The animated the MCU timeline, where a plague has turned many of the universe’s most beloved superheroes into ravenous - but still super-powered - undead. Marvel Studios’ 2022 Comic-Con further delved into the series, revealing its premise, relation to What If…?, and release window, and more news has shambled out since.
Although the MCU includes literally dozens of movies and shows, animation is relatively new territory. The first MCU animated series was What If…?, which depicted fascinating alternate versions of the MCU. One of the most popular episodes of What If…?, however, featured an MCU whose Earth became overrun by zombies. Not only is Marvel Zombies inspired by the What If…? episode, but it may more closely follow some aspects of the comic series of the same name — so much so that it's earned a TV-MA rating.
The Latest Marvel Zombies News
The Series Now Has A Release Window
In October 2024, Marvel Studios released a trailer featuring footage from their TV shows. Included in that trailer was Marvel Zombies, an animated, alternate universe where Marvel characters face off against the undead Avengers. Alongside some footage, it is confirmed that Marvel Zombies will be released in October 2025, just in time for the Halloween season.
One particularly interesting aspect of the footage is the small snippet of Blade as Moon Knight, which makes it the first actual appearance of the character in the MCU, despite it being an alternate universe. The footage promises violent, zombie action, marking a new direction for Marvel Studios as it gets into more "mature" content.
Marvel Zombies Cast
Only A Handful Of Voice Actors Are Confirmed
The What If…? episode featured numerous undead versions of MCU heroes, and the Marvel Zombies Disney+ show cast will include even more infected protagonists. The zombie versions of Hawkeye, Captain America, and Scarlet Witch will all return, ed by additional MCU zombies. These newcomers will include Captain Marvel, Okoye, Ghost, The Abomination, and even the Eternal, Ikaris, whose physiology won’t spare him from the Quantum Virus.
Characters In Marvel Zombies |
|
|---|---|
Character |
Actor |
Captain America |
TBA |
Hawkeye |
TBA |
Scarlet Witch |
Elizabeth Olsen |
Captain Marvel |
TBA |
Blade / Moon Knight |
TBA |
Ironheart |
Dominique Thorne |
Okoye |
TBA |
Ghost |
TBA |
Abomination |
TBA |
Ikaris |
TBA |
Ms. Marvel |
Iman Vellani |
Shang-Chi |
Simu Liu |
Xu Wenwu (The Mandarin) |
TBA |
Kate Bishop |
Hailee Steinfeld |
Yelena Belova |
Florence Pugh |
Red Guardian |
David Harbour |
Jimmy Woo |
Randall Park |
Katy |
Awkwafina |
Death Dealer |
TBA |
Marvel has confirmed the cast of the Marvel Zombies Disney+ show through both official announcements and via art showing what some of the characters in the series will look like. This reveals that Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel, Simu Liu's Shang-Chi, Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop, Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, and David Harbour's Red Guardian will be in the MCU series' hero roster.
This crew will be ed by other pre-existing MCU actors, including Randall Park's Jimmy Woo, and Awkwafina's Katy. These known characters will additionally be ed by some Skrull characters, and a team of Black Widows, based on the art for the series.
Marvel Zombies Release Date
The Series Premieres In October 2025
The first episode of Marvel Zombies will be released on October 3, 2025. The miniseries consists of four episodes, though the release schedule for the rest of the episodes is currently unknown. Four episodes might not seem like a significant number, but Marvel Zombies is one of six TV shows produced by Marvel Studios premiering in 2025, meaning there is a lot of content for fans of the MCU to carry them through the entirety of the year.
Marvel Zombies Story
It Connects To The Zombies Episode From What If...?
In an interview with Marvel, showrunner Bryan Andrews described the show as "hardcore", explaining that "people die. And they die rough." After promising a good measure of action, drama, and violence, the series' director then mentioned there would be "honest surprises" throughout the series, suggesting the release may avoid adapting its source material too closely to ensure audiences are kept on the edges of their seats.
Ms Marvel actor Iman Vellani revealed the most recent news for Marvel Zombies, explaining a little about her character's role in the show. In an interview with The Direct, Vellani praised the series, and stated,
"And Kamala is kind of the center of the show. They described it to me, it's like, 'She's basically the Frodo of the story.' And I was like, 'That's amazing.'...I get to interact and meet all these people along her journey. And, yes, they're only the voices, and I don't get to hear their voices in real-time. But just, it's my fantasies, right? Like, knowing Kamala is going to interact with some really cool people, even if it's just animation, is so special in a lot of ways."
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It won't be a direct adaptation — pre-existing discrepancies between the MCU and Marvel Comics canons, such as Galactus not yet existing, make this impossible — but it will at least adhere to the comics' violent and gory imagery. It's very possible that the Marvel Zombies Disney+ show could delve more directly into Robert Kirkman's Marvel Zombies comic book series for plot beats, but this has yet to be announced.
Marvel Zombies will take place in the same alternate timeline as the What If…? episode, allowing it to continue its story. “What If... Zombies!?” ends on a cliffhanger, with the three survivors headed for Wakanda to create a cure for the Quantum virus using the Mind Stone, not knowing that a zombie version of Thanos is already there. With a new team of survivors, the Marvel Zombies Disney+ show story will presumably continue the collective quest of the survivors to end the zombie plague.
