Marvel Studios first explored the Multiverse in 2019's Avengers: Endgame, but little did we know at the time that the concept would become the next Saga's focal point.
The Multiverse Saga has been a little hit-or-miss, with the notion of alternate realities thriving in Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, it's also divided opinions, thanks to projects like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and What If...?
For many fans, the sooner this era of storytelling ends with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, the better. In an interview with CBR, Brad Winderbaum, Executive Producer & Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation, addressed the complaints while discussing Marvel Zombies.
"I think one of the valid criticisms of multiverse storytelling is that when you have multiple realities, the stakes diminish," he acknowledged. "But there's another way to look at it when you have the opportunity [with] something like Marvel Zombies, where actually it raises the stakes quite a bit to be in a pocket universe outside of the MCU."
"Where death feels very final, and we don't have to worry about putting the toys back in the toy box unbroken. We can really make a mess."
Marvel Zombies director Bryan Andrews was also on hand and shared his thoughts on why part of the problem could be a lack of stakes in the MCU's big screen stories.
"You go into someone's franchise movie, and it's like 'You're making it out at the end!' And the filmmakers are doing the best they can to build some tension, so you worry," the filmmaker pointed out. "And they do, and that's great. But in [Marvel Zombies], it's just like, no, there's no guarantees for anything. It's a whole different type of viewing experience."
While Marvel Zombies didn't receive the warmest reception—it has a solid 65% on Rotten Tomatoes and 72% on the Popcornmeter—it seems to have been a hit for Marvel Animation.
According to The Direct, "Marvel Studios is very pleased with Marvel Zombies' 5-day opening viewership performance, so much so that Marvel Animation is already considering future Zombies stories to tell on Disney+."
"Marvel Zombies' initial viewership metrics have surpassed Disney and Marvel's internal expectations," the site continues, "and, per sources, the series is shaping up to be one of Marvel Animation's most successful shows to date."
This report has since been backed up by social media scooper @MyTimeToShineH, who says that season 2 will be greenlit soon.
There are many ways Marvel Television could expand the world of Marvel Zombies, and the show's final episode definitely left the door open to a sequel. Many MCU characters still haven't been seen in the series, meaning their respective fates could be explored in multiple spin-offs.
Marvel Zombies is now streaming on Disney+.