Marvel Comics had affectionately been referring to their fans as 'Marvel Zombies' for years, but the term become more literal in the mid-2000s when Mark Millar introduced a zombie version of the Marvel Universe in the pages of Ultimate Fantastic Four. Originally, Millar's story was hyped as being the first story to cross the Ultimate Universe (Earth-1610) with the mainstream Marvel Universe (Earth-616), but it was a bait and switch. What we were introduced to was a world of heroes infected with a plague called the Hunger Virus that turned them undead and made them consume their friends, their enemies, their family... whoever they could get their rotten teeth into!
A mini-series soon followed and the Marvel Zombies of Earth-2149 were a hit, with their first two series being written by 'Walking Dead' creator Robert Kirkman. Their popularity would see highs and lows in the years that followed as the costumed contagion spread of the world of Marvel Apes, zombie Deadpool's head met his mainstream counterpart, other variations on the theme sprung up in various forms and Ash Williams from the 'Evil Dead' series showed up in the zombie-infested universe.
Now a version of that world is showing up in the Disney+ 'What If' animated series, so the Marvel Zombies are hitting the mainstream!
Below is as close as I can get to a chronology for the zombies of Earth-2149, though time-travel elements and a final looping paradox leave some parts open to interpretation.
MCG Notes:
- Issue listings in blue & black: The must-read stories from this time period featuring the zombies of Earth-2149, along with any often-forgotten tales that are worth a read.
- Issue listings in grey: Part of the zombies' chronology, cameo appearances or stories of note that are non-essential or no longer considered 'required reading' or don't impact their role in the Marvel Multiverse.
- Chronology: Every appearance of the Marvel Zombies from this period is included in chronological order, mapping out their timeline rather than just the order the issues were released.
- Zombie Swarm: Due to the sheer number of zombified characters appearing in these issues, I'll only note the first appearances of key Marvel Zombies or non-zombie characters who impact their overall story.
- Earth-2149: All characters references in story descriptions are from Earth-2149 unless otherwise stated.
- Spoilers: The issue/story overviews may include spoilers, so be warned!
Army of Darkness #13(p.21) (2007)
Marvel Zombies vs Army of Darkness #2(pp.4-12) (2007)
Marvel Zombies: Dead Days #1(pp.1-28) (2007)
Marvel Zombies vs Army of Darkness #2(pp.13-15) (2007)
Marvel Zombies: Dead Days #1(pp.29-36) (2007)
Marvel Zombies vs Army of Darkness #2(pp.16-22)-5 (2007)
during DEAD DAYS.
Ashley J Williams of Earth-818793 (the Dynamite Entertainment Universe) finds himself transported to Earth-2149 - a world of costumed heroes that's just become infected with a zombie plague; Ash teams up with Dazzler and the Scarlet Witch and runs into several zombified heroes in his desperate search for a way back to his own reality; the surviving heroes prepare for a hopeless confrontation with those infected by the zombie contagion, fighting their own friends for survival; the zombie Fantastic Four look to spread the virus through the multiverse during DEAD DAYS.
Marvel Zombies Halloween #1 (2012)
First appearance of Kitty Pryde; a woman tries to protect her young son from the zombie plague; Mephisto offers to make her a deal as the zombified Darkhawk, Power Pack and Squirrel Girl descend on her home.
The ApeVengers of Earth-8101 materialise on Earth-2149 and find themselves at war with human/zombie versions of themselves; Magneto allies with the 'Marvel Apes' to undo the events of the Ape/Zombie War, turning this into a divergent reality (Earth-95019) during EVIL EVOLUTION.
Ultimate Fantastic Four #21-23 (2005)
First appearance of the 'Marvel Zombies' & Earth-2149 (including Angel, Colonel America, Daredevil, the Fantastic Four (Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Mister Fantastic & the Thing), Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Man, Magneto, Phoenix, Power Man, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, Thor, Wasp, Wolverine & Yellowjacket), Sentry of Earth-91126 and the Hunger Virus; Mister Fantastic of Earth-1610 gets a distress call from Mister Fantastic of Earth-2149 and quickly discovers it's a world infected with a zombie plague; Magneto is revealed to be one of the few uninfected and is leading the resistance against the zombies; the Fantastic Four of Earth-2149 become trapped on Earth-1610 and remain prisoners of that world's version of the FF during MARVEL ZOMBIES.
Marvel Zombies #1(pp.1-15) (2006)
Magneto faces off against the core pack of zombies during MARVEL ZOMBIES.
Ultimate Fantastic Four #24 (2005)
First appearance of Namor of Earth-1610; the zombie Mister Fantastic taunts the Mister Fantastic of Earth-1610, proming his Fantastic Four will escape and spread their plague.
Marvel Zombies #1(pp.16-22) (2006)
Ultimate Fantastic Four #27, 29 (2006)
Zombie Fantastic Four cameos; zombie Mister Fantastic gives the Human Torch of Earth-1610 the recipe for hangover-free alcohol; zombie Mister Fantastic warns Mister Fantastic of Earth-1610 that they will break out in one week.
Marvel Zombies #2-5(pp.1-15) (2006)
Ultimate Fantastic Four #30-32 (2006)
The zombie Fantastic Four - referred to as the 'Frightful Four' - make their escape, but are confronted by Earth-1610's Doctor Doom; the Fantastic Four of Earth-1610 battle the Frightful Four, but it's Doctor Doom who steps up to save the world first.
Marvel Zombies 3 #1-4 (2008-2009)
First appearance of Morbius; zombies from Earth-2149 enter Earth-616 via the Nexus of All Realities; the body of zombie Deadpool is destroyed, leaving just his head; Machine Man and Jocasta of Earth-616 travel to Earth-2149 to prevent the zombie plague from spreading to Earth-616; Morbius battles Morbius of Earth-616.
Marvel Zombies 4 #1-4 (2009)
Earth-616's Morbius leads the new Midnight Sons when they're tasked with tracking down the head of zombie Deadpool of Earth-2149 when it escapes ARMOR headquarters; the Black Talon takes possession of the zombified head of Deadpool until the Talon is defeated by the Midnight Sons during MERC WITH A MOUTH.
Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth #1-2(pp.1-16) (2009)
The head of zombie Deadpool of Earth-2149 is now stranded on Earth-616; Deadpool of Earth-616 meets the zombie Deadpool head which is being worshipped by Savage Land natives; Deadpool takes the zombie head and tries to evade capture by AIM during MERC WITH A MOUTH.
On Earth-616, Deadpool and Dr Betty Swanson attempt to escape the Savage Land with the head of Deadpool of Earth-2149.
Deadpool Merc With a Mouth #2(pp.16-22)-7 (2009-2010)
On Earth-616, Deadpool and Dr Betty Swanson are pursued by Hydra's Lord Falcon as they escape the Savage Land and make their way to the Nexus of All Realities in the Florida Everglades in the hope of returning the zombie head of Deadpool of Earth-2149 to his own reality during MERC WITH A MOUTH.
On Earth-616, Deadpool and Dr Betty Swanson are pursued by Hydra's Lord Falcon as they escape the Savage Land and make their way to the Nexus of All Realities in the Florida Everglades in the hope of returning the zombie head of Deadpool of Earth-2149 to his own reality during MERC WITH A MOUTH.
First appearance of Deadpool of Earth-2149 as Headpool; Deadpool and Dr Betty Swanson take Headpool back to Earth-2149 (or a reality diverging from Earth-2149), allying with Veronica Chase of Earth-2149 to find a cure for the Hunger Virus; Headpool regains a body and learns they've arrived at a point in time before zombie Deadpool jumped to Earth-616 during MERC WITH A MOUTH.
Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth #13 (2010)
Prelude to Deadpool Corps #4-5 (2010)
Deadpool Corps #1-5 (2010)
First appearance of the Deadpool Corps; Deadpool leaps through a portal to Earth-616 again, where his new body is destroyed and his head is floating at sea once more; Deadpool of Earth-616 recruits Headpool into the Deadpool Corps, a team made up of multiversal Deadpools to take on the will-sapping Awareness on behalf of the Elders of the Universe; the Deadpool Corps during DEADPOOL CORPS.
Deadpool Corps #6-12 (2010-2011)
The Omega Federation hide the Deadpool Corps (including Headpool) to stop an alien rebellion; but the Federation aren't quite what they said they were.
Deadpool Family #1[2/4] (2011)
Lady Deadpool of Earth-3010 and Headpool go to therapy together.
Deadpool Kills Deadpool #1 (2013)
After he's returned to Earth-2149 once again, Headpool is microwaved to death by an alternate Deadpool who's a member of the Evil Deadpool Corps during DEADPOOL KILLOGY.
Marvel Zombies #5(pp.16-24) (2006)
Five years later, Black Panther and the Acolytes discover the zombies have left Earth; the fate of the Zombie Galacti is revealed during MARVEL ZOMBIES.
Black Panther #27-30 (2007)
First appearance of the Skrulls; the current line-up of the Fantastic Four of Earth-616 are transported to a Skrull planet, but it soon becomes apparent that the FF are on Earth-2149 (or Reality-2149, to be specific); the Skrulls become victims of the Zombie Galacti and both battle the Fantastic Four of Earth-616 during THE INITIATIVE / FOUR THE HARD WAY.
Marvel Zombies 2 #1-5 (2007-2008)
First appearance of Malcolm Cortez and K'Shamba; the Zombie Galacti return to Earth; the nature of the zombie infection changes; the 'good' zombies go to war against the 'evil' zombies over the fate of humanity; the core Marvel Zombies are tricked into entering an interdimensional transporter.
Marvel Zombies Return #1-5 (2009)
First appearance of Earth-91126; Spider-Man, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Wolverine and Hulk of Earth-2149 are transported to Earth-91126 (where events in the timeline happening in a different order to Earth-616); the zombi6s of Earth-2149 form the New Avengers and combat the zombie Avengers of Earth-91129 led by Giant-Man of Earth-2149; the Watcher of Earth-91126 transports the zombified Sentry of Earth-91126 back in time to Earth-2149 to create a loop that will hopefully save other realities from infection.
Notable versions of the Marvel Zombies from around the multiverse...
Exiles #85-86 (2006)
EARTH-6195: Zombie Wolverine of Earth-6195 is recruited into the Wolverine Squad, a reality-hopping team formed by the Timebreakers to replace the disbanded Exiles and made up of alternate versions of Wolverine of the X-Men.
Ultimate Civil War: Spider-Ham #1 (2007)
Earth-7044: The zombie Spider-Ham from Earth-7044 encounters Spider-Ham of Earth-7231.
Marvel Zombies Return #1-5 (2009)
Marvel Zombies vs Army of Darkness #1 (2007)
EARTH-91126: A world infected by the zombies of Earth-2149; the infected zombie Sentry of Earth-91126 is sent back in time to Earth-2149 (during DEAD DAYS) to start spreading the Hunger Virus in that reality, closing the time/infection/reality loop.
Marvel Apes: Speedball #1[1/2] (2009)
Marvel Apes: Grunt Line #1[1/2] (2009)
Marvel Apes: Prime Eight #1-3 (2009)
Marvel Zombies: Evil Evolution #1 (2010)
EARTH-21050: The Marvel Zombies of Earth-2149 clash with the Marvel Apes of Earth-8101; the events ae undone by zombie Mister Fantastic of Earth-2149 (during EVIL EVOLUTION), creating the divergent Earth-21050.
Marvel Zombies 5 #1-5 (2010)
EARTH-483, EARTH-555 & others: Machine Man and Howard the Duck of Earth-616 jump through realities as agent of ARMOR, encountering other universes infected with variations of the zombie plague.
Marvel Zombies Supreme #1-5 (2011)
Dr Mortimer Dauoi of Project PEGASUS on Earth-616 creates zombie clones of the Squadron Supreme of Earth-712; the same process is used to resurrect Jack of Hearts who destroys the zombie Squadron.
Zombies Christmas Carol #1-5 (2011)
EARTH-11081: In a time before heroes, Ebenezer Scrooge causes the spread of a zombie plague called the Hungry Death.
Marvel Zombies Destroy! #1-5 (2012)
EARTH-12591: On a mission for ARMOR, Howard the Duck and Dum Dum Dugan of Earth-616 travel to Earth-12591 - a world in which the Nazis won World War II by becoming zombies; Howard and Dum Dum face the zombie Invaders in an effort to return home.
Secret Wars #2 (2015)
A-Force #1 (2015)
Age of Ultron vs Marvel Zombies #1-4 (2015)
Marvel Zombies #1-4 (2015)
Red Skull #1-3 (2015)
Siege #1-4 (2015-2016)
Secret Wars #7 (2016)
EARTH-13264: Doctor Doom of Earth-616 gains the power of the Beyonders and creates his own Battleworld (aka Earth-15513 during SECRET WARS); Battleworld or 'Battlerealm' is a patchwork world made up of chunks of various realities - which includes an area called the Deadlands made up of the remnants of Earth-13264, a zombie-infected reality which was destroyed during the incursions; those who fall prey to the zombies of the Deadlands also become zombies themselves.
Zombies Assemble #0-3 (2017)
Zombies Assemble 2 #1-4 (2017-2018)
EARTH-TRN808: Some of the Avengers are transformed into zombies, while the others search for a cure; this reality is closer in continuity to Earth-199999 (the Marvel Cinematic Universe).
Marvel Zombie #1 (2018)
EARTH-TRN760: The Zombie (Simon Garth, the more traditional Marvel zombie) is in New York when the Hunger Virus hits; the Zombie allies with a boy named Donny and Moon-Girl to find a way to destroy the horde.
Marvel Zombies: Resurrection #1-4 (2020-2021)
EARTH-19121: A different version of the Hunger Virus is created when the alien Brood lay their eggs in the corpse of Galactus, giving birth to parasites that turn the infected into the zombie-like Respawned.
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