It's been a very strange time for Marvel Television. The studio's TV experiment via the Disney Plus streaming service kicked off in 2021. It was the beginning of the Multiverse Saga and, therefore, the beginning of a brand new era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe - an era that would include TV. However, there were more ups and downs than anticipated, with very few shows able to match the heights of its very first one: WandaVision.
Now, this phase of Marvel TV is winding down, with the studio beginning to reverse-course on renewals or even outright cancel projects that were already in development. After surprising people in a very pleasant way by renewing the critically-acclaimed Wonder Man earlier this year, it reversed course and cancelled it this summer. Meanwhile, the fan-favorite Daredevil: Born Again was abruptly ended after its third season wrapped filming (despite evidence of plans to carry on beyond that).
Now, the studio has changed plans for another Disney Plus series. The good news is that it's for the right reasons.
Marvel Zombies season 2 reinvented as three specials instead
Marvel Zombies season 2 is no longer happening in the way that fans originally thought it was. Although the animated series was renewed for a second season, Marvel Studios has completely shifted original plans to produce three annual specials instead. So, to the studio, the project itself is still a go, but to fans, the next installments of the franchise will look very different to what they were expecting.
The announcement came at New York Comic-Con as the studio's Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation, Brad Winderbaum, revealed that the series will return in this new format, with the first installment coming next year. That's right: Marvel Zombies: The Winter Soldier arrives in Halloween 2027, Marvel Zombies: The Fist of Khonshu arrives in 2028, and Marvel Zombies: The Last Guardian arrives in Halloween 2029. And, you know what, that is actually more exciting than a straightforward second season.
Each special will consist of two-parts, which means that they aren't quite as long as the four-episode-first season, and it marks the most recent evolution of Marvel Zombies' run. Originally envisioned as an animated movie, the concept was spun out of an episode of Marvel Studios' first animated series What If...?, which saw a world in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's multiverse in which the Avengers lost the fight against a zombie apocalypse. However, somewhere along the line, the decision was made to split it into four episodes instead, evolving it into a miniseries in the process.
It wasn't expected to return for a second season as Marvel Television had changed its format for TV releases, focusing less on miniseries and oversaturation, pulling things back in so that they could make more ongoing live-action shows. However, the series' popularity saw them ultimately decide to renew it for season 2, with Winderbaum making things official a few months ago, telling The Escape Podcast:
"I can't say anything about it, but it delivers not just on like zombies, but also on like an MCU thing that has never really happened before that we're very excited to do."
All in all, the studio's decision to shift to specials works. Zombies was essentially envisioned as a standalone to begin with, so it's entirely believable that subsequent installments would be specials too. And as these installments will consist of two episodes each, they are like a mini series in and of themselves.
It's unclear as to whether these will be standalone installments in the Marvel Zombies universe, or if they will directly continue on from where the first season left off. The violent, gritty animated offering saw the zombified Scarlet Witch command an army of the undead in a bid to reshape the world, with a select few heroes - Ms. Marvel, Shang-Chi, Ironheart, and Kate Bishop - all attempting to stand up to her. There is, however, something of a cliffhanger ending that could work as an eerily thought-provoking conclusion but one that is also in need of a continuation.
Nevertheless, more Marvel Zombies are on the way... and we couldn't be happier!
Marvel Zombies: The Winter Soldier arrives on Disney Plus in Halloween 2027.
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