WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Army of Thieves, now streaming on Netflix.
When Zack Snyder announced Netflix's Army of Thieves would be a prequel to his Army of the Dead, fans were confused as the director indicated it'd be a heist film, not a zombie flick. Many wondered how it would lay the foundation for his subsequent story of Las Vegas amid an undead apocalypse, but there was clear connective tissue with Matthias Schweighöfer's Sebastian present with these robbers. With that in mind, let's dissect exactly how this series of European safecracking jobs set up Snyder's gory vision.
Army of Thieves Sets Up Ludwig Dieter's Character Arc
Sebastian is pretty much a nerd, not spending much time outdoors, which has allowed him to hone his skills as a locksmith over the years. Gwen eventually hires him to help her rob three safes in France, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. As they bond, he admits a secret: he drew comics about his own superhero -- a dashing debonair he envisioned himself as by the name of Ludwig Dieter.
Eventually, when Gwen and everyone gets pinched by Interpol, Sebastian is the only one who escapes. He finds a bag with their passports, with Gwen arranging fake documents for him to be Ludwig, his dream persona. She wanted them to get to Vegas to rob the fourth safe from Hans Wagner's famous Ring Cycle, which Sebastian wanted to do too. Sadly, he's left to go without her, becoming Ludwig to honor their love of these intricate safes.
Army of Thieves Shows the Zombie Outbreak's Beginning
When Sebastian's disillusioned at his bank job early in Army of Thieves, news reports are playing on TV in Germany, showcasing the zombie outbreak in Sin City. It also pops up later as Sebastian watches the news at home, showing Vegas in tatters, with a gory scene of a reporter being eaten.
Gwen discusses it as well, and their hacker, Korina, speaks about the plague, joking that maybe Sebastian's dreams of zombies chasing him isn't just about him soaking in all the media; it might foreshadow what's to come in his journey. Still, since the infection is not in Europe, Gwen's robbers -- bar Sebastian -- are unperturbed as they all see it as an American problem that won't cross foreign waters.
Army of Thieves' Final Scene Ties Directly into Army of the Dead
After Sebastian escapes Interpol, Army of Thieve's final scene ties directly into the zombie sequel as Dave Bautista's Scott and Ana de la Reguera's Maria recruit someone to crack the safe from Bly Tanaka's casino in the heart of zombie land. They meet an old man, who directs them to the back of a shop where Ludwig is present.
He's elated to see they've got schematics, showing his geek attitude and obsession for the fourth Wagner safe. His romantic view of things weirds them out, but they don't realize it has to do with him being in love with Gwen and how she planned this to be their dream heist. Thus, Ludwig signs up eagerly with her imprisoned as it's his way of remembering their brief romance together in Europe.
See how Army of the Dead is set up by Sebastian's journey in Army of Thieves, now streaming on Netflix.