The MCU’s Next Avengers Defeat Could Happen 2 Years Before Kang Returns

The MCU’s next major Avengers defeat could happen two years ahead of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Thanks to 2024’s Marvel Zombies event, it’s quite possible that the apocalyptic version of the MCU could see Earth’s Mightiest Heroes getting absolutely decimated (those who’ve yet to become infected). Although there will be a wide roster of survivors in the upcoming event series, one fact proves that the odds of ultimate survival are incredibly slim.

Spinning out of Marvel’s What If…? and its episode depicting a reality where the world is overrun by the superpowered undead, the animated Marvel Zombies show will pick up where the popular episode left off as the remaining survivors search for a cure. To that end, Marvel Studios has revealed the show’s impressive cast, both the Avengers who are zombies and those who are continuing to fight the growing infection. However, it’s already evident that things are not looking good for the upcoming MCU show.

Marvel Has Revealed Its Cast For Marvel Zombies… There’s Just One Problem

The Zombie Roster Is Insane

As it stands, Marvel Studios has released both rosters for Marvel Zombies across its four episodes. Although there are likely still characters who have yet to be revealed, the known numbers on each side of the living and unread are just about even. However, a glaring issue quickly becomes apparent when looking at who in particular is on which side of the zombie/survivor line.

As members of the undead, many of the zombified Avengers who were featured in the original What If…? episode will be present, including Clint Barton’s Hawkeye and the top half of Captain America (his corpse having been severed by the Winter Soldier). Furthermore, the absolute powerhouse that was an zombie Scarlet Witch will be returning as well. However, the zombie roster is becoming even more powerful than it already was in the 2024 series.

The MCU Zombies Are Way Too Powerful

The Survivors Have Almost No Chance

As seen in the line-up of new zombies released by Marvel Studios, newcomers such as the Abomination and Captain Marvel will be among the infected, adding their power to Wanda’s as a major undead force to be reckoned with. Likewise, another piece of promotional art confirmed that the Eternal Ikaris will be a member of the undead, as well as the intangible Ghost last seen in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp. It’s also been teased that shapeshifting Skrulls will become zombies as well.

By all accounts, the zombies that will be featured in Marvel Zombies will not be lacking in the powers department by any means. Scarlet Witch and Captain Marvel alone would be a major cause for concern without adding Ikaris into the mix (who’s basically a Marvel version of Superman). Likewise, it’s worth noting that the What If…? episode ended with the tease that Thanos himself had become infected, which is practically a death sentence in and of itself.

The MCU Survivors Only Have A Few Powered Heroes

But Will They Be Enough?

Conversely, there isn’t a lot of power happening on the survivors side of Marvel Zombies. While many of them are highly trained and have a variety of skills that would be useful against typical zombies such a Yelena Belova, Kate Bishop, Red Guardian and more, they’re certainly lacking in the special abilities department. As it stands, the two most powerful survivors that are known about thus far are Shang-Chi and his Ten Rings and Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel with her hard-light projections.

As impressive as both of those abilities are, that’s not a lot to work with, all things considered. After all, there’s hardly anything that could stand against the combined powers of the Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, Ikaris, and Thanos simultaneously. As such, this likely means that Marvel Zombies will not be an outright battle between the living and undead. Instead, it will most likely be a morbid race against time to find and administer a cure before all the survivors are infected and there’s no one left standing.

Is The MCU’s Zombie Apocalypse Even Survivable?

Things Could Get Really Dark, Really Fast

Keeping all this in mind, it’s quite likely that the surviving Avengers will likely face a major defeat before Kang returns in the main MCU timeline with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Marvel Zombies might not end with a happy ending and the world being cured and subsequently saved. While the survivors will certainly try to set things right, it may already be too late considering the sheer power available to the unread in this alternate version of the MCU.

At any rate, it stands to reason that Marvel Zombies will be one of Marvel Studios’ most exciting and intense features yet. With only four episodes in this limited animated series rated TV-MA, the show will no doubt be incredibly brutal and action-packed. Likewise, it’s setting in an alternate universe will undoubtedly provide all kinds of freedoms unavailable in the primary MCU, including any number of major character deaths and horrifying moments as the remaining survivors do all the can to survive and set the world right. However, the odds are strong they’ll ultimately fail in the face of some of the most powerful zombies of all time.

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