The Marvel Cinematic Universe is continuing its comeback tour in some very exciting ways. Over the course of the past year, the franchise has seen successes in Disney Plus series Agatha All Along and Daredevil: Born Again while earning critical acclaim for movies such as Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. It's exactly the kind of positive buzz the MCU needs as it paves the way for it next larger-than-life Avengers movies.
Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are set to act as a double culmination to the Multiverse Saga and we already know that at least one of them will feature a multitude of returns. This is a franchise known for bringing beloved characters back and we have already seen plenty of that over the past few years - to such an extent that it we're even seeing some X-Men legends return too.
But those won't be the only projects that will bring back some beloved Marvel characters. There is one ucpoming project that will feature plenty of familiar faces, even if those faces don't look exactly the same. And now, the studio has unveiled the newest trailer for it, which features an incredible comeback - and a throwback .
Marvel introduces undead Thanos in Marvel Zombies to recreate an iconic Avengers moment
Marvel Studios has surprised fans by releasing the second trailer for Marvel Zombies just over a week after the first and it's every bit as intense. Just like the first, the clip offers fans an insight into how deadly the TV-MA series is going to be, as it showcases the threats that the remaining Avengers are up against. It also seemingly features the beginning of the apocalypse as we Shang-Chi and Katy racing through the streets as an army of the undead begin to attack.
Watch it below:
Scary, right?! The most significant moment in the trailer, however, comes when Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Ant-Man all attempt to take on a zombified Thanos. While we did previously know that the villain would make an appearance, but it wasn't clear if he would actually be involved in the plot. Was it a vision of another world? A What If...? scenario? Or just a brief clip in a montage? Thankfully, none of the above as this trailer confirms that he will have a significant role. And he's every bit as tough as the Thanos we remember, as the three Avengers end up falling victim to the same problem that prevented Thor from defeating the villain in Avengers: Infinity War.
The trailer showcases Spider-Man throwing Thor's iconic axe Stormbreaker into the chest of the undead Thanos. Just as we saw in the main MCU timeline, it has little effect on him - once again implying that the heroes should have "gone for the head". And with that, Thanos uses his Infinity Gauntlet to raise another army of the undead. You thought normal Thanos with an Infinity Gauntlet was terrifying? Wait until you see the zombie version.
Thanos is, of course, the MCU's most infamous villain. Portrayed by Josh Brolin in the live-action movies, he served as the primary antagonist of the Infinity Saga, chasing down the Infinity Stones to unite them and wipe out half of the universe. The Avengers united to stop him in Avengers: Infinity War and it didn't go their way, as the purple alien successfully carried out his mission. Thankfully, Avengers: Endgame allowed them to set things right, defeating the big bad (twice!) and restoring the balance. However, the 2019 film changed the face of the MCU forever.
Thanos has gone down in history as one of the greatest movie villains of all time and he was certainly a worthy threat to unite The Avengers. The franchise hasn't exactly managed to replace him with a believable threat throughout its Multiverse Saga, but Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom will look to fill that role when he debuts in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Seeing Thanos again in Marvel Zombies is just a reminder of how formidable he is. This is the first time that he's been used in a significant capacity since his death in Avengers: Endgame and it's clear he's going to make an impact. Although it's a multiversal version of the character, he somehow looks even more terrifying as a zombie, and we can't to see him square off with a new batch of Avengers when the show arrives on screens. Not long to go until it premieres now!
Marvel Zombies arrives on Disney Plus on September 24, 2025.