In What If...? season 1, we were taken to a reality inhabited by "Marvel Zombies." The episode concluded with Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Ant-Man—well, his head at least—heading to Wakanda in a Quinjet...unaware that a zombified Thanos was waiting for them with the Infinity Gauntlet in hand.
The four-episode Marvel Zombies spin-off is expected to address that cliffhanger, with the focus eventually shifting to a new set of leads comprised primarily of Phase 4 characters (this show has been in the works for a long time).
Today, scooper @MyTimeToShineH brings word that Captain America: Civil War villain Baron Zemo will also appear in Marvel Zombies. There's no word on whether Daniel Brühl will reprise the role, though we'd certainly hope so given how synonymous the actor has become with the character.
In the comic books, Baron Zemo assembled the Thunderbolts when the Avengers went missing. However, while his team is secretly a group of supervillains masquerading as heroes, they eventually decided to put their evildoing ways behind them and became heroes.
Thunderbolts* has been and gone, and didn't head in that direction. Zemo wasn't part of the story (he was briefly considered), a shame after the Captain America: Civil War villain was brought more in line with his comic book counterpart in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. He'll no doubt make a live-action return somewhere down the line.
For now, time will tell what Zemo brings to the table in Marvel Zombies; here's hoping he's more than just a mindless zombie in the series.
In February, Marvel Studios' Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation, Brad Winderbaum, revealed, "Hudson [Thames] has been our animated voice for Spider-Man in the MCU so far. In What If...?, in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and he also plays Spider-Man in Marvel Zombies, which comes out Halloween time this year."
Thames joined a cast which includes Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), Awkwafina (Katy), David Harbour (Red Guardian), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), Randall Park (Jimmy Woo), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Hailee Steinfeld (Hawkeye), Dominique Thorne (Ironheart), Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel), and Todd Williams in a mystery role.
Bryan Andrews directs Marvel Zombies from a teleplay by Zeb Wells. Executive Producers include Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt, Wells, and Andrews. Danielle Costa and Carrie Wassenaar produce.
A brief synopsis has been revealed, but only states, "From Marvel Animation, 'Marvel Zombies' comes in time for Halloween in October 2025." Marvel Zombies premieres on October 3, 2025.