Marvel Zombies Episode 2 Review

San Francisco

Episode two starts in San Francisco on the day of the zombie outbreak. Shang-Chi and Katy are trying to escape both giant and tiny zombies thanks to Pym Particles being spread out over the city. The pair meet up with Jimmy Woo and other San Francisco-based survivors trying to escape. They are surrounded by hordes of zombies until Shang-Chi’s father, Wenwu, arrives with a fleet of helicopters. Wenwu wants to save his son, but Shang-Chi wants to save everyone. A zombie bites Shang-Chi, and Wenwu sees his chance. He passes the Ten Rings to his son to stop the virus from spreading and sends Shang-Chi to a helicopter. In doing so, Wenwu sacrifices himself for his son.

5 years later

After a time jump, we see Shang-Chi, Katy and Jimmy Woo on the run with other survivors including Death Dealer. The survivors are headed to the City by the Sea, which is New Orleans, with a tribute to find safe haven. Upon arrival, they meet up with the New York City/Ohio survivors of Kamala Khan, BladeKnight, Red Guardian and Yelena Bolova. Red Guardian is ready to fight Shang Chi because of his zombified arm, but the ruckus is broken up by John Walker who introduces the man in charge of New Orleans, Baron Zemo.

Zemo hates heroes but reluctantly allows both groups to join him. They are on “The Raft”, a mobile prison that allows them to go out into the ocean. The heroes go to their rooms, which happen to be prison cells, when zombified Atlanteans attack. The Raft is able to hold most of them off, but the zombified Okoye awakens their boss, a zombified Namor. He comes calling and Zemo decides to make use of his heroes.

Underwater battle

Zemo sends the cells into the ocean to feed the heroes to Namor. But Kamala uses her Ms. Marvel powers to put a protective bubble around both sets of heroes. Namor pushes them all back into The Raft, setting up a situation where everyone in the prison has to find a way to flee. Baron Zemo heads to an escape pod. The heroes follow but Namor continues his attacks. Yelena sneaks off to a manual override to ensure everyone can escape. Meanwhile, Namor is cutting through survivors in one of the most brutal sequences ever put to animation. It looks like the heroes are finished until Kamala uses the SHIELD tech to distract Namor. She then uses her light powers to expand her fist in his head, killing him.

The heroes head to the escape pod where it closes, but Red Guardian realizes Yelena is not there with them. She informs him of the situation and insists she must go down with the ship. She sends off the escape pod and prepares to be killed by Atlantean zombies. Red Guardian breaks down mourning his daughter. Zemo asks where they are headed and Shang-Chi tells him to head to New Asgard.

What’s Next?

Each episode appears to be heading for a different setting as the heroes prepare for what seems to be the inevitable final battle. Viewers have seen New York City, central to many Marvel films; Ohio, central to Black Widow; San Francisco, central to Ant-Man and Shang-Chi; and New Orleans, central to Cloak & Dagger, despite not seeing either of them in this series; and the Raft, which appears in Captain America: Civil War and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Now, they are headed to New Asgard, seen in Avengers: Endgame and Thor: Love and Thunder.

This series keeps finding the right balance of action and gore to work as more than just a horror series. I was intrigued when Marvel announced this series would be greenlit because of how much I loved the What If…? episode. Each new episode is making me more and more excited for what comes next.

Check out Marvel Zombies streaming exclusively on Disney Plus.