The Marvel Cinematic Universe is continuing to evolve throughout the Multiverse Saga. From the silver screen showdowns we've come to expect from the most famous franchise in the world to the recent small screen success on Disney Plus, the MCU has been jumping into more worlds than America Chavez (who literally has the power to do all of that!). There have been some missteps along the way, but the beloved franchise is back on track.
It all has to do with the eventual release of the high-stakes duo of movies that are Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Both are set to serve as the culmination of the Multiverse Saga and Marvel is pulling out all the stops to ensure that it's a success, bringing back familiar faces from the MCU, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and even the legendary Robert Downey Jr. himself in the new role of Doctor Doom.
Speaking of pulling out all the stops, the franchise is continuing to do that in the build-up to the Avengers movies. And its very next title has unveiled its first trailer - a trailer that features some truly shocking deaths, including one major Avengers: Doomsday character.
Marvel Zombies trailer features the death of Ghost at the hands of Blade
If you're expecting light-heartedness and one-liners from Marvel Studios' next project, think again. The first trailer for Marvel Zombies arrived recently and it very quickly had viewers stunned by how true to the source material it is. And by "true to the source material" we don't mean that it takes inspiration from the story of the Robert Kirkman Marvel Comics series (these are alternate takes on the MCU versions of the characters instead), we mean that it's, well, violent.
Hardly surprising for a zombie project, sure, but it's extremely surprising for a Marvel project. The MCU is renowned for its family-friendly approach to the stories of our favorite Marvel superheroes, but as the Multiverse Saga continues to expand, it has offered up more mature stories. And one of those more mature stories just so happens to be a TV-MA zombies series in which major Avengers like Ghost are killed... after they have already become zombies.
You can watch the first trailer for it below:
Now that you've seen it, we have questions! (First off, how are you?!). The animated series is sure to leave us full of them too, specifically: How on Earth are a few remaining Avengers going to battle an array of super-powered zombies commanded by none other than Wanda Maximoff herself, the Scarlet Witch?!
Well, they're going to try, that's now! And we get to see plenty of that trying, particularly from this world's version of Blade. Known as Blade Knight, he is the Fist of Khonshu in this universe, acting as the avatar for the ancient moon good and carrying out his form of justice (just as Moon Knight does in the main MCU continuity), and he has absolutely no time for super-powered zombies.
The standout moment of the trailer comes from the battle with Ghost, who holds her own against the classic Daywalker. But eventually, they reach a stalemate and Blade Knight takes the opportunity to end the fight, stabbing the zombified version of Ghost and immediately cutting the creature to pieces. The act impresses Yelena, Red Guardian and Ms. Marvel, reminding everyone that the heroes still stand a chance.
Ghost has become a major character in the MCU since her introduction in 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp as her return in this year's Thunderbolts* completely changed the course of her character arc. Portrayed by Hannah John-Kamen in the films, Ghost began working as a mercenary for Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine until her boss tried to have her killed along with the other Thunderbolts. The team united against her and ultimately saved the world from The Void, eventually becoming the New Avengers. They will now return in Avengers: Doomsday.
It's good that the events of Marvel Zombies take place on a parallel earth in the MCU's Multiverse Saga, because it would be sad to lose Ghost so quickly after she became such a major character in the MCU. That said, it will be nice to see an alternate version of her in the upcoming animated series, even if she is zombified.
The real Ghost will return to screens in next year's Avengers: Doomsday as the New Avengers seemingly unite with some members of the original Avengers, along with some other MCU heroes (and maybe even some X-Men) to take on Doctor Doom.
In the meantime, Marvel Zombies arrives on Disney Plus on September 24.