Marvel Zombies Season 1 (TV Series) | Review

Spending years carefully crafting a family-friendly empire, Marvel has always sanitized violence to keep things PG-13 safe. Then Marvel Zombies shambles onto Disney Plus with its TV-MA rating, zombie Captain America, and genuinely disturbing imagery that would make Kevin Feige's marketing team break into cold sweats.

This animated series represents something the MCU has never attempted before– horror that doesn't pull its punches, wrapped in familiar superhero packaging that makes the terror feel both accessible and unsettling for longtime fans who thought they knew these characters.

Here's why this review matters: Marvel Zombies received a 62% approval rating on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, which puts it in that dangerous middle territory where opinions split dramatically. Some critics praise its bold departure from Marvel's usual tone, while others argue it bites off more than it can chew.

Having binged all four episodes, I can tell you both sides have valid points. This series succeeds as a horror experiment but stumbles as compelling television, creating something that feels more like an extended What If episode than a standalone masterpiece.

After the Avengers are overtaken by a zombie plague, survivors discover the key to ending the super-powered undead, racing across a dystopian landscape to save their world. The setup expands from the What If episode that introduced this universe, but where that episode felt focused, the series struggles to maintain momentum.

Iman Vellani returns as Kamala Khan, joined by Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams and Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, forming a trio of young heroes trying to survive in a world where their former mentors now want to eat their faces off in the most literal sense possible.

The premise works because it subverts everything we know about these characters– seeing zombie versions of beloved heroes creates genuine unease that the MCU rarely achieves. The timeline placement matters here. This isn't some alternate reality we can dismiss– it's a direct continuation of What If's most disturbing episode.

The series explores what happens after the outbreak, following survivors who must navigate a world where the greatest heroes have become the greatest threats. The zombie plague doesn't discriminate, creating a moral complexity about whether these creatures can be saved.

The series pulls heavily from the Marvel Zombies comic-book run that shocked the readers in mid-2000s. You can see direct influence of original Marvel Zombies series by writer Robert Kirkman, particularly in how it handles the psychological horror of heroes retaining many of their personalities while craving human flesh.

Its visual design owes much to artwork by Sean Phillips, capturing that perfect balance of superhero iconography and zombie gore. Elements from Marvel Zombies Vs. Army of Darkness appear in how the series handles survivor groups and the search for solutions to the outbreak.

The corporate conspiracy elements feel inspired by various Marvel Horror comics that explored how organizations might exploit supernatural threats for profit or power. The show doesn't directly adapt specific storylines but captures the comics' willingness to destroy sacred cow characters for genuine shock value to audience.

Unlike the comics, which went completely off the rails with universe-hopping zombie galacti, the series maintains focus on Earth-bound survival horror that feels more grounded and emotionally resonant for viewers seeking genuine character-driven storytelling.

The series features an ensemble cast including David Harbour, Elizabeth Olsen, Florence Pugh, Hailee Steinfeld, Iman Vellani, Paul Rudd and Simu Liu, bringing significant star power to the project. Most of these actors reprise their MCU roles, creating seamless continuity between live-action and animated versions of their characters.

Iman Vellani carries the emotional weight effectively, bringing the same energy that made her Ms. Marvel performance compelling. Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop feels natural in this apocalyptic setting, while Florence Pugh's brief appearances as Yelena pack emotional punch.

Iman Vellani carries the emotional weight of the series effectively, bringing the same earnest energy that made her Ms. Marvel performance so compelling. Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop feels natural in this apocalyptic setting, while Florence Pugh's brief appearances as Yelena pack emotional punch despite limited screen time.

The real challenge comes with seven major MCU actors who were replaced with voice actors. Some work seamlessly, while others feel noticeably different. The zombie characters receive strong vocal performances, conveying both familiar personalities and monstrous hunger.

Character design walks the fine line between recognizable MCU heroes and their zombified versions. Living characters maintain their established looks while showing wear and tear from a post-apocalyptic world. Kamala, Kate, and Riri look battle-tested but maintaining hope.

The zombie designs deserve special recognition for avoiding typical zombie movie clichés. These aren't shambling corpses– they're enhanced undead with supernatural abilities intact. Zombie Captain America carries his shield with precision, while zombie Scarlet Witch retains reality-warping powers. These creatures are more dangerous.

The costume design cleverly shows character progression through environmental damage. Heroes who've been fighting longer show more battle damage, while newer zombies retain their original appearance. It's subtle world-building that adds depth without exposition.

The animation style builds on What If's distinctive visual approach while pushing into darker territory that the anthology series couldn't explore. The art direction maintains Marvel's house style while incorporating horror elements that feel organic rather than forced. Character movements flow naturally, action maintains clarity.

Animation quality remains consistently high throughout all four episodes, avoiding declining standards as production rushes to meet deadlines. The lighting design creates constant atmosphere of dread, with shadows and fog obscuring threats until they're genuinely startling.

Gore effects are handled tastefully– disturbing enough to earn the TV-MA rating without becoming needlessly violent. Environmental design deserves praise for creating a believable post-apocalyptic world. Familiar MCU locations appear abandoned and overgrown, showing how quickly civilization collapsed once the heroes fell.

Marvel Zombies is a four-episode series that premiered September 24 on Disney Plus, and that limited episode count becomes both blessing and curse. The series maintains tonal consistency throughout its brief run– this is horror from start to finish.

Animation standards remain consistent across episodes, with no noticeable drop in quality that often plagues animated series. Art style evolution stays minimal by design– this world has already ended, so there's little room for visual growth beyond increasing destruction and decay.

Voice performance consistency varies depending on replacements versus which actors returned. Original MCU actors maintain their established characterizations effortlessly, while replacement voice actors sometimes struggle to capture the exact mannerisms audiences expect. Zombie characters benefit from this inconsistency.

The binge-ability factor works in the series' favor here. Four episodes create perfect viewing for a single sitting, building tension without requiring viewers to remember complex plot threads week to week. However, the series feels hurried and too restrictive for the story being told.

Musical score abandons Marvel's typical heroic themes for horror to build dread without overwhelming the action. Sound design creates constant tension through environmental audio– distant growls, and the unsettling silence of an empty world. Audio mixing ensures every zombie growl and weapon impact feels visceral.

Sound effects for zombie characters deserve special mention. Each zombified hero retains audio cues from their original appearances. Zombie Captain America's shield still makes that distinctive metallic ring, but it's accompanied by his hungry growling.

Voice modulation for zombie characters strikes the right balance between recognizable and horrifying. You can still identify which hero has been turned, but their vocal patterns include enough distortion to make them unsettling rather than just familiar characters with makeup.

Marvel Zombies succeeds as a bold experiment in expanding the tonal range of MCU while failing to fully capitalize on its horror premise. The titular mini-series proves that Disney Plus can handle mature content effectively; creating genuinely disturbing imagery that respects both the source material and horror genre conventions.

The series works best when it commits fully to horror elements rather than trying to balance them with traditional Marvel elements. Seeing everyone's beloved heroes as genuine threats creates emotional impact on audience that the MCU rarely achieves.

However, the short length prevents it from fulfilling its potential completely. Four episodes aren't enough to fully explore this premise or develop meaningful character arcs for its ensemble cast. The series feels like proof of concept for a longer, more developed exploration of this universe rather than a complete story in itself.

This isn't essential MCU viewing, but it's compelling horror that proves Marvel can successfully explore darker themes when given creative freedom. The series succeeds as entertainment while falling short of its full potential due to runtime limitations.

Marvel Zombies mini-series is available exclusively on Disney+, released in all supported regions where the service operates. All four-episode drops at once on September 24, 2025. In India, it's also available via JioHotstar on the same date of release.