Was Ikaris a zombie in Marvel Zombies? Details from the Disney+ series, explored

Marvel zombies season 2 is already in pipeline(Image via Marvel)
Marvel zombies season 2 is already in pipeline(Image via Marvel)

The fans of Marvel are buzzing with the new information on the upcoming Disney+ animated series Marvel Zombies. The fact that Ikaris, one of the most powerful Eternals, will become a frightening zombie presentation of himself in the upcoming series has created a buzz among the fans of Marvel. The show is a reimagining of some of the strongest heroes of the MCU as undead creatures struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic version of the Marvel Universe.

The show builds on the alternate reality presented in What If...? based on the cult-favorite comic series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Marvel Zombies. Season 1, in which a mysterious virus makes heroes flesh-eating monsters.

Ikaris, who was portrayed by Richard Madden in Eternals (2021), now comes back in a far darker shape as an undead being whose near-godlike powers make him one of the most dangerous monsters in this new and gritty world.


More about Ikaris and Disney+’s Marvel Zombies

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In Marvel Zombies, Ikaris is no longer the aristocratic Eternal, but an unrelenting hunter that demonstrates how horrific a corrupted superhero can be. Formerly a symbol of power, commitment, and command with the Eternals, zombie Ikaris turns into a terrifying creature of destruction upon being afflicted with the unexplained quantum virus that sweeps through the multiverse.

In the pre-existing comics, Ikaris possesses the ability to fly, project energy, and exhibit superhuman strength, but it has been enhanced by cosmic power. With powers, those powers become disastrous as a zombie.

The animated adaptation is said to feature Ikaris hunting down surviving heroes with ruthless accuracy and obscuring the distinction between intelligence and instinct. In comparison to traditional zombies, the infected Marvel heroes do not lose all parts of their consciousness, which makes Ikaris horrifyingly self-aware, as well as emotionally tragic.

Marvel Zombies will focus on a disorganized, chaotic world, after civilization has collapsed, and the remnants of the Avengers, the Eternals, and other MCU teams are fighting to survive. The series indicates adult, horror-based storytelling that takes the multiverse of Marvel to a darker, more edgy place.

Produced and executive-produced by Bryan Andrews and Zeb Wells, the show is the third-largest experiment that Marvel Animation has made to date. It will be a story of undead and uninfected heroes who have to follow the path of moral disaster, survival horror, and impossible choices. Having been corrupted to the point of being unable to control his godlike abilities, Zombie Ikaris represents the haunting theme of the show - that even the most outstanding heroes can turn into the ultimate threat.


Cast of Marvel Zombies

The voice cast of Marvel Zombies includes some of the MCU stars used in the animated version reprising their roles. Hudson Thames plays Spider-Man; Mark Ruffalo plays Bruce Banner/Hulk, and Danai Gurira plays Okoye.

Also present are Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), who can be seen fighting against zombie versions of their respective heroes, such as Ikaris, Captain America, Scarlet Witch and others.

It will become a series available only on Disney+ in 2025 and will take place in the alternate timeline of What If…? multiverse. It will be presented with high-stakes horror, gorgeous animation, and a more sinister key than the others in the MCU, so it can be stated that Marvel Zombies will be one of the most ambitious animated projects by Marvel Studios so far.

Edited by Sohini Biswas