Marvel Zombies

The show features a highly visible push for identity-driven representation. The main survivors are newer female and minority characters like Ms. Marvel, Ironheart, Kate Bishop, Yelena Belova, and Katy Chen. In contrast, classic male heroes are zombified, quickly killed off, or sidelined. The show places these newer diverse characters in highly competent roles as the ultimate saviors of the apocalypse. This pattern emphasizes representation and identity priorities over standard story necessity.

The dialogue does not contain overt political lectures or activist speeches. However, it relies heavily on the sarcastic, quippy humor typical of modern Marvel. This dialogue often features young female characters bantering in a way that feels stylized around modern youth culture rather than natural survival drama.

The narrative is structured to elevate the "next generation" of diverse heroes, focusing on Kamala Khan as the main protagonist and the "Last Avenger." The plot centers on these young, diverse female characters stepping up to replace the fallen legacy Avengers. While it is a survival horror story, the thematic emphasis on girl power and the passing of the mantle is highly visible.

The show makes major changes to the beloved "Marvel Zombies" comic books. In the comics, classic male heroes were the main, intelligent zombies who could still speak and think. The show swaps these roles to focus almost entirely on newer Phase 4 female heroes as the active survivors. Furthermore, zombie Okoye is given intelligent speeches, while zombified classic heroes like Captain America and Hawkeye are kept as mindless, silent beasts.

The show faced significant anti-woke backlash. Critics and commentators dismissed it as "feminist slop" and a "girlboss show" that sidelined popular male characters in favor of less popular Phase 4 female heroes. There was also controversy surrounding Spider-Man's voice actor, Hudson Thames, who had previously sparked online debate by expressing relief that his other Marvel project was not "annoying and woke."

The key creative team is led by Kevin Feige, who has a well-known track record of advocating for diversity and inclusion in Marvel projects. However, the head writers and directors have very low scores and generally focus on standard comic-book storytelling without personal political activism.