The Avengers are returning to the small screen, but not in the way fans expect. Marvel Zombies, the studio’s first animated M-rated series, has turned Earth’s mightiest heroes into the undead, and its first trailer gives an idea of the blood-spilling action to come.
Set against Babymetal and Poppy’s soundtrack, “from me to u.”, the action-packed clip features plenty of violence and dismembered limbs, as well as new and returning faces. Following Yelena Belova’s warning that “All of the Avengers are dead,” zombified versions of comic book characters such as Hawkeye, Namor, Thanos, and more can be spotted, with a long-awaited appearance stealing the show: Blade.
Unlike Wesley Snipes’ classic hero, the vampire slayer here is a variant of Moon Knight and Blade, who makes a grand entrance by slicing an undead Ghost from the Thunderbolts team in an impressive display of swordsmanship. Invincible star Todd Williams will bring Blade Knight to life in Marvel Zombies, as development on the Mahershala Ali-starring character film remains in limbo.
Joining Williams on the voice cast list are Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), David Harbour (Red Guardian), Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), Awkwafina (Katy), Hailee Steinfeld (Kate Bishop), Wyatt Russell (U.S. Agent), Randall Park (Jimmy Woo), Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel), and Dominique Thorne (Ironheart).
Inspired by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and artist Sean Phillips’ original Marvel Zombies comic, the four-episode mini-series began as an episode of What If…? Season 1 that explored the Marvel universe in a zombified context. Brad Andrews, director of the original episode, returns as showrunner and executive producer. Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt, Bryan Andrews and Zeb Wells are also executive producing the show, while Danielle Costa and Carrie Wassenaar serve as producers.
Marvel Zombies hits Disney+ on 24 September, a week earlier than its initial date.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Joyce Ong
