Yesterday at SDCC, Marvel Studios announced one of their newest projects for Phase 4 and beyond; that being Marvel Zombies. While originally only one episode of the show What if…?, the same animation team will be returning to create a full fledge series based on said episode. However, the most interesting aspect of this announcement is that this will be the first Marvel Studios production that will be made specifically for an adult audience, as it has been described as being more gory than any other Marvel Studios film or show.
In some respects, this is to be somewhat expected. Recently, both Deadpool films and Logan have made their way to Disney+. In addition, Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had many moments that pushed the PG-13 rating, with Sam Raimi tapping into his horror roots, paving the way for rather brutal kills for MCU standards. In addition, many of the fans who grew up with the MCU since its inception with Iron Man, are now adults.
Still, what this means for the future of the MCU is somewhat up in the air. It’s known that a new Deadpool film is early in development, which will likely see the return of Ryan Reynolds. Given the R rating is what makes Deadpool really stand out as a character, it’s fair to expect the third film to maintain a more mature rating. Other likely films to be affected by this includes the upcoming Blade film, and any possible Dr. Strange in the future.
Courtesy of Marvel Entertainment
Another question that some are uncertain of, is just how gory the show will be. For those unfamiliar with the original Marvel Zombies comic, it was easily one of the darkest storylines created by the comic company. Written by Robert Kirkman and released as a five-part limited series from December 2005 to April 2006, the story followed an alternate universe(designated Earth 2149) suffering from a virus turning most of the superhero population into flesh eating super-monsters. As can be presumed, the comic pulls from many of the tropes and mature ideas of the zombie genre, with some of the most brutal moments in any of the Marvel Comics, and given it released just before the zombie boom brought on by projects like The Walking Dead, it became one of the most popular side projects in the modern era of Marvel.
Courtesy of Marvel Entertainment
Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of the show’s existence, however, may be its connection to upcoming projects. It has long been speculated that Phase 4 and beyond of the MCU is building up to an event known as Secret Wars. More specifically, the 2015 storyline which dealt with the destruction of the main Marvel universe, as well as various other universe, creating a place known as Battleworld, which carries traits of the various universes. One of these universes, was in fact the Marvel Zombies universe.
Given the build up of the multiverse in recent projects, Marvel Zombies is making itself out to be another step building up the next big event in the MCU, albeit one with a more mature voice, that some will find quite refreshing and unique for the MCU, while still being an MCU project.
Graduated from Point Park University in 2021 with a Degree of English Creative Writing.
Author of the Chronicles of a Broken World Series
Avid Nerd and Enjoyer of All Things Fun and Thoughtful
