Marvel Zombies (Disney+) 

By: Nick Zednik

Spooky Season is upon us and as such, Disney+ decided to binge drop all four episodes of Marvel Zombies because superheroes and zombies on the leadup to Halloween feels like a match made in heaven. The concept stems from a fan-favorite episode from Marvel’s hit series What If…? Naturally, the MCU hierarchy decided a return to the Zombies universe made sense but, the end result turns out to be a mixed bag of goods.

Ms. Marvel and her zombie-fighting friends, Kate Bishop, and Riri Williams lead the first episode and immediately, their chemistry draws us in. With Ms. Marvel’s quick wit, Riri’s intelligence, and Kate’s agility, they are a trio match, ready-made for a zombie-apocalypse. The timeline establishes that it’s been years since the events of Avengers: Endgame, which allows the audience to ponder the whereabouts of the MCU’s most prized heroes. The first three episodes all rely on the basic MCU formula - our heroes flee to a familiar location, only for the undead to arrive and spoil their plans. The finale does shake up that formula and tries something different in a show-stopping battle sequence that makes the most of its TV-MA rating. More importantly, Marvel Zombies allows us to revel in a version of the MCU where strange alliances are forged and even A-list Avengers can meet a grisly end. 

Despite a TV-MA rating, along with gore and action not suited for younger audiences, Marvel Zombies is plagued with a story injected with tongue-in-cheek humor that doesn’t quite match its zombified setting. Scarlet Witch fans need to be on annoyance alert as the series once again paints her as a confidently-flawed villain with paper-thin motives and a noticeable vacancy of characterization. While Marvel Zombies has crowd-pleasing moments such as Blade slicing up zombies with ease, the moments come across as point-and-clap as opposed to furthering the narrative. The strength of the series comes from the voice acting that’s done mostly by MCU regulars. Iman Vellani’s (Ms. Marvel) presence is truly the brightest spot of Marvel Zombies. As the plot progresses and the body count piles up, the series builds upon the emotional relationships Ms. Marvel establishes in the midst of hardship and particularly effective is the bond she shares with Red Guardian.

Nick’s Pick: 6.5/10 Marvel Zombies has moments of greatness thanks to its TV-MA promise, dynamic animation, and solid voice acting but, mainly only appeals to the MCU faithful.