Marvel Zombies (Disney+) review: Taking the MCU where it never dares to go

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has never been shy about expanding sideways. Alternate timelines, multiverses, variants…you name it, we’ve watched it. But for all the talk of pushing boundaries, most of these detours have felt carefully managed – like a roller coaster ride where you know exactly when the drop is coming. Marvel Animation’s Marvel Zombies, the animated spinoff from What If…?, finally feels like the franchise is tearing down the safety rails. It’s bleak, gory, and oddly liberating – the first time in years that I’ve watched a Marvel project and thought, “They wouldn’t do this in live-action.”

I’ll admit, I went in half expecting another gimmick. The original flavour of What If…? was its promised experimentation but then ended up leaning too much on multiversal Avengers crossovers. That original zombie episode was fun but felt too distinct to be a part of the What If…? series. So when Marvel revealed it was spinning that one-off into its own series, I braced for more surface-level chaos. What we got instead was a proper exploration of the “what if” idea, with director Bryan Andrews and writer Zeb Wells leaning fully into the apocalypse.

Rather than resetting the timeline or letting a cosmic watcher tidy things up, Marvel Zombies sits gloriously in the wreckage. The snap never happens, Endgame’s time travel solution never comes, and there’s no neat reunion at Tony Stark’s lake house. The world is broken, and the heroes who survive aren’t plotting a big comeback – they’re just clinging on, some better than others.

What helps is the focus on newer faces. Kamala Khan is the emotional core, and Iman Vellani’s performance keeps the show from being swallowed by despair. Her Ms Marvel isn’t weighed down by the MCU nostalgia; she’s someone who never even got the chance to be a “normal” superhero before everything collapsed. Watching her insist on optimism while trudging through ruined cities feels surprisingly affecting – like she’s the only one still carrying Marvel’s usual “hope and quips” spirit into a world where it no longer belongs. Kate Bishop, Riri Williams, and even a broken Thor get a second go at characterisation, often stronger than what we’ve seen in their own shows.

There’s a road-trip feel to the whole thing. Survivors moving between safe zones, bumping into zombified heroes, each stop showing a different flavour of tragedy. It’s not the most original setup – anyone who’s binged The Last of Us or even caught Train to Busan would be familiar – but seeing big MCU set-pieces reimagined with gore and teeth is fascinating. Wakanda under siege, the echoes of Infinity War and Endgame twisted into horror – it’s Marvel biting into its own mythology, and for once, not worrying if it gets blood (and bones and intestines) on the carpet.

So yes, there’s gore. And plenty of it. Disney hasn’t exactly been the studio you’d expect to dish out legless torsos and bloodied brawls, but the MA rating frees Bryan to go for it.

Since Marvel Zombies is the follow-up to that zombie episode in What If…?, it’s no surprised that the ultimate villain here is Wanda Maximoff. Who, by the way, really is the standout. As the Queen of the Dead, she’s truly terrifying. Not just because of her raw power, but because she embodies the idea of giving in. When she offers survival through submission, you can see why others might consider it. It’s one of the few times Marvel has leaned into horror without cracking a joke to ease the tension.

Of course, the series isn’t flawless. The pacing wobbles in parts – there are just too many characters, and some deaths feel rushed, and some even unexpected – not in a good way. The Raft sequence, with Zemo in charge, is a prime example of untapped potential. The show teases it and then moves on too quickly, when it could have been a smart look at survival politics.

Still, there’s something refreshing about its rough edges. Unlike most MCU entries, Marvel Zombies isn’t busy laying groundwork for another crossover or teasing next year’s blockbuster. It’s self-contained – a nightmare that doesn’t promise resolution. No cameos designed to trend on social media, no end-credit scene to sell the next product. Just the story, grim as it is.

By the fourth and final episode, I wasn’t thinking about Avengers 5 or Disney’s next slate. I was just watching a Marvel story that dared to be uncomfortable. For a franchise that’s spent years convincing us that every entry is essential viewing, it’s oddly freeing to get something that exists just for itself. And for a show that could’ve been nothing more than a gimmick, that feels like a win.

Marvel Animation’s Marvel Zombies is now available to stream on Disney+

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