Note: Please only use this page for the original Earth-2149 Marvel Zombies Team. Do not add every appearance from the Marvel Zombies Concept page. Likewise, since almost every Marvel character were zombified, only the central characters should be listed as members here.

Overview

In an alternate version of the main Marvel Universe most of earths heroes have been infected with a virus that has turned them into zombies. A paradoxical loop involving a Zombie Sentry is considered the origin of its existence in the main series seen in the Marvel Zombies.

The contagion passes via a bite from an infected being. Marvel Zombies have similar characteristics to zombies, except the retain their intelligence, personality and special abilities. The disease causes a powerful hunger which can only be satisfied by ingesting the flesh of the living. If they eat the flesh of other zombies it causes them to become ill. The hunger affects the self control and intelligence, the hungrier they are, the less rational and intelligent they are. Once fed, their original personalities re-emerge along with their intelligence.

The disease seems to be almost 100% infectious, with both Wolverine and the Hulk, individuals normally highly resistant or immune to most diseases, being affected. However, those with any kind of accelerated healing appear to be able to fend off the disease longer. The disease is also shown to affect the gods of Asgard and Olympus as well. The only ones that appear to be immune are the already zombified Simon Garth, who while infected cannot spread the virus, and non-organic mechanical beings, such as Jocasta, Ultron and Machine Man. Uatu and the Watchers, due to their having exchanged corporeal bodies for forms of pure energy long ago, are also immune to the virus.

The disease is incredibly hard to stop once spreading, due to the high survival rate of all zombies. Zombies seem to only need their brain stem to survive and can continue living without any use of their organs or limbs. The infection even allows severed heads to continue speech. This was witnessed by Wasp, Hawkeye, and Headpool who were decapitated heads. Another example is Captain America who survived for over forty years as a brain until being put inside the body of Black Panther's dead son.

The contagion has an addiction element and if a victim can be isolated from a food supply, within a couple of weeks the cravings disappear and the subject is able perform a functioning role within society. Any additional ingestion of flesh will restore the hunger.

Creation

Marvel Zombies were created by Mark Millar and Greg Land who wrote two story arcs of Ultimate Fantastic Four titled "Crossover" and "Frightful". These story arcs were inspiration for the Marvel Zombies limited series by Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips.