A new Marvel TV special has received mixed feedback as a sequel to “What If…” season 1, episode 4, in a zombies story line which takes a unique approach within the Marvel universe.
As a standalone story, it takes its first steps as Marvel’s first TV-MA animated show with four episodes.
The show takes place five years after the events of “What If” season 1, episode 4. The premises of “What If…” was new takes on stories using a “What If…” scenario. In episode 4, the story was “What If… Zombies?!”
“I liked how they weren’t afraid to [eliminate] main characters,” said OH senior Matthew Sobecki. “It was unpredictable because of that.”
The protagonists of the story are relatively new Marvel characters, such as Ms. Marvel, Shang-Chi, and Red Guardian. But more well-known characters like Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Scarlet Witch make appearances as well.
“There were really cool characters like Blade and Infinity Hulk,” said OH freshman Eidan Flores. “There was also hope for a cure and they would’ve fixed everything. Then it all got ruined at the end.”
Marvel Zombies marked the first time that Blade, a comic book vampire hunter, made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Instead of his comic-accurate charisma, he takes on the mantle as the fist of Khonshu, being a combination of Blade and Moon Knight.
OH senior Aaron Hospes explained, “I think [Blade is] cool because we haven’t seen him before. His fight scenes were the highlight of the show and I think he was the most interesting character because he was super mysterious.”
Although there were some pros, the cons possibly weighed down this series. The series was a four-episode event with an average of 35 minute episodes.
Sobecki agreed and said, “The beginning was super slow. It picked up to a good pace during episode 2, but then it got too fast and confusing at the end.”
Something that confused viewers while watching the episodes was how the stronger characters, such as Captain Marvel, Thanos, or Namor, were able to get infected by the virus.
“I was confused [by] how Namor got infected,” Flores added. “No one knew about him before Black Panther 2, and I think that this takes place before that. Don’t get me wrong: he was super vicious and cool, but [that] definitely made a little plot hole.”
The final cliffhanger at the end left some fans with a few head scratchers, as this was advertised as a one-time thing.
This, however, could be a good element in the Marvel Universe as it opens the door to a new season, or a finale, potentially allowing the story line to open up to new possibilities and characters being introduced, such as Blade.
With the end of the series, two hours of television left a ton of excitement for viewers for what Marvel and Disney has next up for the upcoming years.
Howdy! My name is Liam Piekarczyk and I am a first year staff reporter and in my senior year of high school. I am involved in the school's cross country, swim and dive, and track and field team. I am also an editor for the 25/26 reflector yearbook staff. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback for our publication!
I like fishing and I love learning the guitar, I’m a first year reporter in 12th grade. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line, we welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
