While we’ve already covered a lot of ground during the zombification of the Marvel Cinematic universe, there’s one area we haven’t yet covered – what actually happened when the events of What If..? Season 1, Episode 5 drew to a close. Technically speaking, the episode in question is the true premier to the series, but like most installments of that series that saw the Watcher do what he did best, it ended on something of a sizable cliffhanger as an undead Thanos arrived in Wakanda searching for that last Infinity Stone.
While we do get a sizable amount of progression on the main plot thread as Kamala Kahn’s rapidly shrinking group of survivors reach the gates of New Asgard, the fate of Peter Parker, the preserved head of Scott Lang and a three-limbed T’Challa are finally revealed. However, a new question has to be asked – isn’t all these brave sacrifices in the face of the zombie horde getting a teensy bit repetitive?
Five years ago, after securing what they thought would be the very thing that will save the world, Peter Parker, most of T’Challa and a quarter of Scott Lang arrived at Wakanda to find that the proud city has also fallen to the zombie virus courtesy of the zombified mad Titan, Thanos. While he may be a member of the undead who craves flesh, he also still has that gnawing urge to complete his collection of Infinity Stones and claim the Mind Stone from our trio of horrified heroes. However, when the battle seems lost, a temporary reprieve comes from timely reinforcements in the form of Thor, Groot and Rocket – but after the battle takes its terrible toll, T’Challa makes the supreme sacrifice in order to take Thanos and the Infinity Stones out of the equation.
Back in an equally shitty present, Kamala Kahn’s weary and battered group finally arrive at New Asgard in order to source a ship that will take them to the Nova Corps to end the zombie threat once and for all. However, rather than the proud warrior race we once knew, the Asgardians have become a reclusive bunch, engaging in revels at the drop of a hat behind their impenetrable fortress. Valkyrie is in charge while a scarred and unresponsive Thor wallows in misery, but Kamala’s group is horrified to discover that also present is none other than the Scarlet Witch herself, Wanda Maximoff, who also has been going under the more worrying nom de plume of the Queen Of The Dead.
Wanda’s reality shifting powers have apparently enabled her to shift from a human form, to her other, screeching ghoulish visage in the blink of an eye and reveals that her visit of peace was a ruse to poison the Asgardians and add them to her growing army. In the bloodbath that follows, Kahn’s friend list drops alarmingly, but adds Valkyrie – but as a renewed Thor holds off Wanda and our heroes finally blast off into space, a devestating twist threatens to ruin everything Kamala has fought for.
While the mixture of nihilistic world building and utter disregard Bryan Andrews seems to have for the sanctity of superhero life is continuing to be an incredibly fun diversion into full-blown survival horror, I have to say that there’s a certain element of deja vu starting to form about each subsequent installment. We focus on a disperate group of heroes; we have them discover familiar aspects of the MCU that have been warped into something awful; and then zombies attack which usually require a string of shock deaths and sacrifices in order for the survivors to move on to the next episode. I hesitate to do something as banal as describing a television show as episodic, but at this point in the reign of Marvel Zombies, the pattern has grown too big to fully ignore. However, while originality seems to be ebbing out of the show like lifeblood from a torn throat, director Andrews and writer Zeb Wells are still having way too much fun to slow down now.
Finally picking up where the Zombie episode of What If..? left off, we discover what the arrival of a necrotic Thanos with a near-fully loaded Infinity Gauntlet meant for Wakanda – hint: it’s nothing good. However, watching the first half of the episode riff on the final act of Infinity War actually comes with something of a truly poignant moment as we watch a one-legged Black Panther fight Zombie Thanos to the death. Yes, there is yet another noble sacrifice involved (when isn’t there?), but while watching it it struck me that it’s something of a belated farewell for the character we never actually got. Yes, the tragic passing of Chawick Boseman was addressed as we bid farewell to the actor in his T’Challa/Starlord What If..? episode and put the character to rest in the harrowing opening sequence of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – but we never actually get a proper send off for the image as the actor and character as the Black Panther himself and watching him kitted out in full costume, sacrifice himself to take down the Mad Titan proves to be strangely cathartic.
Beyond that, Thor gets his botched attempt to save the day (dude still didn’t go for the head) and once again falls into a God-sized depression after his overzealous aim gets Groot and Rocket atomised. But after the Infinity Stones are destroyed in a massive explosion after a tumble into Wakanda’s vibranium core, we leave Spidey and the head of Ant-Man as they are taken in by the people of Kamar-Taj, it’s back to the present to watch Kamala’s team muscle through yet more heartache and tragedy.
As I stated before, there isn’t anything terribly original about the latest stage of Ms. Marvel’s journey (new surroundings, old characters, devistating climax), Andrews makes sure that he manages to include plentiful gore, some gut gnawing twists and a superbrawl between two obscenely powerful beings that we’ve never really seen before. There’s an interesting notion that Asgard arrived on earth after Thanos’ attack and chose to burrow in and let humanity literally eat themselves while they feasted and boozed the apocalypse away – possibly because they’ve already weathered their own Ragnarok not so long ago. Another intriguing aspect is that when we finally come face to face with the Queen Of The Dead herself, Wanda Maximoff, she’s looking a lot less like the shrieking, Evil Dead Deadite she resembled back in What If..? and more like her usual, flesh covered self. However, the revelation that she’s not so much the mindless unatural disaster we thought she was and she’s managed to retain a large amount of her rage and cunning – not unlike how Wanda’s heel turn in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is almost as genuinely shocking as the fact that she’s disguised toxic zombie remains as the feast the Asgardians have been eating.
From here, the cast list drops dramatically. Death Dealer, Jimmy Woo, Baron Zemo and Alexei all buy the farm in rapid succession and Thor engages in a battle with Wanda that ends in (you’ve guessed it) another sacrifice – but the real hammer blow comes when Kamala’s final hope, the Nova Corps, not only are already at Earth, but they’ve quarantined it and won’t let anybody leave.
While the twists are getting progressively more brutal, it’s clear why What If..? worked so well as an anthology as its obvious that it’s zombie offshoot is determined to keep playing the same notes again. However, the steady stream of mutilations and big moments still means that this particular incarnation of the living dead still has enough meat on its bones to comfortably make it past the finish line.
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