series, the acting at least keeps it watchable, shining through the most is the dynamic between Kamala Khan and Shang-Chi. While these little moments are a bright spot, they are a small part of something that will leave most viewers wanting more. The potential is there, it just needs room to breathe.

still courtesy of Marvel Television

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.