According to the executive producers of the MCU show, Marvel Zombies, the miniseries will stray away from its source material. The animated version of the comics of the same name was created by Zeb Wells and Bryan Andrews. Marvel Zombies will feature Paul Rudd, Florence Pugh, Hailee Steinfeld, David Harbour, Elizabeth Olsen, Iman Vellani, Awkwafina, Tessa Thompson, Simu Liu, Wyatt Russell, Randall Park, Dominique Thorne, and more.
In an interview with ScreenRant's Ash Crossan, Wells and Andrews revealed that while Marvel Zombies will be set in an entirely different type of world, it will still keep the essence of what made the comics so great. Check out their discussion below:
Brad Winderbaum: Well, the zombie genre is famously bleak. I think Robert did an amazing job bringing Marvel Zombies to the page. Him and the work he did with Sean Phillips is really incredible, and we took a lot of inspiration from that, obviously, and also from zombie cinema in general, which often has a bleak outlook on the world. It’s about survival, but not just “will they or won’t they survive?” It is also about how survival might corrupt the characters. That’s why we chose those particular characters to be surrogates for the audience as they go on this deadly adventure.
Bryan Andrews: And ours is like the MCU-inspired version, not just doing the comics. The comics are the comics, and they’re awesome, but this is our version, spinning all that in a slightly different way so the audience can be surprised by things they haven’t seen. Sometimes we might homage something that has occurred before, but for the most part we’re forging a path, standing on the shoulders of what came before, and saying, “Let’s go over here. Wouldn’t it be fun?”
What The MCU's Changes Mean For Marvel Zombies
Blade as Moon Knight with his sword in Marvel Zombies
The MCU's Marvel Zombies centers around The Avengers. The team of superheroes finds themselves in the midst of a plague that is taking over the world by turning anyone who gets infected into zombies. Now, they must risk their lives to fight the mysterious plague and all those infected so they can save what's left of the world.
The MCU creating their own version of Marvel Zombies means that they understood the assignment. The entire point of creating a TV show based on a pre-existing property means that there needs to be some kind of change. Audiences aren't looking for a shot-by-shot remake of the comic books, they want to see something brand-new that will shine a different light on some of Marvel Comics' most iconic characters.
Our Take On The MCU's Version Of Marvel Zombies
Captain America zombie in Marvel Comics' Marvel Zombies
The original Marvel Zombies was a massive crossover series that took place in a post-apocalyptic world after an incurable virus was unleashed. The stories featured stories from some of the publisher's greatest creative teams. The story kicked off with two arcs from The Ultimate Fantastic Four titled Crossover and Frightful (by Greg Land and Mark Millar).
I absolutely loved the Marvel Zombies comics, and I also love the MCU. While I'm not usually a fan of comics to screen adaptations, the MCU has never disappointed me. Of course, some were better than others, but I've always found all of them to be fun and entertaining, which is why I'm so excited about this one.
Marvel has always been able to create something new on screen while keeping the heart of the characters and stories that fans have grown to love. Shows such as WandaVision, Agatha All Along, and Moon Knight have introduced the world to completely different sides of these iconic characters while still providing a ton of fan service. Hopefully, Marvel Zombies will be able to continue this trend.
Marvel Zombies will premiere on September 24, 2025, on Disney+.
