With over a dozen individual series making up the Marvel Zombies canon, there have been some spectacular moments and dark moments in the franchise. Featuring crossovers with the Ape-Verse, Army of Darkness, Ultimate Universe, and more, the stories spanned multiple realities that were corrupted by the zombie plague.
The actual zombie outbreak is not going to be counted in this list, but individual zombifications can show up as some were more impactful and terrifying than others. These stories preempted widely popular series like The Walking Dead, which has contributed to its relevance two decades later, even appearing as a recent Marvel What If... episode.
10 Zombabies, Zombabies Everywhere
By the time Marvel Zombies 5 came around, there didn’t seem to be much ground to cover for the future of the series, but Machine Man took the opportunity to jump dimensions and genres. Along with Howard the Duck and a wild west shooter named Jacali Kane, Machine Man entered a sci-fi alien world where the zombie plague was taking over.
In this world, adding to the horror of the zombie plague was the introduction of zombie babies. Few series actually include baby zombies, and even fewer show them being blasted by a cowgirl and duck, but Marvel Zombies is special in that regard.
9 Turning The Power Pack For A Crossover
It hurts to see plenty of heroes turn into zombies, but it is a completely shocking difference seeing zombie Iron Man to seeing a zombified version of the Power Pack. Their death comes in the crossover series, Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness by John Layman and Fabiano Neves, which features Ash Williams attempting to end the apocalypse.
While fans thankfully don’t see them killed, their zombie forms attack with a tiny vengeance. Notably, the Power Pack also makes an appearance alongside students of Avengers Academy in Marvel Zombies: Halloween.
8 They Came To Our Universe
With one issue devoted to this section of the story, Marvel Zombies 5, issue 5 by Fred Van Lente and Jose Angel Cano Lopez, acts as a metacommentary about the series lasting past its original premise and veering into new territory. The comic follows Wendell, a “typical Marvel fan” smack-talking issue 4 of this same series, only to be infected with the zombie virus.
The many digs at our universe are both sad and perfect comedy as everything is “normal” which disgusts the trio, but the final moments of Machine Man killing Wendell and yelling “Die Nerd!” take the cake. It is played as a joke, but it presents a terrifying potential for normal humans like us.
7 She-Hulk Eats The Reed Children
While the Fantastic Four believed themselves to be safe in the Baxter Building, Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk, managed to get her zombified self inside. Her first actions were to begin eating the Reed children, Franklin and Valeria. Without the time to grieve, Reed, Sue, and Ben take down the rampaging zombie, with Sue blowing her head up.
The brief moments of this scene are impactful and terrifying because the kids are seen being held by Reed and Sue, who hold each other in tears over their loss.
6 Magneto Believes He Released The Virus
In Marvel Zombies: Dead Days by Robert Kirkman, of The Walking Dead fame, and Sean Phillips, it is revealed that Magneto had a hand in the virus being let into the world, as he departs Asteroid M to find a solution. This is reiterated several times throughout the series, as others believe he made a deal with another universe.
It is revealed in Marvel Zombies Return that Uatu The Watcher actually took a zombified Sentry and put him back at the beginning of the story, creating a zombie time loop.
5 Reed Turning The Fantastic Four On Purpose
After the loss of his children and the many issues he has always exhibited including a giant ego, Reed begins to study the zombie virus with great fervor alongside Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. When Sue checks on her husband, he spouts his belief that the zombie virus is an improvement on the human race, obviously hurting Sue who is still grieving.
When Reed calls Sue, Johnny, and Ben to his lab, he gives them small knicks which allow the virus to infect them, purposefully causing them to zombify. He then smiles as they begin to eat him.
4 Sandman Killing The Living Spider-Man
In a story focused on zombies, it comes as a shock that one of the most graphic moments was between two living humans. After witnessing Zombie Spider-Man attack and eat the Sinister Six, Sandman rushed away from the fight in fear. As he got farther away, he ran into the still-living Spider-Man from that universe.
They fight for a brief moment before Sandman fills Spider-Man’s body with sand and rips out his insides in a grotesque display. A shocking end to the friendly hero.
3 Revisiting The Hank Pym And Janet Domestic Violence Moment
A black mark for comics fans and especially Ant-Man fans, the infamous Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne moment featured Hank striking Janet in a rage. Though the moment wasn’t actually supposed to occur, only being published after a miscommunication between the writer and the artist, it has stuck with the characters since.
The zombie version kicks it up a notch by adapting that moment to include Hank biting Janet’s head off after striking her. This could be seen as a homage, except Hank is referred to as a wife-beater several times in the Marvel Zombies series, so the team knew what they were doing.
2 Keeping T’Challa Alive As A Snack
The fight mentioned above was started when Janet found Hank’s secret stash of human meat, which happens to have been T’Challa, who Hank had been eating piecemeal. Hank kidnapped T’Challa before even being turned, adding insult to injury between the two.
T’Challa is kept alive through a series of sedatives and surgeries performed by Hank to keep him as a fresh snack. Luckily, he escapes and becomes the leader of New Wakanda before being bitten later in Marvel Zombies 2.
1 Spider-Man Eating MJ and Aunt May
This moment was alluded to multiple times in the original series and beyond, but not shown until Marvel Zombies: Dead Days. After being bitten in a fight at the outbreak of the virus, Spider-Man returns to Mary Jane and Aunt May who try to get information on the Avengers attacking people.
The hunger takes Peter over and he leaps at MJ who doesn’t stand a chance, eating away at her until Aunt May enters the room. With a moment of clarity left, he pleads for May to hide in the bathroom, though he easily breaks through and consumes her as well.