Did The MCU Just Kill All Those Avengers?

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Marvel Zombies.Marvel Zombies is now out, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s latest series ends with many heroes dead, and a bleak future set up. The MCU’s TV shows on Disney+ have experimented with genre and form throughout the years. Marvel Zombies does so again, being a spinoff from a What If…? episode that spotlights gory, TV-MA action, unlike most MCU releases.

Given the nature of zombie stories, the MCU’s slate of projects has just added a new entry that will surely stand the test of time as one of the franchise’s bloodiest projects ever. Marvel Zombies‘ ending shows that the MCU did not come to play with the series, teasing a second season that could be even wilder than the first.

Marvel Zombies’ Fake World Explained – What Happened To Ms. Marvel

Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel is Marvel Zombies‘ main character. Her mission to save the world from Elizabeth Olsen’s zombie Scarlet Witch is what drives the plot forward, and by the end of the show, she is left with a major choice to make. Throughout Marvel Zombies‘ four episodes, Kamala Khan kept seeing the Scarlet Witch in her dreams. Wanda needed her.

In the season finale, the Scarlet Witch finally gets what she wants. When Ms. Marvel realizes that she can’t stop Wanda’s zombie army, even with the help of her powerful friends, Kamala gives in and helps Wanda reshape reality by seemingly giving the Scarlet Witch access to her powers or serving as a conduit for the Infinity Hulk’s powers to flow.

Kamala then wakes up in her home, discovering that Kate Bishop and Riri Williams are seemingly alive. It was all a dream! However, that is not the truth. As she would soon come to realize, the Scarlet Witch used the Hulk and Ms. Marvel’s powers to help her make it seem like the world was fine, but zombies still roamed free.

How Ironheart Is Alive In Marvel Zombies Explained

Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) serious and analytical in Ironheart Season 1 Ep 6

Ms. Marvel initially believes the reality the Scarlet Witch created on top of the real one, but she would soon come to see the world for what it was when Ironheart gets through to her. Now this was a major reveal, as Riri Williams was believed to have died back in Marvel Zombies episode 1. The series showed her getting bitten.

However, the season finale confirms that Riri is very much alive. After FRIDAY, the AI operating the Iron Man armor, saves Kamala in episode 1, FRIDAY turns to her to claim she will never let another host behind. The Iron Man armor then presumably flew to Riri, who never died onscreen, unlike Kate Bishop, who was obliterated by zombie Captain Marvel.

In Disney+’s Ironheart, Riri was shown to be one of the smartest characters in the MCU. Marvel Zombies does the same for the hero. As such, it seems like FRIDAY was able to get Riri away from the zombies, with her finding a way not to transform into one. The series did show that it was possible, with the Ten Rings keeping Shang-Chi alive.

Everybody Who Dies In Marvel Zombies’ Ending Explained

Blade as Moon Knight with his sword in Marvel Zombies

While Riri might be alive in Marvel Zombies‘ finale, multiple characters die in the season’s final episode. There are plenty of zombie deaths, with the likes of zombified versions of Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne dying, as well as zombie Thor later during a fight with the Hulk. However, the human side also suffers casualties fighting the Scarlet Witch’s army.

Blade is killed by a red energy burst that leaves nothing behind. Rintrah, the minotaur from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, is impaled. Shang-Chi gets bitten, and so it goes. The heroes simply have no way of defeating the Scarlet Witch and her soldiers head-on, with the villain also bringing back characters who died in the earlier episodes as zombies.

The Hulk’s Major Power Upgrade Explained

Mark Ruffalo's Hulk grimaces in Avengers Age of Ultron — Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk grimaces in Avengers Age of Ultron

The Scarlet Witch’s ultimate goal was to take the Hulk’s powers to reshape reality. While Bruce Banner is strong in the MCU, he gets a massive power boost in the series. Marvel Zombies introduces Infinity Hulk. After Black Panther died, sacrificing himself to take out zombie Thanos, the blast that exploded the Infinity Stones led to an unchecked hurricane of Infinity energy.

The Hulk was the only being powerful enough to contain all that energy, and so Banner transformed and stood in the same place for years to keep the Infinity energy in check. He became the anchor to the power of the Infinity Stones. To create a massive fake reality that made it seem like the world was normal, the Scarlet Witch needed his powers.

Why The Nova Corps Does Not Help The Heroes Explained

Nova Corps ships forming a barrier in Guardians of the Galaxy

The heroes’ main plan in Marvel Zombies was to take the device they had gotten from a SHIELD quinjet and take it to space to get the Nova Corps to help. They were believed to have the means to heal the planet. However, the heroes discovered that the Nova Corps was well aware of what was going on, preventing anyone from leaving Earth.

The Nova Corps tries to destroy the heroes’ spaceship almost immediately. Marvel Zombies‘ season finale explains why, by showcasing the might of the Scarlet Witch’s army. She was able to take down a powerful team of heroes and the Hulk, even though he had the power of the Infinity Stones. The Nova Corps fears were then proven to be valid in Marvel Zombies.