It’s not controversial to say that Marvel’s What If…? series was a waste of great potential. While the first season had some spectacular episodes, including “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord,” and “What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands,” the latter seasons never really lived up to the title’s promise.

One of the biggest episodes that stood out, however, was “What If… Zombies?!”, an adaptation of the popular comic run created by Mark Millar, Greg Land, and Robert Kirkman. The episode wasn’t a direct adaptation of the comic, merely taking the concept of some of our favorite MCU characters becoming zombified in a violent and bloody apocalypse that begins after Hank Pym is infected by a virus in the Quantum Realm. It all culminates in an epic final shot of a zombie Thanos wielding a nearly-complete Infinity Gauntlet in Wakanda. After that, it was clear there was more story worth telling, and that’s where the 4-episode limited series, Marvel Zombies, comes in.

What Is ‘Marvel Zombies’ About?

While the initial What If…? episode was mainly told through Bruce Banner’s (Mark Ruffalo) point of view after crash-landing on Earth, Marvel Zombies is primarily Kamala Khan’s (Iman Vellani) story. While traversing the zombie-stricken country with her best friends, Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), Kamala gets her hands on a device that has the potential to end the undead annihilation, only to be separated from her colleagues during a fierce and brutal battle. Eventually, Kamala teams up with Eric Brooks (Todd Williams), who has become the new avatar of Khonshu (F. Murray Abraham) as Blade Knight, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Melina Vostokoff (Kari Wahlgren), Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), Katy (Awkwafina), and Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), on a mission to save the humanity.

Along the way, the heroes cross paths with other survivors, including Peter Parker (Hudson Thames), Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), all while being pursued by Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), who has become the ruler of the zombified Avengers and has dubbed herself the Red Queen. While the latter seasons of What If…? leaned heavily into goofiness, its follow-up decides to make things extremely bleak. Much like its predecessor, some moments in Marvel Zombies excitingly lean into its TV-MA rating, while others leave a lot to be desired.

Kamala Khan Is the Heart of ‘Marvel Zombies’

It goes without saying that the MCU’s Multiverse Saga output hasn’t been the greatest, with the quality fluctuating movie-by-movie, show-by-show. Saying that, the casting of Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel has undoubtedly been a major highlight (after all, she’s the reason why The Marvels was remotely watchable). So, while on the surface, having a more youthful character like Kamala lead the first TV-MA animated Marvel series seems like a weird choice, it also helps bring something that the rest of the series would have likely failed to do. Kamala gives Marvel Zombies its heart.

It’s not that we don’t care about any of the other characters in Marvel Zombies. Shang-Chi, Yelena, and Red Guardian have compelling arcs of their own, but everyone else is either sidelined, wasted, or relegated merely to being comic relief. There’s also the issue of Blade Knight, a character that, in concept, is incredibly cool. It’s just a bit strange that this is the first time we’re seeing the incarnation of the character that will be played by (or at least was supposed to be played by) Mahershala Ali. We have an attachment to some characters because we already know them, especially as Kamala and Yelena are forced to make some tough decisions that leave an impact — but Blade Knight is just kind of there.

Other characters, like John Walker, Valkyrie, and Riri Williams, are underutilized and not given much else to do. Even the vast majority of the zombie superheroes and villains don’t earn as much designated screentime as you’d want. There are a couple of great action sequences, including one with a zombie Namor, but even the zombified Okoye (Kenna Ramsey), a character that is a big standout in the Black Panther movies, is just there to bark orders at her zombie subordinates.

‘Marvel Zombies’ Should Have Been Longer

Credit: Image via Disney+

A lot of Marvel Zombies‘ issues could have been solved by two or three additional episodes. The opening of Episode 2, which sees Shang-Chi and Katy running through the streets of San Francisco as the apocalypse begins, is exciting, and the series continues to build upon that momentum even after flashing forward five years to a Mad Max-like wasteland. Not only does it keep the series feeling fresh, but it also allows Marvel Zombies to stand out much more than your typical apocalypse story, albeit one in the MCU. While changing Kamala’s powers initially had some mixed results in other MCU installments, they are put to great use in Marvel Zombies, especially as the series demonstrates how a character as young as she is can survive in such dire circumstances.

Ultimately, Marvel Zombies feels like it’s always sprinting towards the finish line, not giving the audience or the characters much time to breathe. There’s clearly more story worth telling beyond not just the initial What If…? installment but these four episodes, which all culminate in an underwhelming finale. Giving other characters like Valkyrie, Yelena, and Red Guardian more backstory during the zombie uprising would also have resulted in more payoff. Instead, Marvel Zombies, while entertaining, never fully lives up to its potential.

Marvel Zombies is now available on Disney+.

Release Date

September 24, 2025

Network

Disney+

Directors

Bryan Andrews

Franchise(s)

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Pros & Cons

• Once again, Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan is a major standout, successfully serving as the heart of the series.
• Episode 2 has an excellent opening that isn’t afraid to get weird.
• The fight scenes are mostly satisfying.

• Four episodes is not enough.
• It’s weird for this series to serve as Blade’s introduction to the MCU.

It’s no secret the MCU entered the 2020s with some growing pains. A pandemic will do that to you, ditto a spottier output, and one of the more divisive projects was Eternals. At the time, it seemed Marvel had some plans for the immortal beings, and thanks to Kumail Nanjiani, we now know what that would’ve looked like.

In a recent episode of Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out podcast, the one-time Kingo revealed he signed on thinking he’d be a longterm MCU player and alternate between that and non-blockbuster work. According to him, Marvel Studios had him sign up “for all this stuff. I signed on for six movies, a video game, [and] a theme park ride. I was like, ‘This is gonna be my job for the next 10 years.’” Those plans, which likely also applied to costars like Angelina Jolie and Brian Tyree Henry (and is probably standard across all MCU actors), appear to have fallen through, since the Eternals have been MIA for nearly four years and Marvel’s not said much about them since. And the only other time they’ve been brought up was a season three episode of What If…? that saw Nanjiani voice an alternate version of Kingo.

Breaking down the different parts of Nanjiani’s statement, his mention of six films likely applies to at least two Eternals sequels and three guest appearances in other characters’ movies. The theme park ride probably relates to his likeness, and the video game is a little trickier to determine. Nanjiani’s done voice work for video games before, so it could be he would’ve played Kingo across one of Marvel’s mobile titles like Strike Force, or even Fortnite, since both have seen Ryan Reynolds reprise his role as Deadpool. (Hell, if you wanna really get out there, maybe they thought he’d be such a fan-favorite to land a spot in Marvel Rivals.)

Regardless, Nanjiani still has pride in Eternals, even while acknowledging its “really bad reviews” affected him so much he went to therapy, where he realized “too much of my self-esteem was tied up in other people’s reaction to my work.” Given Marvel’s recent moves in the past year, though, maybe the studio will bring Kingo and his fellow Eternals back for something in the next few years.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

In the lead-up to The Fantastic Four: First Steps, director Matt Shakman‘s been more than vocal about his love of Marvel’s First Family. He’s even listed some of his influences, including Fantastic Four co-creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby — who introduced the cosmic menace of Galactus — and current Fantastic Four writer Ryan North. But there’s one creator whose work has permeated every inch of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and that’s Jonathan Hickman. In the foreword to Fantastic Four: Solve Everything by Hickman and a top-tier collection of artists including Dale Eaglesham, Shakman would go in-depth as to how much inspiration he took from this particular Fantastic Four story. “As we developed the script for the film, I returned again and again to this epic run — thrilled by brain-bending innovations like the Council of Reeds and riveted by heroic standoffs against the likes of Annihilus,” Shakman wrote. It isn’t just The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but large parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that owe a great debt to Hickman’s work.

How Do Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four Comics Influence ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’?

If there’s one way to describe Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four comics, it would be “epic”. Throughout Hickman’s runs, there are secret cities, an apocalypse in the Negative Zone, and Reed Richards laboring to “solve everything” before being contacted by a collection of his alternate universe selves. He also tapped into the family dynamics of the Fantastic Four, which resulted in some truly emotional moments. Once Reed learns that in order to truly solve everything, he’ll have to abandon his family, he doesn’t think twice before turning his back on the “Council of Reeds”. Likewise, Johnny Storm goes out in a literal blaze of glory to save his family, leading Spider-Man to comfort Franklin Richards over the death of his uncle. The biggest concept that Hickman introduced during his Fantastic Four run is the idea of the Future Foundation: a think tank of geniuses dedicated to solving the world’s problems. In The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the Future Foundation is headed under Sue Storm and handles diplomatic matters in addition to scientific ones; this also calls back to Sue taking on a diplomatic role during Hickman’s run.

Related

‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Director Explains How His Film Is Breaking an MCU Tradition Fans Have Complained About for Years

Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach make up Marvel’s first family.

Jonathan Hickman’s Work Influenced Marvel Films & TV Shows, Including ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ & ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

In addition to The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Jonathan Hickman’s work can be felt in other Marvel films and even television shows. A major example concerns Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which had the earth-shattering twist that S.H.I.E.L.D. was infiltrated by Hydra for years. The fallout would continue into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., showing how Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his S.H.I.E.L.D. team deal with the revelation.This plot twist was first utilized in Secret Warriors; Hickman, Brian Michael Bendis (another writer who’s had a major influence on the MCU), and Stefano Caselli made the major reveal that Hydra was controlling S.H.I.E.L.D., forcing Nick Fury to utilize a team of superpowered operatives to combat the terrorist organization. That team included Daisy Johnson, aka Quake, who was portrayed by Chloe Bennet during Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s entire run.

Hickman will also have a major impact on the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, especially since the latter is hinted to be drawing from the 2015 miniseries he and Esad Ribic worked on. In the 2015 version of Secret Wars, the Marvel Universe is literally shattered by a dimensional “incursion”, only for Doctor Doom to reforge what’s left into his own personal kingdom. Joe and Anthony Russo have said that the 2015 Secret Wars is a major influence on Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, and even hinted that the films will lead to a potential reboot for the MCU, which Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige also hinted at during a recent press conference. Many fans might think that Feige is the grand architect of Marvel Studios, but it could be argued that Hickman’s work is the blueprint he’s using. And with groundbreaking work on nearly all of Marvel’s major characters, it’s a blueprint Feige should continue to follow.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Release Date

July 25, 2025

Runtime

115 minutes

Director

Matt Shakman

Writers

Jeff Kaplan, Josh Friedman, Ian Springer, Eric Pearson

Despite working together on Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Joaquin Torres star Danny Ramirez felt the need to prove himself to Anthony Mackie. The two had some tough scenes during Captain America: Brave New World and we talked with Ramirez about them!

In preparation for the release of Brave New World on Disney+, I was lucky enough to speak with Ramirez about the film. We talked about Top Gun: Maverick and getting to work with Lewis Pullman again in Avengers: Doomsday as well as seeing Harrison Ford on set. One thing we also spoke about was a very pivotal scene in Brave New World.

The scene in question comes at the end of the film. After Joaquin falls to the ocean and has to be airlifted out, Sam goes to visit him in the hospital. Joaquin is clearly upset about the situation and tried to put himself out there to help Sam. It’s an important scene because it is Sam passing along the baton of Falcon to Joaquin but it is also too many being there for each other. And, according to Ramirez, it is the first scene they shot.

“That was the first scene we shot together in the movie,” Ramirez said. “Day one for me was in a robe, pretending like I’d been shot out of the sky. I do any project for moments like that. I think if it was just the shiny stuff, I’d have a really tough time being like, ‘Oh, let’s do this.’ I think finding the motivations of why someone wants to put themselves in the line of fire or why they admire and wants to be like his favorite Avenger and out this reason as to like why Joaquin does what he does was always the most important part of it. The auditions when I first got it in 2019 was a really meaty scene about responsibility. And it was between Joaquin and Sam. And so that’s one of the things that drew me to it, that scene itself.”

Ramirez went on to talk about how the scene itself was important because it was all about Sam passing the title on to Joaquin but Anthony Mackie was doing the same to him as well. “I think in the way that life imitates art and art imitates life, because it was the first day, and up until that point, obviously, we had worked together through Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but on like really light stuff, really small scenes that he understood where it was going but he had also given so much to Falcon as a character before taking over the mantle of Cap that I think it was just kind of like, ‘All right, let’s see what you got.’ But there was nothing really of substance. And so by the end of the series, I think he’s like, ‘I like Danny, but I don’t know if he’s got the juice yet’ because there was nothing for me to prove that I had the juice.”

But to Ramirez, that scene was a way to show Mackie that he wasn’t just some kind. “And so to go and do that scene day one, I was very aware. I’m like, ‘I’m taking over the mantle of Falcon through this film, like outright wearing his old suit, old wings.’ And so that scene, I was like, ‘Okay, here we have a Julliard trained actor and I’m NYU trained’, but he obviously thinks there’s a difference. I don’t think there’s a difference, but whatever, different story,” he jokes. He went on though to say that the scene in question wasn’t originally at the end of the movie but that it was “somewhere else” but that it ultimately made him want to prove himself. “This is where I really get to prove to him that I’m worthy as Danny to Anthony.”

Ramirez said that he tried to really show Mackie that he wasn’t just some kid they cast. He even shared that the scene, which is Sam taking the moment to “receive Joaquin” was very much what the two of them were working on as actors.

“I think through proving to each other, but specifically me being like, ‘Yo, you’re Anthony Mackie, Sam Wilson, you’ve been there, you’ve done amazing work throughout your career, but let me prove myself to you in this way.’ So there was a lot of parallels in that, as to where I was at and where he was at. And so, it ended up a beautiful scene, I think because of exploration, but also a little bit of challenge, a little bit of like, ‘I know this is day one and you think that you’re just gonna be able to listening to this kid on his bed because he got shot out of the sky and we’ll see how we play it.; But it was kind of, for us the North star for that relationship.”

When I laughed about the Julliard vs. Tisch of it all, Ramirez joked about his alma mater, saying “I think we’re better, but whatever.” Captain America: Brave New World is streaming on Disney+.

(featured image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

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Rachel Leishman

Assistant Editor

Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She’s been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff’s biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she’s your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell’s dog, Brisket.

Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.