Marvel Zombies release date speculation, plot and D23 footage details
Brace yourself for Marvel Animation's darkest project yet.
Marvel Animation has given attendees of fan expo D23 an early look at its upcoming horror project: Marvel Zombies.
The four-part miniseries picks up after the events of What If...? season 1 episode 5, which imagined a version of the MCU that is ravaged by a virus originating from the Quantum Realm.
Updates on the series, which is loosely inspired by the comics of the same name, have been few and far between since it was first announced back in November 2021, but footage shown at D23 proved it was gradually coming together.
You can find a full description of the clip below, along with the latest news and speculation regarding the Marvel Zombies release date and cast. Read on, if you dare!
Marvel Zombies release date speculation
Marvel Zombies does not yet have a release date.
However, at D23, the shows at Marvel Animation's sneak peek were said to be coming in the next 12-18 months.
Therefore, it should hopefully be with us no later than early 2026.
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Marvel Zombies plot: D23 footage explained
Marvel Zombies imagines a world where superheroes have been overcome by a virus from the Quantum Realm, which reduces them to mindless, ravenous flesh-eaters.
The story began in the fifth episode of What If...?, following a ragtag group of MCU heroes who were lucky enough to survive the initial infection, ending with Spider-Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange's cloak and Ant-Man's head in a jar escaping a horde.
Meanwhile, zombie Thanos was seen approaching Wakanda with the dreaded Infinity Gauntlet.
Speaking at D23, What If...? director Bryan Andrews revealed that Feige had personally approached him about continuing the story of that particular episode in a four-part "event".
Andrews and Marvel producer Brad Winderbaum went on to present a Marvel Zombies clip, which began with Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Katy (Awkwafina) swarmed by zombies while working as parking valets in San Francisco, California.
Shang-Chi's long-lost father, Wenwu, appears in a helicopter and attempts to rescue his son from certain doom, wielding the powerful 10 rings to ward off the zombie hordes.
However, Shang-Chi is overwhelmed nonetheless and bitten on the arm, sending the virus coursing through his veins, leading Wenwu to take drastic action to save his estranged offspring.
He transfers the 10 rings to Shang-Chi's arm and their immense power prevents the infection from spreading any further, but Wenwu is killed soon after as he is powerless to defend himself without his ancient tools.
Shang-Chi and Katy escape in the helicopter Wenwu arrived in and, five years later, are surviving in a Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic world, where they get into a breathless battle with a Skrull biker gang.
The clip, which is not yet available online, set up the dire status quo for the dark world of Marvel Zombies.
Marvel Zombies cast speculation
While no official cast list has been released for Marvel Zombies just yet, we do know which characters are expected to play major roles, and from that we can speculate as to who might be in the roster.
As mentioned above, Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Katy (Awkwafina) are key to the show's plot, with the martial artist's father, Wenwu (Tony Leung), also having a brief appearance.
Back in 2022, it was confirmed that other survivors would be Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Death Dealer (Andy Le), Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), Ms Marvel (Iman Vellani) and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld).
Meanwhile, their zombie rivals will include deadly, flesh-eating versions of Hawkeye, Captain America, Abomination, Ghost, Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch, Ikaris and Okoye, but these may not be speaking roles.
Marvel Zombies age rating
It has been confirmed that the upcoming Marvel Zombies animated miniseries for Disney Plus is mature-rated, meaning it will depict more "hardcore" scenes than What If...? (in the words of the show's director, Bryan Andrews).
Is there a Marvel Zombies trailer?
Not yet! We'll update this page when any footage becomes publicly available.
Marvel's What If...? seasons 1-2 are available to stream on Disney Plus. Season 3 coming soon. Sign up to Disney Plus from £4.99 a month.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
