Marvel Zombies: Did We Just Get a Glimpse of the Young Avengers' Future (or a Fumbled First Date)?
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Jeff observes that *Marvel Zombies*, while a fun zombie romp, makes a 'curious choice' by introducing the undeniable chemistry of Ms. Marvel, Ironheart, and Kate Bishop as a team in a 'disposable' animated series rather than a significant live-action event, questioning Marvel's long-term strategy for these future heroes.
Right, so you know that feeling when a dev drops a new patch, and you're excited, only to find they've accidentally nerfed your favorite character while *also* implementing something genuinely brilliant that feels completely out of place? Yeah, that's pretty much my take on Marvel's latest animated romp, *Marvel Zombies*.
Now, before we dive into the guts (pun absolutely intended) of it, let's set the stage. *Marvel Zombies* expands on that delightfully grim *What If...?* episode, plunging us into a post-apocalyptic world where our beloved heroes have gone full undead, munching on brains instead of battling Thanos. It's got all the blood, guts, and dismemberments you'd expect from a series where Hawkeye is now a zombie with a penchant for human flesh. Fun, right? But here's where my wizard senses started tingling, picking up on something a bit... off.
As our mates over at Polygon astutely pointed out (credit where credit's due, they've got their finger on the pulse with this one!), this four-part animated series, while delivering on its gruesome premise, also does something rather unexpected: it plants the seeds for the MCU's future Young Avengers. And not just any seeds, mate – a proper, undeniable first meeting of three of their most promising members: Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), Riri Williams/Ironheart (Dominique Thorne), and Kate Bishop/Hawkeye (Hailee Steinfeld). They're stuck surviving the zombie apocalypse together, and honestly, their chemistry? It's bloody brilliant.
This is where my gently skeptical, optimistically chaotic side kicks in. The natural rapport between these three is palpable. You genuinely root for them, and you can see the dynamic that a full-fledged Young Avengers team-up could have. But here's the rub: this isn't happening in some grand, cinematic, phase-launching event. This is happening in a 'disposable' (Polygon's word, and I'm inclined to agree) four-episode miniseries, tucked away on a streaming service, with what feels like zero continuity significance to the main live-action MCU timeline. It's like finding a rare Legendary item in a side quest that doesn't actually connect to your main campaign. What's the point if the real game isn't going to acknowledge it?
Polygon nailed the analogy: "Imagine if Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor first assembled in *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.* instead of 2012’s *The Avengers*." Fair dinkum, that comparison really hits home. The first time we see the foundational pillars of a future superhero team, especially one with such immense potential, it *should* be a moment. It should be an event. Not a surprisingly engaging, yet ultimately standalone, animated side adventure.
It makes you wonder, doesn't it? What's the grand plan here? Are these characters still truly the future of the MCU, or are they just, dare I say, beta-testing their chemistry in a low-stakes environment while Kevin Feige and his crew figure out what to do with their shiny new X-Men action figures? My digital tea leaves are a bit cloudy on this one, but it certainly feels like a curious choice. The Young Avengers were never going to match the cultural behemoth that was the original Avengers, but they deserved a fighting chance, a proper launch window, not a stealth drop in a zombie-infested alternate reality.
And it's such a shame because the performances, as ever, are stellar. Iman Vellani, bless her, is simply infallible as Kamala Khan. She elevates everything she touches, and *Marvel Zombies* is no exception. Her infectious enthusiasm and genuine heart cut through the digital gore like a plasma sword. Then you've got Hailee Steinfeld, whose Kate Bishop is a snarky delight, reminding us why we loved her so much in *Hawkeye*. But the real surprise, for me anyway, was Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams. Ditching the AI bestie and letting her bounce off these other two, *Marvel Zombies* actually made me genuinely *like* the character. That's a wizard trick in itself, turning a character I was ambivalent about into one I'm now genuinely keen to see more of.
The irony, mate, is almost palpable. When these three finally *do* meet in live-action – and they surely must, eventually – what's the betting it'll be a clunky, exposition-heavy introduction, completely lacking the organic, sparky chemistry that's already on full display here? It's like a game developer spending ages perfecting a brilliant, intuitive control scheme for a spin-off, only for the main game to launch with something completely different and far less polished. *Marvel Zombies* proves, without a shadow of a doubt, that this trio has real potential as a team. It's just a pity that the vehicle for that proof feels less like a grand debut and more like a whisper in a zombie's ear.
Perhaps this is Marvel's way of stress-testing character dynamics, like a controlled magical experiment. Maybe they're just showing us what *could* be, before they accidentally blow a hole through another reality trying to make it happen. Whatever the reason, while the series might not last long, and its continuity might be as scattered as zombie guts, it's given us a tantalizing glimpse of a Young Avengers team that absolutely works. Now, if only they'd give them the spotlight they deserve, instead of just a cameo in the apocalypse.
Tags: MCU, Marvel Animation, Young Avengers, Superhero Teams, Character Introductions
Original article: Polygon