Marvel Zombies Disney+ series shares a logo with the original comics. One iconic Avenger’s actions show why it won’t be a direct adaptation.
Following the concept’s loosely adapted first appearance on What If…?, a Marvel Zombies animated series was announced on Disney+ Day in November. If the logo is anything to go on, it could be an adaptation of the original Marvel Zombies comics by Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips. If so, hopefully, it won’t be a direct one.
Kirkman and Phillips’ two Marvel Zombies mini-series focused on the titular zombies instead of a ragtag group of survivors, with all the gore that entails. The fact that its zombies retained their personalities, as well as their powers, led to as much of the story’s Disney+ unfriendly content as its blood and guts. The zombified heroes spoke like they normally did, down to Thor’s unique diction. Of course, their ravenous hunger twisted their usual motivations into a focus on devouring any living being in their path, from Magneto to the Silver Surfer.
The comic book Marvel Zombies had some mental clarity after feeding, which led to moments like Spider-Man feeling his trademark guilt about eating Mary Jane and Aunt May before he became gross and terrifying again. They were only brief moments though, with their hunger once again becoming the only priority. The bonds of friendship, teamwork, and even love meant nothing compared to the search for the next to a piece of flesh to satiate them.
Hank Pym was one of the biggest examples of this. While he’s had his dark moments in the mainstream Marvel Universe, they don’t compare to what a zombified Giant-Man was capable of. In a move referenced by what the Vision did in What If…?, Pym stashed his Avengers teammate the Black Panther in a lab and cut pieces off of his body as a snack. Pym was almost apologetic about it, but like a twisted Snickers commercial, he rationalized that he wasn’t his usual brilliant self on an empty stomach. Pym monologued about his love of human flesh, confessing that he would still want to eat it even if he could come up with a cure as he sawed off one of the Panther’s limbs.
Pym realized if any of the other zombies realized he was hiding a human body from them, they’d try to kill him. He was proven right when his wife, the Wasp, discovered his secret stash. An argument ensued, with the Wasp threatening to expose Pym’s secret, which led to a fight. That included a homage to Pym’s darkest moment from the mainstream universe when he backhanded the Wasp.
After quickly overpowering her, he trumped anything the living Pym had ever done by biting her in half. Pym quickly spat the love of his life out when he realized she tasted terrible. He then went back about his business with T’Challa, who was able to eke out a request for Pym to kill him that was quickly denied.
This sequence illustrated much of what was memorable about the original Marvel Zombies comics beyond its gory spectacle. It showed how Earth’s Mightiest Heroes were twisted by the corruption of becoming zombies, making them more interesting characters than the usual shambling corpse. It is also absolutely something that can’t translate to Disney+’s Marvel catalog. Disney+ might be pushing the envelope with the upcoming Moon Knight series, but that’s only in comparison to its previous Marvel shows, not soon to depart Netflix grit-fests like The Punisher. Moon Knight can push Disney+’s limits of violence and dark subject matter because he’s a fringe character in the Marvel Universe. He’s almost always operated on that level as a solo hero.
It’s impossible to imagine Disney+ signing off on an animated series where a founding Avenger does anything Pym did in the span of a few pages in the comics. Fans of Kirkman’s Marvel Zombies looking for a comics-accurate adult animated series on par with Invincible will have to hope for a Hulu adaptation in the vein of M.O.D.O.K. or the zoo animal assassin Hit-Monkey.
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