What If…? Episode 5 Review: Invasion of the Marvel Zombies! Spoiler Ahead!
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
If there is something that is in the nature of the series, what if …? Marvel is playing with alternate possibilities, crazy as they may be. And there are few more unlikely concepts to see the Avengers and company turned into zombies. That, of course, if the Marvel Zombies line did not exist, in which Robert Kirkman himself (from The Walking Dead) participated. Thus, episode 5 of What if …? He takes the idea from those comics and creates a short, but intense half-hour story, in which only a few survivors try to find the solution to a Marvel Universe devastated by the infected (yes, in his plot, it is an infection).
As the Marvel Zombies comics already have such a pedigree, we feared that the adaptation would not be up to the task, especially because it was cut short when it came to showing the most beastly moments of the cartoons (there are, and many). Luckily, they have managed to find a good balance between ” Marvel humor “, some drama and action. So, in this episode of What if …? we see lots of characters fighting from one side to the other. Captain America and Thor are just one part of a salad in which we see Spider-man, Bucky, Bruce Banner, Sharon Carter … There is everything, including some very cool surprise that we will not tell you about here.
Precisely, that is perhaps the main problem with this episode: there are so many cool characters (some transformed into zombies, others not) that the story feels rushed to cover the general plot in this half hour. We would have liked to see more, much more of certain characters in action. Still, as we say, the episode manages to mix humor (the beginning, with references to Avengers: Infinity War, is very funny), with reflections on how to move on when everything seems lost and yes, some brief but intense action choreographies. So is it a shortened version of the Marvel Zombies comic?
Not really, Just take a few ideas (and certain iconic moments that readers will recognize) and form your own story. Some characters who were zombies from the beginning in the vignettes here are survivors, for example. It also throws out some fun “pot runs”, but in a more focused way than that episode 3 of What if…?
And of course, being a zombie episode, is there gore? Well, in a series of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, do not expect gushing blood, but when playing with the idea that zombies are no longer human (or “living beings”, in short), we are going to see many “walkers” split by half and things like that.
As for the representation of the characters, the result is somewhat uneven. On the one hand, characters like Sharon Carter are all very well, but for some reason they can’t find a good resemblance to Bruce Banner. Man, that Mark Ruffalo has to be worked out, who for much of the episode is the star of the show! In any case, and although it is not as shocking as the one starring Doctor Strange last week, this episode of What if …? It was a small positive surprise and, of course, a most entertaining viewing. But of course, you don’t have to take it too seriously. With the zombie stuff, you better not eat your head …
The Last Verdict
An episode that fulfills its objective well and plays with one of the funniest concepts of Marvel comics with success, but something of precipitation. When the mane is released and shows unlikely but fun duels between characters. References to Marvel Zombies and MCU jokes.
