The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always expanding, thanks to new projects hitting theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The new animated series Marvel Zombies is in the latter category, and is a surprisingly bloody affair that kills of beloved characters. While critics called Marvel Zombies terrifying, some fans are bummed that there's only four episodes. Now the director explained exactly how this decision was made.
Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order, as well as the TV shows, will recall that the zombie version of the MCU debuted in an episode of What If...?. It was memorable enough that it got its own four-episode miniseries, and in a conversation with Variety director Bryan Andrews explained why/how it ended up having just a handful of episodes. He recalled:
Time and money, man. It’s 'Hey, this is all you got.' We’re like, 'Oh shit! All right.' We were creating a thing and didn’t know what the limit was going to be. Then they’re like, 'Oh no, no, guys.' Then we thought, 'Well, let’s make it a movie.' We were going to make it a movie and have it released. It should be an epic, it’s gonna be two, two and a half hours long. It’s gonna be amazing. But, there were contractual issues because of Spider-Man in it. So, there are Sony rules that come into play. We were like, 'Oh shit, that’s a thing? Oh no, okay, I guess we can’t do that.' So we broke it up.
Isn't it fascinating to see how the sausage gets made? Clearly Marvel Zombies went through a number of changes throughout its long development and production process. And the four-episode season was a result of not being able to make a movie, and not having unlimited funds to craft a longer set of episodes.
Andrews' comments offer a peek behind the curtain, and explains why just four episodes were produced. Although given Marvel Zombies' cliffhanger ending, fans are hoping a second season is green lit by the powers that be at the studio. Fingers crossed!
Marvel Zombies has been making a ton of headlines, partly thanks to the inclusion of Blade. While the Blade movie keeps being delayed, we got to see an alternate version of him in the animated series, powered by Khonshu. I have to wonder if his appearance in the animated series will increase anticipation for the Daywalker's solo flick.
Later in the same interview, Andrews shared more about what he would have liked to chance in Marvel Zombies if the budget was no issue. In his words:
Now, it plays like four chapters in a book. Even with the four chapters, it would have been awesome if we had more time to make each installment a little bit longer, just so we could milk those quiet moments a bit longer. We tried to put it in as much as possible, and it moves at a breakneck pace. We put in those moments of stillness and reflection as best we could. Maybe next time around, if everyone loves it enough and yells online enough to demand more, maybe they’ll give us more time and more money.
The fact that he's talking about a possible "next time around" is definitely hopeful for Marvel fans who are hoping Zombies get a second season on Disney+. Clearly Andrews has some plans for the future, and is hoping that the show is popular enough that it gets a second, larger season on the air.
Despite its bloody M-rated content, Marvel Zombies does feel like a love letter to the MCU as a whole. Fans were treated to a ton of new crossovers and character pairings... even if most of them were killed off throughout its first season. Fans were particularly hyped to see the return of Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff, who has been noticeably missing since the end of Doctor Strange 2.
Marvel Zombies is streaming in its entirety over on Disney+ as part of the 2025 TV schedule. Hopefully it get renewed for a second season on the streaming service sooner rather than later.
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