Marvel Zombies brings true horror to the MCU. Brad Winderbaum & Bryan Andrews reveal how the animated series stays dark, gory, and unforgettable.
The world of Marvel is on the verge of one of its most sinister periods. By doing Marvel Zombies, the studio is forgetting about light-hearted superhero stories and delving into horror. The new animated series will feature well-known heroes in horrific new forms, and fans are chewing the gum.
Brad Winderbaum, who is the executive producer, and director Bryan Andrews have expressed their ideas on how this series was made. In their opinion, the aim was not that complicated and daring: we wanted to create a show that would be true to the genre. It means that one should not smooth out the edges, not to play it safe and allow Marvel Zombies to be a true horror story.
Marvel Zombies is a four-part animated show that takes place in a post-apocalyptic MCU. Many of the most powerful Heroes of the planet have been transformed into zombies who eat flesh by a weird virus. The survivors have to struggle to survive, and they can struggle with zombified versions of their friends and mentors.
The idea was first discussed in the animated series What If…?, in which one episode posited a world in which a zombie plague infected the world. The response of the fans was so intense that Marvel chose to develop the concept into a series. At present, having the TV-MA rating, Marvel Zombies is likely to push the limits in the way we are not yet accustomed to the MCU doing.
Winderbaum and Andrews are not ambiguous on this point; this is not a mere superhero adventure. Marvel Zombies is a zombie horror show, first of all.
Brad Winderbaum clarified that the crew aimed at respecting the customs of the genre, i.e., suspense, gore, tension, and shocking deaths. This is why the show was rated TV-MA. It enables the narrative to be crude and extreme, and there is no necessity to hold back.
Meanwhile, Bryan Andrews pointed out that horror succeeds only when we are concerned with the people in it. The series is centered on character trips, in particular, younger superheroes, such as Ms. Marvel, Kate Bishop, and Ironheart. We are introduced to hope, fear, and courage, through them, under the most adverse circumstances.
The concept of Marvel heroes becoming zombies began with the successful number of Marvel zombie comics written by Robert Kirkman in 2005. But Winderbaum and Andrews had known that they could not simply imitate the comics.
The MCU has a system of its own rules and timelines of characters, so the show creates its own variant of the narrative. Certain characters of the comics are not featured in the MCU, and other characters are given different roles. This allows the team to shock the fans with new dynamics and twists of the plot.
As an example, the different spin of Blade and Khonshu is presented in the show of the combination of supernatural and zombie horror. The story is also being stretched to 4 episodes rather than a film by the creative team, hence, more space to have both the emotional and gory action.
The following is a brief overview of what Marvel Zombies anticipates:
The Voices We Know, The Darker Roles -A lot of MCU actors come back to vocalize their characters, only in scenarios that are much more terrifying than usual.
It has been more than ten years since the MCU has been growing. However, a lot of fans have been superhero-tired. Marvel is doing something different with Marvel Zombies. Rather than refined heroes, this series offers us fear, anarchy, and survival.
Animation is also a significant element. The visuals, mass battles, and bloody scenes may be done on a large scale, unlike in live action, where it may not be possible to film them. It will allow the creators to take Marvel to unexplored places, together with the mature rating.
Naturally, it is not simple to make a zombie series a part of the MCU. There were some large obstacles in the way of Winderbaum and Andrews:
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Both Winderbaum and Andrews feel that the most enjoyable aspect of the Marvel Zombies is the fact that it puts characters in extreme circumstances. In the destruction of a world, what are you made to? How do hope, trust, and loyalty fare when it comes to survival?
Such questions render Marvel Zombies beyond gore. It’s about people. It is about how heroes are shown as bare as they can be, having to make impossible decisions.
Final Thoughts
The Marvel Zombies is turning out to be one of the boldest projects by Marvel. It is a superhero-meets-horror movie that the fans can rarely watch on the movie screen. The series might be a milestone in Marvel animation, with the protagonists being young, with grotesque visuals, and actual emotional stakes.
It is a breath of fresh, scary air if you are sick of the cliche plot of superhero stories. Marvel Zombies comes to Disney+ on September 24, 2025, and it is destined to transform the perception of Marvel forever.
