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Marvel Zombies (series)
Encyclopedia
Marvel Zombies is a comic book
metaseries published by Marvel Comics
. The series features zombie
versions of Marvel Universe
superhero
es who have been portrayed as both protagonist
s and antagonist
s through the different limited series
within the metaseries.
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 is to be launched in 2011, Marvel Zombies Supreme takes the zombie infection to Earth-712, the universe of Squadron Supreme
. It will also have a new creative team of Frank Marraffino and penciller Fernando Blanco.
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. 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 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 both Wolverine and the Hulk, 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, however the virus eventually takes hold of him. The disease is also shown to affect the high gods of Asgard and Olympus, as members of several of Earth's ancient pantheons, such as Thor, Hercules and Amora are shown among the packs of zombies in various series. Perhaps the only immunity goes to voodoo-crafted zombies, such as Simon Garth
, who cannot spread the virus. Non-organic mechanical beings, such as Jocasta
and Machine Man
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. 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. While the skills of Doctor Druid and apparently Doctor Strange (the Sorcerer Supreme
of Earth's dimension), 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 the 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.
The disease is incredibly hard 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 decapitated heads that somehow still could function, and another example would be Captain America who survived for over forty years as a brain on the ground until put inside a robot body.
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 perform a functioning role within society, albeit with necrotised 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 pains and wish to continue feeding.
universe as a food source. The zombified Fantastic Four, after failing to capture him, cross over to the Ultimate universe 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 attempt to break free from their confinement. The Ultimate Johnny Storm is infected with a demon from the Negative Zone, and the Ultimate Reed Richards performs a mind-swap with the Ultimate Doctor Doom
. After the zombies break free, Reed, in Dr. Doom's body, becomes the demon's new host and defeats the zombies. Dr. Doom undoes the mind-swap and goes through the portal, destroying it and trapping himself in the zombie universe.
prepares to eat the Earth. Colonel America, Giant Man, 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, the Hulk, Iron Man, Luke Cage, and Spider-Man, travel the universe as the "Zombie Galacti" to search for more sources of food.
is transported to the Marvel Zombies universe, and must fight the zombies while searching for a way to escape the universe.
, a colony of humans who survived the zombie onslaught.
, 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.
, 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.
Each issue stars its titular characters, though not necessarily the zombified versions of Earth-2149, as seen in the case of Iron Man and Hulk, whose respective issues feature uninfected versions battling zombies.
The series culminates in the Watcher
of the new universe sending the infected Sentry of his reality back in time to the moment when the infection emerged on Earth-2149, essentially 'containing' the zombie virus in those two universes in an elaborate time loop, Uatu recognizing that since the virus's "hunger" will never be sated, let it then devour itself.
. It resolves some of the remaining questions over the origin of the zombie plague and is set between Dead Days and Crossover. The story starts in the zombieverse shortly after "Dead Days." Zombie Giant-Man and Wasp discover the Ape-verse (as seen in the previous Apes specials) and take a trip there to devour its populace. We later learn that the Prime Eight scared them back to their dimension.
The Ape-vengers are now leading a pre-emptive strike into the zombieverse to get the zombies before they get the Apes. There's heavy casualties on both sides. Zombie Reed-Richards is decapitated, but still mobile. He teams up with the Gibbon, Gorilla Girl, Ape-X, Speedball, Spider-Monkey, and the rest of the characters to alter history so that the Ape and Zombie universe never meet.
The team is successful. History is changed so that the Apes never found Speedball back in the Speedball special, so the zombies never discover either universe. However, Gorilla Girl had to sacrifice herself to change history, so she ceases to exist.
It is also implied that a dimensional portal Reed Richards had earlier been testing had something to do with bringing the Zombie Sentry to his Earth, though this is not made clear how this fits in with the rest of the Marvel Zombies series.
with retrieving different samples of zombies from each reality so that he can find a cure for his infected friend, Jack Russell
. Different classes of zombies are identified, informally named after the directors of movies in which their type appeared (e.g. "Romeros"
and "Boyles"
). Amazing Spider-Man #622 acts as a prequel to this series.
#85-#86 as part of a team of Alternative versions of Wolverine.
After Deadpool Corps: prelude, the Deadpool Corps travel around the universe, fighting off the Champion, "Borg" like entities, and looking for the "broken blade," all while trying to defeat the evil awareness and saving the universe.
travels through the multiverse
ending up in the Marvel Zombies universe where he becomes a zombie.
(Black Panther
, Storm, the Human Torch
and the Thing
) are teleported by King Solomon's Frogs to the Marvel Zombies universe where they encounter zombies on a Skrull planet.
was first suggested as a successor to Marvel Zombies by a fan during a convention Q&A session with Joe Quesada
. All of the following one shots are resolved with the aforementioned Marvel Zombies: Evil Evolution.
recreating classic Marvel Comics covers with the characters replaced by zombie versions. The covers of Marvel Zombies 3 by Greg Land feature recreations of posters of classic zombie films featuring zombified Marvel Comics characters. Starting with Marvel Zombies 4, the covers were usually original designs, with some variants continuing the zombified spoof trend.
collecting the various stories:
, action figures and a number of mini busts.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
metaseries published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. The series features zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
versions of Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es who have been portrayed as both protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
s and antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
s through the different limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
within the metaseries.
Publication history
The series of titles begins with two Ultimate Fantastic FourUltimate Fantastic Four
Ultimate Fantastic Four is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Fantastic Four comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
story arcs, "Crossover" (2005) and "Frightful" (2006), by Mark Millar
Mark Millar
Mark Millar is a Scottish comic book writer, known for his work on books such as The Authority, The Ultimates, Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Civil War, Wanted, and Kick-Ass, the latter two of which have been adapted into feature films...
and Greg Land
Greg Land
Greg Land is an American comic book artist, best known for his work on characters such as X-Men, Birds of Prey, and Fantastic Four.-Career:Greg Land first got a job with an independent publisher as the artist for StormQuest after advertising himself at a Mid-Ohio Con comic convention...
. The story arcs were followed by a Marvel Zombies
Marvel Zombies
Marvel Zombies is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the Marvel Zombies series of related stories...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
by Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead and Invincible for Image Comics, and Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt...
and Sean Phillips
Sean Phillips
Sean Phillips is a British comic book artist.He is best known in the American comic book industry for his work on DC Comics' Sleeper, WildC.A.T.s, Batman and Hellblazer.-Career:...
, who also created the prequel Marvel Zombies: Dead Days
Marvel Zombies: Dead Days
Marvel Zombies: Dead Days is a comic book one-shot first published in May 2007 by Marvel Comics. It was written by Robert Kirkman and drawn by Sean Phillips, with cover art by Arthur Suydam. It is part of the Marvel Zombies series. The issue is a prequel to Marvel's first Marvel Zombies limited...
and sequel Marvel Zombies 2
Marvel Zombies 2
Marvel Zombies 2 is a five-issue limited series published from October 2007 - February 2008 by comics publisher Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and Arthur Suydam...
.
A crossover with Army of Darkness
Army of Darkness (comics)
Army of Darkness comics are based on the film of the same name published originally by Dark Horse Comics, and later by Dynamite Entertainment who initially published them through Devil's Due Publishing....
, Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness
Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness
Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness is a five-issue 2007 comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in association with Dynamite Entertainment, an intercompany crossover in which Ash Williams, hero of the popular Evil Dead film and comic book, finds himself in the Marvel Zombies...
, was written by John Layman
John layman
John Steele Layman is an American comic book writer and letterer.-Biography:Once an editor for Wildstorm, a branch of DC Comics, Layman turned to writing comics full-time in 2002 and mainly writes for Marvel Comics....
with art by Fabiano Neves, Fernando Blanco and Sean Phillips.
With Marvel Zombies 3
Marvel Zombies 3
Marvel Zombies 3 is a four-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics beginning in October 2008. It is part of the Marvel Zombies series. The series is written by Fred Van Lente, penciled by Kev Walker, with covers by Greg Land.-Plot:...
, Kirkman and Phillips were replaced by Fred Van Lente
Fred Van Lente
Fred Van Lente is an American writer, primarily of comic books and graphic novels.-Career:Van Lente is the co-founder, along with artist Ryan Dunlavey, of Evil Twin Comics, which produces his and Dunlavey’s non-fiction comic books, the first and most famous of which is Action Philosophers.Recent...
and Kev Walker
Kev Walker
Kevin "Kev" Walker is a British comics artist and illustrator, based in Leeds, who worked mainly on 2000 AD and Warhammer comics and the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering...
. The team continued on to Marvel Zombies 4
Marvel Zombies 4
Marvel Zombies 4 is a four-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics beginning in April 2009. It is part of the Marvel Zombies series...
, 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
Marvel Zombies Return
Marvel Zombies Return is a weekly five-issue comic book limited series, published by Marvel Comics in late 2009. It is part of the Marvel Zombies series of comic books.-Publication history:...
a series of five one-shots looking at different aspects of the outbreak. With Marvel Zombies 5
Marvel Zombies 5
Marvel Zombies 5 is a five-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics beginning in June and ending in October 2010. It is part of the Marvel Zombies series. The series is written by Fred Van Lente, penciled by Jose Angel Cano Lopez, with covers by Greg Land.-Plot synopsis:Morbius...
he teamed up with Kano
Kano (comics)
Kano is the pseudonym of a Spanish comic book artist, whose real name is Jose Angel Cano Lopez.-Biography:After breaking into the comic book industry in 1998 as the artist for Virtex, published by Oktomica Comics, Kano moved on to work for DC Comics, with long runs on Action Comics.He has since...
, with the story picking up from the end of Marvel Zombies 4.
A new series is to be launched in 2011, Marvel Zombies Supreme takes the zombie infection to Earth-712, the universe of Squadron Supreme
Squadron Supreme
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first appeared in Avengers #85 - 86 The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first...
. It will also have a new creative team of Frank Marraffino and penciller Fernando Blanco.
The Infection
The ultimate origin of the infection is unknown. Although a paradoxical loop is responsible for its existence in the universes seen in the 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 SupremeSquadron Supreme
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first appeared in Avengers #85 - 86 The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first...
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. 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 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 both Wolverine and the Hulk, 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, however the virus eventually takes hold of him. The disease is also shown to affect the high gods of Asgard and Olympus, as members of several of Earth's ancient pantheons, such as Thor, Hercules and Amora are shown among the packs of zombies in various series. Perhaps the only immunity goes to voodoo-crafted zombies, such as Simon Garth
Zombie (comics)
The Zombie is a fictional supernatural character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular starred in the black-and-white, horror-comic magazine series Tales of the Zombie , usually in stories by Steve Gerber and Pablo Marcos...
, who cannot spread the virus. Non-organic mechanical beings, such as Jocasta
Jocasta (comics)
Jocasta is a fictional, comic book superhero appearing books published by Marvel Comics. A member of the Avengers, the character is a robot created by the villain Ultron.-Publication history:Jocasta first appears in The Avengers Jocasta is a fictional, comic book superhero appearing books published...
and Machine Man
Machine Man
Machine Man is a fictional character, an android superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character was created by Jack Kirby for 2001: A Space Odyssey #8 , a comic written and drawn by Kirby featuring concepts based on the eponymous Stanley Kubrick film and Arthur C. Clarke novel...
apparently cannot be affected by the zombie virus, certain mystical changes in physiology (such as in the case of Jack Russell
Jack Russell
Jack Russell is the name of:* Jack Russell , a fictional Marvel Comics character* Jack Russell Terrier, a type of dog- People :* Jack "Russer" Russell , traveler* Jack Russell , American baseball player...
, 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
Uatu
Uatu, often simply known as The Watcher, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and designed by artist Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Fantastic Four #13 ....
and the Watchers
Watcher (comics)
The Watchers are a fictional race of extraterrestrials that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the first Watcher - named Uatu - appears in Fantastic Four #13 .-Fictional history:...
, 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. The Aquarian
Wundarr the Aquarian
Wundarr the Aquarian is a Marvel Comics character created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik in Adventure into Fear #17. His first appearance is thought of as a parody of the origin of Superman.-Publication history:...
, empowered by the energies of the Cosmic Cube
Cosmic Cube
The Cosmic Cube, called the Tesseract in the film Captain America: The First Avenger, is the name of a fictional object that appears in the Marvel Universe. The concept was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Tales of Suspense #79 .-Publication history:The first Cosmic Cube...
, is able to, through intense hibernative meditation within an energy cocoon, eventually purge the infection from his system, and the Man-Thing
Man-Thing
The Man-Thing is a fictional character, a monster in publications from Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in Savage Tales #1 , and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including...
, allegedly due to his intimate connection with Gaea, evidently cannot be permanently harmed by the zombie virus. While the skills of Doctor Druid and apparently Doctor Strange (the Sorcerer Supreme
Sorcerer Supreme
Sorcerer Supreme or Sorceress Supreme is a title granted in the fictional Marvel Universe to the "practitioner of the mystic or magic arts who has greater skills than all others or commands a greater portion of the ambient magical energies than any other organism on a given world or dimension". By...
of Earth's dimension), 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
Dormammu
Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a...
through the mystic Jennifer Kale
Jennifer Kale
Jennifer Kale is a fictional character, a sorceress in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Jennifer Kale was created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik, and debuted in Adventure into Fear #11 . She is the cousin of Ghost Riders Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch, and a founding member of the...
, 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 the Black Talon
Black Talon (comics)
The Black Talon is the name of a number of fictional characters, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe.-Black Talon :The first Black Talon was Pascal Horta, a painter who lost his hand in an auto-accident. Undergoing experimental surgery, he was given the hand of an African-American serial...
, 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
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
and Thanos
Thanos
Thanos is a fictional character that appears in comic books and other media published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin....
(secretly Skrulls in disguise), expresses the view that the power of the Cosmic Cube
Cosmic Cube
The Cosmic Cube, called the Tesseract in the film Captain America: The First Avenger, is the name of a fictional object that appears in the Marvel Universe. The concept was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Tales of Suspense #79 .-Publication history:The first Cosmic Cube...
could undo everything that has thus far occurred. In Marvel Zombies 5, Morbius
Morbius, the Living Vampire
Morbius, the Living Vampire, is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane, the character, a living human suffering from vampiric abilities resulting from scientific rather than supernatural means, first appeared as...
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.
The disease is incredibly hard 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 decapitated heads that somehow still could function, and another example would be Captain America who survived for over forty years as a brain on the ground until put inside a robot body.
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 perform a functioning role within society, albeit with necrotised 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 pains and wish to continue feeding.
Ultimate Fantastic Four
In the story arc "Crossover" (issues #21-23), Reed Richards receives contact from an older version of himself from an alternate dimension. After crossing over, Reed discovers he's been duped and that the entire world is infested with blood-thirsty zombies looking to use the Ultimate MarvelUltimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's superhero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of the series...
universe as a food source. The zombified Fantastic Four, after failing to capture him, cross over to the Ultimate universe 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 attempt to break free from their confinement. The Ultimate Johnny Storm is infected with a demon from the Negative Zone, and the Ultimate Reed Richards performs a mind-swap with the Ultimate Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
. After the zombies break free, Reed, in Dr. Doom's body, becomes the demon's new host and defeats the zombies. Dr. 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, GalactusGalactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
prepares to eat the Earth. Colonel America, Giant Man, the Hulk, Iron Man, Luke Cage and Spider-Man defeat and devour the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
, and then attack Galactus. Infused with the Power Cosmic
Power Cosmic
The Power Cosmic is a fictional type of cosmic energy that appears in comic books published by Marvel, most commonly mentioned in stories involving the cosmic entity Galactus and his heralds...
, Giant Man, 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: Dead Days
In this prequel, the zombie infection spreads throughout the world, while superheroes try to concoct a plan to save the human race.Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness
Set before, and during, Dead Days, Ash WilliamsAsh Williams
Ashley J. "Ash" Williams is the protagonist in the Evil Dead horror film franchise, played by Bruce Campbell, and created by director Sam Raimi. Throughout the series, Ash has to face off against his loved ones inside an abandoned cabin as they are possessed by "deadites", the evil souls of the dead...
is transported to the Marvel Zombies universe, and must fight the zombies while searching for a way to escape the universe.
Marvel Zombies 2
After devouring all life in the universe over the course of forty years, the Zombie Heroes return to Earth to find a way to access other dimensions for food. On Earth, they face off against New WakandaWakanda (comics)
Wakanda is a fictional nation in the Marvel Universe. It is the most prominent of several fictional African nations in the Marvel Universe. Wakanda is located in Northeastern Africa, although its exact location has varied throughout the nation's publication history: some sources place Wakanda in...
, a colony of humans who survived the zombie onslaught.
Marvel Zombies 3
After zombies invade the Marvel UniverseMarvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
, Machine Man
Machine Man
Machine Man is a fictional character, an android superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character was created by Jack Kirby for 2001: A Space Odyssey #8 , a comic written and drawn by Kirby featuring concepts based on the eponymous Stanley Kubrick film and Arthur C. Clarke novel...
and Jocasta
Jocasta (comics)
Jocasta is a fictional, comic book superhero appearing books published by Marvel Comics. A member of the Avengers, the character is a robot created by the villain Ultron.-Publication history:Jocasta first appears in The Avengers Jocasta is a fictional, comic book superhero appearing books published...
go to the Marvel Zombies universe to retrieve a blood sample from an uninfected human. Unbeknownst to them, a zombie Morbius
Morbius, the Living Vampire
Morbius, the Living Vampire, is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane, the character, a living human suffering from vampiric abilities resulting from scientific rather than supernatural means, first appeared as...
plans to use the blood to infect the Marvel Universe.
Marvel Zombies 4
The Midnight SonsMidnight Sons
The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional...
, under the command of A.R.M.O.R., hunt zombies who have escaped to different universes. Meanwhile, Dormammu
Dormammu
Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a...
commands The Hood
Hood (comics)
The Hood is a fictional character, a supervillain, and a crime boss in the . Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell, the character first appeared in The Hood #1 .-Publication history:...
to capture the virus for his own ends.
Marvel Zombies Return
The storyline follows from Marvel Zombies 2 when zombie Spider-Man, Giant-Man and Wolverine were teleported to a different universe, and deals with the ramifications of their arrival on a new Earth and the characters' resurgent hunger, which once again drives them to obtain cross-universal teleporters.Each issue stars its titular characters, though not necessarily the zombified versions of Earth-2149, as seen in the case of Iron Man and Hulk, whose respective issues feature uninfected versions battling zombies.
The series culminates in the Watcher
Uatu
Uatu, often simply known as The Watcher, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and designed by artist Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Fantastic Four #13 ....
of the new universe sending the infected Sentry of his reality back in time to the moment when the infection emerged on Earth-2149, essentially 'containing' the zombie virus in those two universes in an elaborate time loop, Uatu recognizing that since the virus's "hunger" will never be sated, let it then devour itself.
Marvel Zombies: Evil Evolution
This one-shot is a crossover between the zombies and the Marvel ApesMarvel Apes
Marvel Apes is a four-issue limited series by comics publisher Marvel Comics which started publication in October 2008. The series is written by Karl Kesel with art by Ramon Bachs and covers by John Watson....
. It resolves some of the remaining questions over the origin of the zombie plague and is set between Dead Days and Crossover. The story starts in the zombieverse shortly after "Dead Days." Zombie Giant-Man and Wasp discover the Ape-verse (as seen in the previous Apes specials) and take a trip there to devour its populace. We later learn that the Prime Eight scared them back to their dimension.
The Ape-vengers are now leading a pre-emptive strike into the zombieverse to get the zombies before they get the Apes. There's heavy casualties on both sides. Zombie Reed-Richards is decapitated, but still mobile. He teams up with the Gibbon, Gorilla Girl, Ape-X, Speedball, Spider-Monkey, and the rest of the characters to alter history so that the Ape and Zombie universe never meet.
The team is successful. History is changed so that the Apes never found Speedball back in the Speedball special, so the zombies never discover either universe. However, Gorilla Girl had to sacrifice herself to change history, so she ceases to exist.
It is also implied that a dimensional portal Reed Richards had earlier been testing had something to do with bringing the Zombie Sentry to his Earth, though this is not made clear how this fits in with the rest of the Marvel Zombies series.
Marvel Zombies 5
A direct sequel to Marvel Zombies 4. Forecasters for A.R.M.O.R. discover that several alternate realities afflicted with a variation of zombieism will temporarily merge during a cross-temporal "planetstorm". Morbius charges fellow A.R.M.O.R. agents, Machine Man and Howard the DuckHoward the Duck
Howard the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny...
with retrieving different samples of zombies from each reality so that he can find a cure for his infected friend, Jack Russell
Werewolf by Night
Werewolf by Night is a fictional character, an antiheroic werewolf in the Marvel Comics universe. The Werewolf by Night first appeared in Marvel Spotlight vol...
. Different classes of zombies are identified, informally named after the directors of movies in which their type appeared (e.g. "Romeros"
George A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
and "Boyles"
Danny Boyle
Daniel "Danny" Boyle is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Trainspotting. For Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle won numerous awards in 2008, including the Academy Award for Best Director...
). Amazing Spider-Man #622 acts as a prequel to this series.
Marvel Zombies Supreme
Responding to a mysterious emergency call, Jill Harper and her super-crisis special-ops unit descend deep into the bowels of a top secret underground research facility. They discover that the demented experiments of an unhinged geneticist have placed them at ground zero of a brand new virulent zombie strain – one that has infected powerful superheroes. The Squadron Supreme, once heroic defenders of justice and utopian ideals, have been reduced to corpulent cannibalistic murderers with a voracious appetite for human flesh. Harper and her team fight against overwhelming odds to stop this ravenous zombie menace where it began – before it spreads out to devour the earth.Exiles
A zombie version of Wolverine (From a universe similar to that of Marvel Zombies) appears in ExilesExiles (Marvel Comics)
The Exiles are a group of fictional characters that feature in three Marvel Comics series, Exiles, New Exiles, and Exiles vol. 2. The Exiles consists of characters from different dimensions, or realities, which have been removed from time and space in order to correct problems in various alternate...
#85-#86 as part of a team of Alternative versions of Wolverine.
Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth
A sequel to Marvel Zombies 4, Deadpool teams up with his zombified head after discovering it in the Savage Land. Dodging Hydra operatives, dinosaurs, cavemen and zombie cavemen, he attempts to return the head to the Marvel Zombies universe.Deadpool Corps
A sequel to Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth, Deadpool goes into different universes to find other deadpools (Headpool, the zombie head of Deadpool. Kidpool, a kid version of Deadpool. Lady Deadpool, and Dogpool, who is Deadpool as a dog.).After Deadpool Corps: prelude, the Deadpool Corps travel around the universe, fighting off the Champion, "Borg" like entities, and looking for the "broken blade," all while trying to defeat the evil awareness and saving the universe.
Ultimate Civil War Spider-Ham
Spider-HamSpider-Ham
Spider-Ham is a fictional character, an anthropomorphic funny animal parody of Marvel Comics' Spider-Man, created by Tom DeFalco and Mark Armstrong....
travels through the multiverse
Multiverse (Marvel Comics)
Within Marvel Comics, most tales take place within the fictional Marvel Universe, which in turn is part of a larger multiverse. Starting with issues of Captain Britain, the main continuity in which most Marvel storylines take place was designated Earth-616, and the multiverse was established as...
ending up in the Marvel Zombies universe where he becomes a zombie.
Black Panther
The Fantastic FourFantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
(Black Panther
Black Panther (comics)
The Black Panther is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52...
, Storm, the Human Torch
Human Torch
The Human Torch is a fictional character and superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, he is a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four, debuting in The Fantastic Four #1...
and the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
) are teleported by King Solomon's Frogs to the Marvel Zombies universe where they encounter zombies on a Skrull planet.
Marvel Apes
Though not directly related to Marvel Zombies, Marvel ApesMarvel Apes
Marvel Apes is a four-issue limited series by comics publisher Marvel Comics which started publication in October 2008. The series is written by Karl Kesel with art by Ramon Bachs and covers by John Watson....
was first suggested as a successor to Marvel Zombies by a fan during a convention Q&A session with Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
. All of the following one shots are resolved with the aforementioned Marvel Zombies: Evil Evolution.
Marvel Apes: Speedball Special
At the end of the first issue, a glimpse of an unidentified zombie is seen, commenting that he would like to have a bite out of the protagonists, who warp to a different universe.Marvel Apes: The Amazing Spider Monkey
The issue ends with Red Ghost and the ape Speedball in the ape universe, running away from the recently-appearing zombie versions of Giant Man, the Wasp, Iron Man, Wolverine, and others.Marvel Apes: Grunt Line
The issue ends with Ape X, The Gibbon, Jane Potter, Gorilla Girl, and the Red Ghost's apes in the Marvel Zombies universe as zombie versions of Wolverine and Colonel America draw closer.Marvel Apes: Prime Eight
Iron Mandrill and other heroes receive a vision about the Marvel Zombies. When the 7 most powerful Apes gather and reluctantly have to work together with Dr. Doom and a futuristic Nick Furry 2099, they realize that the zombies have already arrived and one of the apes will be infected.Covers
Most Marvel Zombies issues and trade paperbacks feature covers by Arthur SuydamArthur Suydam
Arthur Suydam is an American comic book artist and musician. He has done artwork for magazines including Heavy Metal, Epic Illustrated and National Lampoon, while his comic book work includes Batman, Conan, Tarzan, Predator, Aliens, Death Dealer, and Marvel Zombies.-Illustration:Suydam has...
recreating classic Marvel Comics covers with the characters replaced by zombie versions. The covers of Marvel Zombies 3 by Greg Land feature recreations of posters of classic zombie films featuring zombified Marvel Comics characters. Starting with Marvel Zombies 4, the covers were usually original designs, with some variants continuing the zombified spoof trend.
Collected editions
There are several trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
collecting the various stories:
Merchandise
There is a range of supporting merchandise based on the characters. Diamond Select have produced Marvel Zombie MinimatesMinimates
Minimates are a block-styled miniature action figure originally created by Art Asylum in 2002 and now released by Diamond Select Toys. The basic Minimate figure design has a 2" tall body that resembles an extremely simplified human form with 14 points of articulation, higher than average for block...
, action figures and a number of mini busts.
External links
- Marvel Zombies
- Talking Marvel Zombies With Robert Kirkman, NewsaramaNewsaramaNewsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
- "The Dead Walk the Earth... in Spandex!" Article/Review from I-MockeryI-MockeryI-Mockery is a pop culture humor site owned and operated by Roger Barr that has existed online in various forms since 1996. Before then, it was a printed periodical called Visionary Darkness. Free copies of Visionary Darkness were distributed in local high schools and record shops...