Hot on the heels of What If...?'s adaptation of Marvel Comics' Marvel Zombies, writer Mark Millar recently suggested that a live-action adaptation of the controversial storyline is in the works. While What If...? Episode 5 did a fine job adapting Marvel Zombies, it left out a lot of the story's more gruesome elements.
But while a live-action adaptation would certainly be far more horrifying than the animated episode, there are still a number of moments that would just be too gruesome to bring to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Let's break down five of the biggest moments that a live-action adaptation of Marvel Zombies should probably steer clear of.
The Zombies Consume Galactus
After most of Earth's population has been infected with the zombie virus, Galactus arrives to devour the planet. The zombified heroes, having previously consumed the Silver Surfer and acquired part of the Power Cosmic, attack the giant entity and eventually manage to take him down. They then devour him and absorb the rest of the Power Cosmic, causing them to take his place as the Devourer of Worlds and begin to travel to different worlds to hunt for more prey.
The most obvious reason this would not translate well to film is the fact that Galactus and the Silver Surfer have yet to be introduced to the MCU. Aside from this, the fact that the zombies are able to overtake Galactus and use his power to consume other worlds is bleak and leaves little room for any of those planets' survival. Marvel would most likely not want to go with such a terrifying ending to the story.
Red Skull Scoops Out Colonel America's Brain
The Red Skull and Captain America have been enemies since World War II, and their enmity continues even after they are both turned into zombies. After the undead villains overtake Galactus, a battle breaks out between them and the zombified heroes. Red Skull faces off against his longtime nemesis, who has a large chunk of his head missing. During the battle, Colonel America (as he is referred to in the series) seemingly gets the upper hand, but the Red Skull manages to reach into his head and scoop his brain out of his skull, killing him.
This moment marks one of the few times that Red Skull has actually been able to kill Captain America, and it's fairly depressing to see the Star-Spangled Man die such a gruesome death. This moment would certainly not translate well to live-action for a number of reasons, but the most prominent one is that Captain America is one of the MCU's most recognizable heroes and Marvel would likely be hesitant to ax him in such a way. The powers that be also probably wouldn't want to show a literal Nazi defeating the symbol of freedom so definitively.
Peter Parker's Dark Turn
Spider-Man is one of the first heroes to succumb to the zombie virus, after being exposed to it by the Avengers. He returns home and succumbs to the virus, consuming both Aunt May and Mary Jane Watson. He and the rest of the zombified heroes then wreak havoc, with Peter disgustingly using his veins and arteries to swing around in place of his webs.
The two biggest things that stand in the way of Spider-Man's zombification being adapted are the deaths of Peter's loved ones and the element of body horror. The fact that Peter's last two surviving family members are killed by his own hands is horrifying, and the use of his own body parts to web-swing is truly disgusting (and is even shown to cause him pain in the comic). Given that the MCU's Peter serves as a beacon of hope, adapting his transformation and everything that comes with it would stain that image forever.
Hank Pym's Cruelty
While Hank Pym was responsible for the zombie virus in Episode 5 of What If...?, his involvement in the comic version of Marvel Zombies is far darker. After being infected, Pym captures Black Panther and holds him hostage, slowly cutting off his limbs and eating them. And if that wasn't bad enough, Hank later suggests that the infected create a human farm to continuously generate food.
Unlike most of the other infected heroes, Hank is shown to be fairly comfortable with his transformation into a zombie, and his heinous acts throughout the storyline are mostly done under his own free will. If Hank's actions after his transformation were adapted to live-action, it would probably make him irredeemable in the eyes of audience members. Luckily, this is incredibly unlikely to happen considering Michael Douglas' advanced age, as well as the MCU's use of Hank as a mentor instead of an active hero.
Reed Richards Infects The Fantastic Four
Possibly the vilest moment in all of Marvel Zombies is when Reed Richards purposefully infects the rest of the Fantastic Four with the zombie virus. After Reed and Sue's children are killed by a zombified She-Hulk, Reed throws himself into researching the creatures, finding their deadly efficiency fascinating. The next time the four are together, Reed reveals that he secretly infected them with the virus, and in turn, they attack and infect him.
While grief does make people do extreme things, Reed's intentional infecting of his teammates is over the line and feels out of character for him. Setting aside the fact that the team has yet to be introduced in the MCU, this is a truly detestable moment that goes against almost everything comic fans have come to know about the Fantastic Four's family dynamic and would likely leave a stain on their name for years to come.