Marvel Zombies is an American comic book metaseries published by Marvel Comics. The series features zombie versions of Marvel Universe characters who have been portrayed as both protagonists and antagonists through the different limited series within the metaseries.
Publication history The series of titles begins with two Ultimate Fantastic Four story arcs, "Crossover" (2005) and "Frightful" (2006), by Mark Millar and Greg Land. The story arcs were followed by a Marvel Zombies limited series by Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips, who also created the prequel Marvel Zombies: Dead Days and sequel Marvel Zombies 2.
A crossover with Army of Darkness, Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness, was written by John Layman with art by Fabiano Neves, Fernando Blanco and Sean Phillips.
With Marvel Zombies 3, Kirkman and Phillips were replaced by Fred Van Lente and Kev Walker. The team continued on to Marvel Zombies 4, a four-issue mini-series starting in April 2009. Van Lente then stayed on to write the first and last issues of Marvel Zombies Return, a series of five one-shots looking at different aspects of the outbreak. With Marvel Zombies 5 he teamed up with Kano, with the story picking up from the end of Marvel Zombies 4.
A new series was launched in 2011, Marvel Zombies Supreme takes the zombie infection to Earth-712, the universe of Squadron Supreme. It has a new creative team of Frank Marraffino and penciller Fernando Blanco. This was followed by Marvel Zombies Destroy! set in a dimension where Nazi zombies won the war. It was initially written by Frank Marraffino, with art by Mirco Pierfederici, but Marraffino's health issue meant he had to hand over the writing reins to Peter David with issue #3.
The infection
The ultimate origin of the infection is unknown. Although a paradoxical loop is responsible for its existence in the universes seen in Marvel Zombies and Marvel Zombies Return, several universes are shown to have their own isolated outbreaks that have not reached the catastrophic levels seen in other series. As seen in Marvel Zombies 5, some of these universes have unique variations different from the established virus. Any connection between the common version seen in the first four series and Marvel Zombies Return and the isolated, alternate versions seen in Marvel Zombies 5 is unknown. In Marvel Zombies Supreme, the zombified Squadron Supreme is created when scientists graft the original team's DNA to human corpses and zaps them with space radiation. These zombies appear to be infected with a disease identical to the one seen in Marvel Zombies, its three sequels, and Marvel Zombies Return, though what this suggests about the origin of the virus seen in those series (if anything) is unknown.
Regardless, the most frequent version is the virus seen in the first several Marvel Zombies series. The contagion passes via a bite from an infected being. The infected appears to be dead, or at least decaying, but retains their intelligence, personality, and special abilities, sans healing factors; of note, the virus was initially contained in North America, but was able to be spread over the world when Quicksilver was infected. With his abilities retained, he raced around the world and spread the infection to foreign heroes such as Captain Britain, Red Guardian, Silver Samurai and Ka-Zar. The disease causes a powerful hunger in the host, a hunger which can only be sated by ingesting the flesh of the living; the flesh of other infected tastes foul to them and causes them to be ill. The hunger affects the infected's self-control; the more hungry they are, the less rational and intelligent they become. Once sated, the zombies' personalities re-emerge, and the more humane and moral individuals (such as Spider-Man) often feel great guilt at this point, though others (such as Hank Pym or Reed Richards) seem to embrace the infection, and seek to spread the infection to other universes.
The disease seems to be almost 100% infectious, with even Wolverine, the Hulk and Deadpool, individuals normally highly resistant or immune to most diseases, being affected. However, as noted by Spider-Man, those with any kind of accelerated healing appear to be able to fend off the zombification longer after being bit than others, though it does eventually overcome them. The disease is also shown to convert the high gods of Asgard and Olympus, as well as bearers of the Phoenix Force, as members of several of Earth's ancient pantheons, such as Thor, Hercules and Amora, along with Jean Grey, are shown among the packs of zombies in various series. Perhaps the only immunity goes to voodoo-crafted zombies, such as Simon Garth, and non-organic mechanical beings, such as Jocasta, Ultron and Machine Man who apparently cannot be affected by the zombie virus, certain mystical changes in physiology (such as in the case of Jack Russell, from his human to werewolf form), while unable to purge the infection, are able to keep it and its effects at bay for some time, and Uatu and the Watchers, due to their having exchanged corporeal bodies for forms of pure energy long ago, are incapable of being consumed by the infected, and are immune to the virus.Marvel Zombies Returns #5 Wundarr the Aquarian, empowered by the energies of the Cosmic Cube, is able to, through intense hibernative meditation within an energy cocoon, eventually purge the infection from his system, and the Man-Thing, allegedly due to his intimate connection with Gaea, evidently cannot be permanently harmed by the zombie virus. The only other individual who has avoided infection is Iron Fist who appears to be able to purge the infection via his healing abilities, despite being bitten twice.Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness
While the skills of Doctor Druid and apparently Doctor Strange (the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth's dimension and who was sought by the former for help after contracting the virus), and even the dark magic of the Necronomicon itself cannot seem to directly cure the virus, at least some forms of highly potent extradimensional magic, such as that employed by the Faltine Dormammu through the mystic Jennifer Kale, is even able to at least temporarily take control of the plague and its consciousness. Kale's Atlantean magery, combined with the voodoo spells of Black Talon, is able to draw and contain the virus-mind within a single suitable host, such as Simon Garth. The zombified Hank Pym, when the Marvel Zombies are confronted by Death and Thanos (secretly Skrulls in disguise), expresses the view that the power of the Cosmic Cube could undo everything that has thus far occurred. In Marvel Zombies 5, Morbius of the core Marvel Universe finally manages to produce a cure by combining samples of different versions from several realities, having earlier produced a vaccine that could possibly infect its users as well, as shown in the case of the Werewolf.Marvel Zombies 4 Reed Richards of the Ultimate Marvel Universe was able to easily overpower and cripple the zombified Fantastic Four of Earth-2149 using magic he learned from Doctor Doom's Atlantean spellbooks.Ultimate Fantastic Four #23 Furthermore, Mephisto has proven capable of easily destroying the zombies using his demonic hellfire.Marvel Zombies: Halloween
The disease is incredibly difficult to stop once spreading, due to the high survival rate of all zombies. Zombies seem to only need their brain stem to survive and can continue living without any use of their organs, limbs, and body functions. The infection even allows severed heads without lungs or vocal cords to continue speech just to further its infection capability. This was witnessed by Wasp and Hawkeye in the original Marvel Zombies, they were both simply severed heads that somehow still could function, and another example would be Colonel America, who survived for over 40 years as a brain on the ground until being put inside the body of Black Panther's dead son.
The contagion has an addiction element to it; if a victim can be isolated from a food supply, within a couple of weeks the cravings disappear and the subject is able to perform a functional role within society, albeit with necrotized flesh and near-immortality. Any additional ingestion of flesh will restore the hunger, though it can again be overcome. Another interesting note about the addiction is that, even while lacking a digestive system or even most of their lower body, the infected still have hunger pangs and wish to continue feeding.
Main series
Ultimate Fantastic Four
In the story arc "Crossover" (issues #21–23), Reed Richards is contacted by an older version of himself from an alternate dimension. After crossing over, Reed discovers he's been tricked and that it is an alternate Earth where all the superheroes turned into zombies looking to use the Ultimate Marvel universe as a food source. The zombified Fantastic Four of this reality, after failing to capture him, cross over to Earth-1610 through a dimensional portal but are captured. With help from Magneto, Reed escapes the zombie universe and prevents more zombies from entering the Ultimate universe.
In "Frightful" (issues #30–32), the zombified Fantastic Four of Earth-2149 attempt to break free from their confinement. Johnny Storm is infected with a demon from the N-Zone, and Reed Richards performs a mind-swap with Doctor Doom. After the zombies break free, Reed, in Doom's body, becomes the demon's new host and defeats the zombies. Doom undoes the mind-swap and goes through the portal, destroying it and trapping himself in the zombie universe.
Marvel Zombies
After zombie superheroes eat the human race to extinction, Galactus prepares to eat the Earth. Colonel America, Giant Man, Wolverine, the Hulk, Iron Man, Luke Cage and Spider-Man defeat and devour the Silver Surfer, and then attack Galactus. Infused with the Power Cosmic, Giant Man, Wolverine, the Hulk, Iron Man, Luke Cage, and Spider-Man travel the universe as the "Zombie Galacti" to search for more sources of food.
Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness
In this crossover, Ash Williams from Evil Dead arrives accidentally in the world of Marvel Zombies. Continuing Ash's own storyline from Army of Darkness (The Death of Ash (vol. 1) #12–13), this series also serves as a prequel and an origin story of the Marvel Zombies.
Marvel Zombies: Dead Days
In this continuation from Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness, the zombie infection spreads throughout the world, while uninfected superheroes inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier try to concoct a plan to save the human race; unfortunately, many of them were overwhelmed and infected, while the survivors flee back to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.
Marvel Zombies 2
After devouring all life in the universe over the course of 40 years, the Zombie Heroes return to Earth to find a way to access other dimensions for food. On Earth, they face off against New Wakanda, a colony of humans who survived the zombie onslaught. Near the end of the book, the zombie Hulk kills many zombies and he, too, is killed. The last remaining zombies are teleported to a new world at the end.
Marvel Zombies 3
After zombies invade the Marvel Universe, Machine Man and Jocasta go to the Marvel Zombies universe to retrieve a blood sample from an uninfected human. Unbeknownst to them, a zombie Morbius plans to use the blood to infect the Marvel Universe.
Marvel Zombies 4
The Midnight Sons, under the command of A.R.M.O.R., hunt zombies who have escaped to different universes. Meanwhile, Dormammu commands the Hood to capture the virus for his own ends of zombie life.
Marvel Zombies Return