WARNING: The following contains spoilers for What If...? Season 1, Episode 5, "What If… Zombies?!" streaming now on Disney+.

Despite its grim premise, What If…? Season 1, Episode 5, “What If… Zombies!?” actually contains a surprising amount of levity. Most of it springs from Peter Parker, who remains a beacon of hope for the other heroes, but there's a fair bit from other Marvel Cinematic Universe figures like Ant-Man’s Kurt and Happy Hogan, who are as funny as ever despite finding themselves in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. But the episode saves its greatest affection for Doctor Strange’s Cloak of Levitation, a character in and of itself, whose comedic antics hide some surprising heroics. It may actually turn out to be this universe’s savior.

The Cloak first appeared in the original Doctor Strange, one of the artifacts found in the Sorcerer Supreme’s new home in Greenwich Village. Its past before then is unknown, though it possesses a mind and a will of its own, and has the ability to choose its own master. Those who wear it possess the ability to fly and hover in the air. In “Zombies!?” it clearly abandoned Doctor Strange before the events of the episode begin. It’s the only reason that the surviving heroes stand a chance.

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The zombified Doctor Strange doesn’t have the Cloak when Banner arrives, leaving it in search of an owner and clearly concerned about the dire state of affairs. Like the Vision, it’s an artificial life form, so it can’t be infected by the zombie virus. It can be destroyed, however, and a horde of zombies could conceivably tear it apart if it fell into their hands. So it’s taking a risk by helping the surviving heroes, despite its convenient immunity to zombification.

Regardless, it becomes the surviving Avengers’ ace in the hole as they make their way towards some chance of salvation. That starts with Bruce Banner, who is utterly unprepared for the world that awaits him when he arrives at the start of the episode. Banner is immune to the zombie virus too, though no one knows that yet. In any case, the Cloak steps in just when he is about to be devoured by Tony Stark’s band of flesh-eaters: keeping them at bay until the Wasp can arrive, and even killing the Wong zombie by beheading him with his own teleportation circle.

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What If Zombie Survivors 1

Further heroics follow in short order. The Cloak saves Spider-Man from a zombie horde while the team gets the subway train rolling, and even spends time with him for a while, before reverting to its fickly nature and helping Scott Lang, who has literally become a living head in a jar. The Cloak gives him increased mobility and the ability to participate more directly in saving the world from the apocalypse. In all three cases, the outcome would have been far worse for the heroes had it not chosen to act.

And that might not be the end of its chances to save the day. The episode ends with the ominous sight of a zombified Thanos wielding the Infinity Gauntlet. With Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy presumably unaffected and inbound, the Cloak may be there to save any one of them, giving them the time they need to set things right. It’s a sign of how desperate the Avengers have become in the face of the apocalypse that they must rely so much on it during “Zombies!?”, but What If…? loves finding heroes in unexpected places. The Cloak is as unexpected as they come.

It’s also key to the episode’s careful balance of tone. "Zombies!?" emulates zombie horror more than superhero narratives, but also latches onto the grim slapstick that informs classics of the genre like the Evil Dead films and the original Dawn of the Dead. The Cloak becomes a big part of that, turning the terrifying sight of undead heroes into flailing clowns and helping Parker’s besieged optimism hold strong despite losing so many people. That keeps the episode from descending into nihilism, as well as giving Strange’s most unusual ally a chance to shine.

What If...? releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.

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