Zack Snyder's upcoming film Army of the Dead introduces viewers to a new kind of intelligent, organized zombie. What makes these undead truly terrifying is that they have rallied behind a common purpose or goal -- hunting down the humans who have snuck into Las Vegas in the hopes of stealing millions from an abandoned casino. Though this won't be the first time that smart zombies have been put to film, the idea also extends to other mediums. Marvel comics explored the terrifying concept of intelligent zombies with a shared goal in its Marvel Zombies series.
Who Are the Marvel Zombies?
First introduced in the pages of Ultimate Fantastic Four, the Marvel Zombies exist in an alternate version of the Marvel Universe where almost every hero and villain has been infected with a disease that turns them into ravenous monsters. While the Marvel Zombies contain many of the familiar traits that can be expected from zombies, they still maintain their intelligence and aspects of their personalities. The virus that affects them, the Hunger, leaves them with an overpowering yearning for living flesh with the search for food becoming their only motivation. After devouring most of Earth's life, the Marvel Zombies open portals to other dimensions in the hopes of luring in new prey. Later, they even kill Galactus and reverse engineer his technology, using it to travel the cosmos in search of sustenance, eventually leading them to consume all life in their universe.
Who Are Army of the Dead's Alphas?
In Army of the Dead, Snyder has explained that there are several types of zombies, including the smarter "Alphas." As the trailer shows, the Alphas are much smarter, faster and more organized than the run-of-the-mill shambling zombie. There also appears to be a hierarchy among them, with two zombies sticking out as the apparent "King" and "Queen." Though these zombies don't seem nearly as intelligent as the ones in Marvel Zombies, exhibiting a more primitive type of thinking.
However, much like the Marvel Zombies, the Alphas could all be working together in the pursuit of food. Being contained in Vegas means that the zombies are getting little to no sustenance, so the group of interlopers breaking into the city provides the undead inhabitants with the tantalizing possibility of fresh meat. Not only are the human characters outnumbered in Vegas, but their undead opponents may plan and coordinate attacks to corner and kill their prey.
The Similarities Suggest a Terrifying Outcome
Marvel Zombies showed readers how far intelligent zombies will go for food. However, the real terror of the comic series came from the fact the zombies also had superpowers to help them. Army of the Dead uses a similar idea by exploring just how dangerous a swarm of organized, undead enemies can be, especially when humans are unprepared for this new kind of enemy.
A normal zombie horde is scary enough. They swarm victims and devour them alive. But many zombie films and TV suggest zombie groups can easily be tricked or avoided entirely because they have no real intelligence. Smart zombies, on the other hand, present a serious threat that can plan and prepare for any attacks the humans have in store for them. As per The Walking Dead, traditional zombies shuffle mindlessly in search of food, while smarter ones exist like a pack of hungry wolves in search of prey. The possibility of Army of Dead's Alphas leading an organized attack is a terrifying one, considering Marvel Zombies already showcased how powerful these types of zombies can be.
Directed and co-written by Zack Snyder, Army of the Dead stars Dave Bautista, Garret Dillahunt, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Raul Castillo, Tig Notaro, Theo Rossi and Ana de la Reguera. The film arrives on Netflix May 21.