With a small hint at Marvel Zombies in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the MCU subtly referenced one of Marvel's eeriest alternate universes. In fact, comic book history is crawling with the walking dead, and many of them just happen to be zombified versions of some of the most popular superheroes.
From unstoppable beasts like The Hulk, to conflicted brain-eaters like Spider-Man, nearly every great superhero has caught a hankering for flesh at some point. Despite a veritable army of zombies, users on Ranker voted for their absolute favorites. As with any Ranker list, opinions can change and another superhero could eventually become the king of the zombies.
Mr. Fantastic
While Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four has a reputation as one of Marvel's smartest heroes, his pure logic came off as pure evil in the Marvel Zombies universe. First appearing as a villain in the Ultimate Fantastic Four series, the alternate version of Richards gives in to the zombie plague and actually infects his teammates.
Richards doesn't play into as much of the ongoing storyline as other ex-heroes, but he is largely to blame for that universe's collapse into zombification. His stretching powers don't necessarily make him a terribly dangerous foe, but his superior intellect remains intact after he becomes a zombie, which is absolutely harrowing.
Martian Manhunter
Following in the footsteps of Marvel Zombies, DC Comics' own zombie story known as DCeased gave fans a shocking glimpse at their favorite DC heroes as undead monsters. J'onn J'onzz found himself infected with the virus by Black Adam, and the Martian Manhunter hoped to phase himself into the earth to avoid harming anyone.
Unfortunately for several heroes, including The Flash, zombie J'onzz used his powers of invisibility to infiltrate the Fortress of Solitude and take a few heroes down with him. While losing Martian Manhunter was a critical blow to the heroes, his quick demise meant he wasn't the most dangerous, or effective zombie in the DC universe.
Deadpool
The Merc with a Mouth gained a craving for human flesh during the Marvel Zombies timeline, leading to one of Deadpool's weirdest comic book arcs ever. Imbued with the same witticism and dangerous abilities as before, the zombie Deadpool fought his way through many enemies before being reduced down to only his head.
Essentially taking over the Marvel Zombies storyline in his own ongoing book, Deadpool's head united with an alternate version of Deadpool, and together they embarked on multiverse-spanning adventures. Though zombie Deadpool was a sillier attempt at the Marvel Zombies lore, he was still an effective flesh-eater.
The Hulk
Bruce Banner's rampaging alter-ego is frightening enough as it is, but add in a taste for human flesh and the recipe is truly nightmarish. Quickly aligning himself with the undead heroes of the Marvel Universe, Hulk's newly acquired appetite was unrivaled by any of his allies, and his powers made him an undead killing machine.
Helping to topple Galactus himself, the big green monster was the only zombie who refused to see the error of his ways when faced with Black Panther's cure. Tragically, the comics establish that Banner still lives within Hulk, and in the brief moments that he reappears, his guilt leaves him practically inconsolable.
Franken-Castle
The Marvel Zombies universe isn't the only corner of Marvel Comics to feature monsters, and Frank Castle learned that the hard way. After an accident leaves him dead, The Punisher is turned into a Frankenstein-like version of himself by Morbius in an attempt to revive him, and gain an ally for the Legion of Monsters.
Generally considered one of the best Punisher comic book storylines, the Franken-Castle era of Punisher comics was truly unique. Part zombie and part mechanical monster, Castle finds community with other monsters and actually comes to fight in their honor. Though it was entirely outlandish, Franken-Castle was a unique twist on the Punisher mythos.
Spider-Man
Part of the Marvel Zombies storyline from day one, the Wall-Crawler was one of the more interesting characters in the universe. Traumatized by his slaying of Aunt May and Mary Jane, zombie Spider-Man doesn't go about his flesh-eating with the same excitement as others.
Essentially acting as the moral compass for his rag-tag band of intergalactic planet eaters, Spider-Man is also one of the first to buy into Black Panther's treatment once they return to earth. What makes the Marvel Zombies storyline so horrific is that it is seen through the eyes of characters like Spider-Man who fully understand what horrors they are committing.
Wolverine
Wolverine is known as one of the strongest X-Men, and his zombified alter-ego put those powers to good use. After being infected aboard one of Nick Fury's airships, Wolverine joined his fellow zombies in devouring Galactus, and eventually all life in the universe before returning to Earth.
There already is an immortal aspect to Logan, and to see him become undead was a fascinating change. While most heroes kept their superpowers, Wolverine's healing factor didn't survive the zombification, but his adamantium claws still came in handy.
Captain America
Not missing a beat, even when turned into a zombie, Captain America stepped up as the leader of the newly formed zombie horde before eventually being destroyed. Cap was infected almost immediately in the zombie invasion, and he brought his usually upbeat air to the table, even if that table was serving up the brains of innocent civilians.
Captain America wasn't a particularly powerful zombie, and he didn't last very long in the comics, but seeing him corrupted was enough to give readers a shock. He was used so effectively in Marvel Zombies because he has such a squeaky clean image, and seeing that image perverted to horrific extremes was one of the best moments of the entire storyline.
Superman
Superman has turned evil in the comics on numerous occasions but rarely was it as terrifying as in DCeased. After sacrificing himself to save the last vestiges of humanity from the zombie Flash, Superman then became the biggest threat in all the universe once he turned evil.
Already blessed with seemingly unlimited power, there was almost nothing to be done when it came to stopping the rampaging zombie Superman. Even though he was still susceptible to damage from Kryptonite, the newly ruthless Man of Steel rarely gave anyone a chance to use it on him. Even at the resolution of the storyline, it is unknown if Superman was ever actually stopped.
Batman
While he may not be the most powerful hero of all, Batman is certainly one of the most cunning vigilantes in comic book history. In DCeased, Bruce Wayne quickly finds himself infected and wisely uses one of Mr. Freeze's suits to slow the process.
Ultimately, Batman's role in the story is one of tragedy, and he allows himself to be taken out before he can do anyone any harm. Before his demise though, Wayne effectively warns his son and gives Damien enough time to prepare for the coming zombie invasion. Batman's superior intellect doesn't save his life, but it did save the lives of others.