The Marvel Movie That Was Changed to a Show — And It All Came Down to One Iconic Character

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Red Guardian Shang Chi Moon Knight Blade standing in a line from Marvel Zombies animated series

Marvel Zombies executive producer Bran Winderbaum explains why the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe series took the final form it did.

During a recent interview, Winderbaum discussed the inclusion of Spider-Man in Marvel Zombies and how the character's addition to the series' lineup changed the entire production. "For Spider-Man... You know, we have certain rights to the character and Sony has other rights to the character... We can use Spider-Man in half-hour animation, which is why we're able to make Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, as well. But that meant that we had to take our big epic story, and break it into four chapters, which I actually think helped the storytelling."

Based on the fan-favorite comic book franchise of the same name, Marvel Zombies was spun out of the gruesome events of Season 1 of What If...? entitled "What If... Zombies?!" In the original episode a rescue mission to retrieve Janet van Dyne from the Quantum Realm unleashed a zombie virus that transformed ordinary citizens and superpowered characters alike into near-mindless flesh-eating ghouls. To make matters worse, those belonging to the latter group retained their amazing abilities, leaving the scant survivors left on Earth with an even greater threat to face than mere zombie hordes.

Among the biggest threats present in Marvel Zombies is none other than Wanda Maximoff, better known as the Scarlet Witch, who took center stage in some of the series' most thrilling promotional materials. Of course, not every MCU hero was reduced to an undying cannibal in the world of Marvel Zombies, with over a dozen other iconic heroes ranging from Ant-Man to Jimmy Woo to Kate Bishop not only taking center stage in the series, but bringing along their original actors to provide their voices, as well. Alongside these MCU icons are a handful of new voice stars, with Todd Williams stepping into the role of Blade, who in this timeline just so happens to also have taken on the mantle of Moon Knight.

What Can Fans Expect from Marvel Zombies?

Zombie Captain America screeching bathed in red light from Marvel Zombies animated series

While Marvel Zombies is obviously an overtly gruesome affair, director Bryan Andrews has previously made a point of explaining why the series' violence doesn't overshadow its narrative. "I think the [TV-MA] rating comes from the level of violence and or intensity of the moments that the characters find themselves in. And yeah, blood gets spilled, and we want to be able to see that," Andrews said before noting that the sheer brutality of key sequences in the series is less "about providing just a tremendous amount of gore" and more about adding a heavier emotional weight to the scenes in question.

Marvel Zombies is currently available for streaming on Disney+.