‘Marvel Zombies’ Is Coming To TV Via ‘What If…?’
With the release of Disney+, Disney announced that they would be doing many spin-off series based on their different franchises from the Disney Princesses to Pixar/Disney Animation, to Star Wars and Marvel, just to name a few. In the past few months, numerous series have been announced and released on Disney+. Fans were excited to see the trailer for What If...? during the broadcast of the Tokyo Olympics. What If…? is a Marvel spin-off series written from stories and ideas from the comics rather than the movies. One particular storyline will follow the comics very closely.
Head writer A.C. Bradley revealed that Marvel Zombies will be a chapter in the upcoming series What It…? She commented that it was a “no-brainer” to tap into the limited comic series for inspiration, stories, characters, and more. Furthermore, an animated show is a perfect medium to allow the zombies to pop up and shine.
“…the fun part of Marvel Zombies was to delve into that initial run.”
She revealed that this episode in particular will draw from the comics more than any of the episodes in the series.
RELATED: A Marvel/Star Wars Crossover In Marvel's 'What If...?'
A.C. Bradley pitched the idea for Marvel Zombies to Kevin Feige when they were all coming up with ideas for what the show’s first season would be about. The idea came as a surprise to Feige as the particular storyline was not really on their radar until then. Bradley went on to explain how the nature of the animated show “freed them up creatively” and noted that drawing on the comics as opposed to the blockbuster movies was important because “it is so good.” It will make the series more interesting and intriguing and draw in audiences that might be a little burned out with the many movies in the MCU, or just want to see something new and exciting.
Marvel Zombies is a limited five-issue comic series written by Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman from 2005 to 2006 with artwork by Sean Phillips and cover art by Arthur Suydam. The narrative is set in an alternate universe where a virus has infected the superheroes, effectively making them zombies. Kirkman drew the idea from the crossover event in Ultimate Fantastic Four where Ultimate Reed Richards is tricked by his zombie variant into opening a portal to the undead universe.
Since Doctor Strange's release, the idea of the multiverse has been an underlying theme in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the Disney+ series Loki, the idea of alternate timelines and variants across the multiverse was further explored. The upcoming Doctor Strange film will be called Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The idea of multiverse is definitely on the forefront of Marvel's brain. What If…? is no exception to this rule. The series will take a look at the alternate timelines in the Marvel multiverse. This exploration will bring back more than fifty MCU characters and their respective actors, albeit in animated form. Viewers can expect to see Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Stephen Strange), and Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk) among many others.
The idea behind What If…? is the question of what if certain scenario happened instead of what we are familiar with. Each storyline looks to answer a few questions that may have been brought up by speculating fans in the past. What if Peggy Carter’s exposure to the Super Soldier Serum created a Captain Britain? What If Loki ruled the world? What if T'Challa became Star-Lord instead of Black Panther? What if there were a Zombie Iron Man, Zombie Captain American, and Zombie Hunter Spider-Man?
Season 1 of Marvel’s What If…? premieres on August 11 on Disney+.
READ NEXT: Would Star Wars Adopting A Multiverse Be A Good Idea?
Source: CBR