Marvel Zombies is presented like a 4 issue mini-series with its condensed 4 episode format. Each episode jumps in at a different point with a new characters, much like a new issue. This also can hinder the experience for some with this show. Not every Marvel fan is a comic reader. For me, though I loved Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips take on zombies in the Marvel universe when they unleashed Marvel Zombies on us in 2005. Disney and Marvel studios shocked me with how they handled Marvel Zombies.

Superhero and comic books work extremely well in animation, and Marvel Animation has been a roll recently. X-Men ’97 was fantastic, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man deserves more attention and Eyes of Wakanda expanded a universe that we wanted to see more of. These are all examples of Marvel Studios using animation with success. Marvel Zombies is a spin off on the weakest Marvel Animation show What If? Don’t get me wrong there is a lot about What If? I liked, however certain episodes needed more time to breathe.

Marvel Zombies is exactly what one would hope for, its Marvel characters covered in zombie guts. This is The Walking Dead with superheroes. For those familiar with The Walking Dead, its more than just a zombie story. It focuses on the characters and how humans react to being in desperate situations. We get a lot of this in Marvel Zombies, especially from Kamala Khan. Voiced by the irreplaceable Iman Vellani, Kamala Khan is the heart of the show. The character arc allows Kamala to start as the lovable goofball in the young avengers to the most important person in the fight against the zombies. Its really impressive for Vellani to stick out in a cast that features the voices of Elizabeth Olsen, David Harbour, Florence Pugh, Tessa Thompson, and Paul Rudd. All whom return to play the characters they played in their live action films or shows.

There is one special thing about Marvel Zombies that need to be discussed. Marvel Zombies acts as a reminder of forgotten characters and characters to appear in future films or shows. After years of teasing, we finally got Blade. Not voiced by Mahershala Ali (which by the way, he is not getting any younger, we need him as Blade ASAP) instead he voiced incredibly by Todd Williams. To make sure we know that this is a different Blade, he is infused with Khonshu to become Blade Knight. Which looks awesome and whenever Blade Knight is on screen, you know some bad ass action will happen. In the first episode, we get a battle between Blade and Ava Starr/Ghost that teases the abilities of Blade and creates a hunger for more Blade action.

Marvel Zombies does bounce around often from a story standpoint, with each episode starting in a different setting with characters. It can be jarring to those who have not watched certain Marvel shows or films. Riri Williams and Kate Bishop are characters that Marvel fans know, but the average viewer may ask “why should I care about this person?”. This is a show for the fans, it is pure fan service that utilize characters from The Eternals, Shang-chi, and even Thunderbolts*. As much as I loved this decision, I do know some fans will not like the use of these characters in this story. All the characters that we saw during the Infinity saga are zombies.

Marvel Studios has given their fans exactly what they wanted, a gore filled zombie tale that features Marvel characters. This slips nicely into the spooky season, for us comic book fans we can watch Werewolf by Night, Agatha All along and now Marvel Zombies. Marvel Zombies does not reinvent the wheel, its what one would expect from a Marvel Animation show, just with a dash of blood and gore. If you enjoyed the What If? episode that featured the zombies, you will most certainly enjoy this. Its another reminder that Iman Vellani needs to be every Marvel production, she is brilliant as Ms. Marvel.