Personal Rating: 8.5/10 (Pure Nightmare Fuel & I Loved It)
Alright, fellow True Believers, I just finished the Marvel Zombies animated series, and honestly? I’m kind of a mess. If you thought the What If...? episode was dark, you are not ready for this. This isn't just a "cartoon"—it’s a brutal, TV-MA gore-fest that actually has a soul. It’s creepy, it’s heartbreaking, and it leaves the MCU in a place that is genuinely terrifying.
Here is my personal, emotional breakdown of the chaos. Grab your tissues and maybe a blunt object to defend yourself, because things get heavy.
The "What If...?" Trauma (The Backstory)
Before we dive into the new stuff, let's pour one out for the original survivors. Remember that cliffhanger? Peter, Scott’s head, and T’Challa flying into Wakanda only to see a Zombified Thanos with five Infinity Stones? Yeah, that haunts my dreams. This series picks up that torch and runs straight into the abyss. It’s a direct continuation of the quantum virus nightmare started by Hank Pym.
The stakes haven't been this high since Endgame, but unlike Endgame, there’s no "Time Heist" to fix this. We are witnessing the literal extinction of the human race, and the show doesn't let you forget it for a second. The way it bridge the gap between "superhero action" and "existential dread" is honestly some of the best writing we've seen in the animated MCU.
Episode 1: New Heroes, Same Heartbreak
We start five years later. Seeing a desolate, overgrown NYC—very Last of Us or I Am Legend vibes—really hits different. We’ve got a new "Young Avengers" squad: Kate Bishop, Riri Williams, and Kamala Khan. I love these girls, which made what happened next so hard to watch. They aren't the polished heroes from the Disney+ shows; they are hardened survivors who grew up in a world of rot.
Watching Riri get bitten while protecting her friends? I was yelling at my screen. The desperation in her eyes as she ordered FRIDAY to save Kamala was gut-wrenching. And then Kamala is saved by... Blade Knight? Seeing Blade as the new avatar of Khonshu (voiced by F. Murray Abraham! Chills!) was the coolest reveal of the series. But the real gut-punch was the sacrifice at the North Institute. Seeing Yelena and Melina use Hydra’s own mind-control tech to hold back a zombie army—only to give their lives so the others could escape with the Project Lifeshot transmitter... I’m not okay. It really highlights that in this universe, being a hero usually means dying so someone else can live one more day.
Episode 2: The Ten Rings vs. The Undead
The flashback to Shang-Chi’s "Outbreak Day" was a masterpiece. That unbroken long take through the chaos of San Francisco? Chef’s kiss. But watching Wenwu pass the rings to a bitten Shang-Chi to save his life was such a beautiful, tragic father-son moment. It proved that magic and cosmic artifacts are the only things keeping the virus at bay, which sets a huge precedent for the power levels later on.
Fast forward to "The Raft," and we meet Baron Zemo. I wanted to trust him, I really did. He’s built this "sanctuary," but the truth is sickening. He’s been luring heroes to The Raft just to feed them to a zombified Namor and his Talokanil army as a "tribute" to keep his city safe. Kamala’s fight with Namor was brutal—that hard-light fist expanding inside his skull was a level of violence I didn't think Marvel would actually animate. But the victory felt hollow; losing Jimmy Woo and John Walker as the fortress sank into the ocean felt like a heavy, unnecessary price for Zemo’s cowardice.
Episode 3: The Queen’s Twisted Feast
This episode finally showed us the end of the Thanos fight. T’Challa sacrificing himself to blow up the vibranium reactor was the ultimate hero move, but it had a horrific side effect: it trapped the whole planet in a radiation bubble. No wonder the Nova Corps or the Guardians couldn't hear the signal for help. We've been alone this whole time.
When the group gets to New Asgard and sees a broken, silent Thor on the throne, it felt so hopeless. And then there's Wanda... man, "The Queen of the Dead" is a terrifying title for a reason. She’s created this "feast" for the survivors, but the twist that the food was made of zombie parts? I nearly lost my lunch. Seeing her true form revealed—a rotting, cosmic horror version of the Scarlet Witch—showed that she isn't just a zombie; she’s a predator. She’s using her magic to "ripen" the world for her god-army. The revelation that she lied about being cured was the ultimate betrayal of Kamala’s hope.
Episode 4: The Ending That Left Me Screaming
The finale in Paris was absolute Infinity War levels of scale. We find out the sorcerers used Bruce Banner to absorb the raw infinity energy from the Wakandan blast, turning him into "The Anchor." He’s a zen-like, glowing god-being now, but even his power felt small compared to the horde marching on Kamar-Taj.
The final battle featured zombified versions of Giant-Man, Wasp, and a red-lightning-wielding Thor. It was pure chaos. Watching our favorite characters get vaporized or torn apart one by one was exhausting. When Wanda finally teleports to the Hulk and absorbs his infinity energy, it felt like the literal end of the multiverse.
The "House of M" Twist: This is where I lost it. Kamala "surrenders" to save her friends, joining hands with Wanda. Suddenly... everything is perfect. Bright colors, boba tea, her mom calling her for dinner. Kate and Riri are there, laughing. It looks like a happy ending, right? WRONG.
Look at the details—the glitches in the reality. There are no posters of her idol, Captain Marvel, on the wall. Why? Because in a world ruled by the Queen of the Dead, there are no other gods allowed. This is a mental prison, a "Hex" powered by Kamala’s own bangle and Wanda’s grief. The absolute horror of Riri’s hacked signal coming through at the very end—revealing that she’s still out there in the real world, infected but using her tech to fight—gave me actual goosebumps. Riri is the only one who knows the truth, and Kamala is trapped in a dream while the world rots around her.
Final Thoughts
This series is a masterpiece of "unhappy endings." It’s a love letter to the House of M comics but with a horrific, undead twist that feels earned. I’m giving it a 8.5/10 because it didn't just use the zombies as a gimmick; it used them to explore themes of grief, sacrifice, and the terrifying weight of power.
Marvel didn't hold back. They gave us the gore, but they also gave us the grief. It’s a reminder that even in a world of superheroes, sometimes the monsters win. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be staring at a wall wondering how Kamala is ever going to get out of that "perfect" nightmare, or if there's even a world left worth saving if she does.
What did you guys think? Did that ending wreck you as much as it wrecked me? And can we talk about Riri's arm-cannon?!
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