Marvel Zombies is Marvel Television’s latest animated project, expanding one of What If…?’s most memorable episodes into a four-part series. While it takes its name from Robert Kirkman’s limited comic run, this version tells an entirely new story — following Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) and a crew of unlikely allies as they fight to save a post-apocalyptic world plagued by undead Avengers like Hawkeye, Captain Marvel, and the Scarlet Witch.
Although the series’ premise delivers on all the blood, guts, dismemberments, and zombies, it also successfully plants the seeds for a future Young Avengers lineup — albeit far ahead of their meeting in live-action. The show opens with Khan attempting to survive the zombie apocalypse with the help of her two friends, Riri Williams/Ironheart (Dominique Thorne), and Kate Bishop/Hawkeye (Hailee Steinfeld). The chemistry between the three of them is undeniable. Still, it’s hard not to wish this Young Avengers team-up had first happened in live action rather than what ultimately feels like a middling animated series.
Imagine if Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor first assembled in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. instead of 2012’s The Avengers. That’s essentially what’s happening here. Except, instead of a long-running show on primetime network TV, it’s a disposable four-episode miniseries with zero continuity, tucked away on a streaming service. The Young Avengers were never going to match the original team’s cultural weight. Realistically, the best they could have hoped for was to be slightly more impactful than the “New Avengers” (aka, the Thunderbolts). But at the very least, their first real meeting deserved to happen on the biggest stage possible. If these are still the characters Marvel Studios is setting up as the future of its cinematic universe (and I’m not so sure they are now that Kevin Feige has his X-Men action figures to play with), they should be treated as such.
It’s also a shame because the chemistry of these three young heroes together is undeniable. Marvel Zombies actually made me like Riri Williams as a character by ditching her A.I. bestie and pairing her with some other recognizable superheroes. It’s also refreshing to see Kate Bishop once again for the first time since Hawkeye in 2021. (The Marvels post-credits scene doesn’t count.) As for Vellani, she’s already proven so infallible as an actress with her infectious interpretation of Khan that she elevates everything she’s in; Marvel Zombies is no exception.
The irony is that, when these heroes finally meet in live action, it’ll probably be through clumsy introductions, with none of the natural chemistry already on display here. Marvel Zombies proves their team-up has real potential, even if the show itself (and their time together) doesn’t last very long.