Did Marvel Zombies break free from the shackles of the Multiverse? The series’ producers speak on how the show differs from other MCU projects.
It’s no secret that fans have become a bit fed up with the Multiverse. While there have been only a few projects in the MCU truly integrating the concept, the sheer explosion of it in other media has made audiences wary of how well it can truly be executed, which is why, when Marvel Zombies was first announced, fans were rather unsure of the series.
While Marvel Zombies is far from the most popular show in the MCU, the series has found its own niche in the wide world of the Multiverse. At the very least, the project is faring better than the last outing of What If…?. When speaking on why the project seems to succeed where other Multiverse stories haven’t, executive producer Brad Winderbaum reveals it all comes down to stakes.
“I think one of the valid criticisms of multiverse storytelling is that when you have multiple realities, the stakes diminish,” Winderbaum told CBR. “But there’s another way to look at it when you have the opportunity (with) something like Marvel Zombies, where actually it raises the stakes quite a bit to be in a pocket universe outside of the MCU.”
“Where death feels very final, and we don’t have to worry about putting the toys back in the toy box unbroken. We can really make a mess.”
How Marvel Zombies Is Different From Other MCU Projects
The stakes being raised are certainly a large reason why Marvel Zombies works, even if longtime fans took umbrage with how some of the series’ major deaths were handled. However, continuing to speak on the project director Bryan Andrews reveals that there’s another reason this Multiverse adventure stands out in the current landscape of the MCU: It’s unpredictable.
“And the fact that the audience might not know what’s coming, because all bets are off. There’s no guarantee for anybody. People come in this cold, they’re truly surprised. They have literally no idea what we’re about to pull on them. And I think, you know, for better or for worse, it’s been missing a little bit.”
“You go into someone’s franchise movie, and it’s like ‘You’re making it out at the end!’ And the filmmakers are doing the best they can to build some tensions, so you worry. And they do, and that’s great. But in this, it’s just like, no, there’s no guarantees for anything. It’s a whole different type of viewing experience.”
Of course, subverting expectations is only as good as the story ends up being. For as much as Marvel Zombies bucks the conventions of the MCU, it’s ironically the constraints of Multiverse storytelling that many see as the series’ biggest crutch. Though, given the numbers the show has been putting up, it wouldn’t be shocking to see more come down the pipeline.
Marvel Zombies is now streaming on Disney Plus. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
