Considering how episodic the events of the first episode of Marvel Zombies are, it seems only fitting to review each part of this four-part mini-series on its own terms. The first episode certainly gives us a lot to talk about.
But the overall story is not one of those things. Because Marvel Zombies gives you no backstory, no explanation. Have you seen a zombie movie or show? Excellent. That kind of thing happened in the Marvel world a long, long time ago. So long ago everything is overgrown with plants, most characters are dead, and everyone alive has gotten used to the new, horrible normal.
And like, kudos for being efficient. I kind of would’ve liked to see the infection break out and spread, but I can’t argue with this story’s frantic and fun pace. Stuff keeps happening. Stuff keeps going wrong.
And this is because of the other thing Marvel Zombies sacrifices. It has almost no through line. The plot is more like a series of fetch quests. They found an object or information that could be helpful, but they need to get it somewhere else first, and then stuff goes wrong. Repeat as needed to get to the things that actually make Marvel Zombies enjoyable to watch—at least if you’re deep into the lore like I am.
And that thing (finally) is the episodic exploration of this zombie world. Who’s a zombie? Who’s not? And what does each of these heroes do in their new situation?
And, unlike a lot of predictable Marvel fare, this show actually can do whatever it likes with the idea, as long as one or two characters are alive to continue the plot. There’s presumably no continuity to maintain, and the original timeline is a mess if it even affects things at all. So, anyone can get bitten, shot, or die in some other way. And that does raise tension. I was admittedly really enjoying the dynamic of Riri, Kate, and Kamala as the three survivors traveling the wasteland, but I’m willing to have that broken if it means I can’t know for sure the end result of any fight.
That is what Marvel Zombies turns into, by the way, on a moment-to-moment basis. A series of unpredictable fights. The creators likely asked the combination of “who can we get to come by and voice living characters?” and “what’s something cool we can do with an evil version of this character?” And the results are things like zombie Captain America not having his lower half, but still being able to use his shield. Or the two generations of Hawkeyes getting into an arrow fight. It’s not like I was expecting a deep story, so these moments just become popcorn entertainment of the highest level.
This does lead to a final question for this review, though—and it’s one I’ll likely be answering during my next review of Marvel Zombies. And the answer, once given, I’ll admit, will determine how much I like the series overall. And that’s how the story will progress from here.
There’s an obvious but annoying path that it could take, but it shouldn’t. I don’t want every episode to consist of pursuing a singular goal with continuous setbacks until an eventual success. Shake it up a little, please. Maybe even have them call in the Nova Corps in episode two and keep going from there. Considering how pleased I was with both Daredevil: Born Again and Ironheart for taking their stories in surprising directions, I know Marvel has the writing chops. So, let’s see it, Marvel Zombies!
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