Marvel Studios' new animated series Marvel Zombies will premiere on Disney+ in 2024 and have a mature rating. While the concept of zombie Marvel superheroes originated in the pages of Ultimate Fantastic Four issues #21-23, the concept was fully explored in the miniseries Marvel Zombies from Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and artist Sean Phillips with cover art by Arthur Suydam, which ran from December 2005 to April 2006. The concept became extremely popular with long-time readers and newcomers alike and became its own brand within the Marvel Universe, which continued for multiple runs.
The concept was so popular that it was only a matter of time before it was adapted. The first came in the 2021 animated series What If...?' when the fifth episode adapted the storyline to fit within the MCU titled "What If...Zombies?!". Shortly after in November 2021, it was announced that Marvel Animation would develop Marvel Zombies as its own animated series. At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, guests got their first look at the animated series, which teased a new team of Marvel heroes and zombie characters the series will focus on.
Fans will have to wait as Marvel Studios confirmed at their Marvel Animation panel that Marvel Zombies will not premiere on Disney+ until 2024. However, it is currently unknown when exactly that year the series will premiere. While the wait will be two years, audiences can expect plenty of zombie gore and violence since the series will be TV-MA, making it the first animated Marvel property to receive the mature rating.
The TV-MA rating for Marvel Zombies is fitting for both the subject matter and because of how much success DC has found with the mature content rated Harley Quinn, which will soon debut season 3 on HBO Max. Disney+ has been preparing to expand their rating content for some time now. It first kicked off with the addition of the Defenders Saga series from Netflix on Disney+, which caused Disney to implement family viewing settings. Disney+ also recently added the R-rated X-Men films Deadpool, Deadpool 2, and Logan to the streamer.
While 2024 is a long wait, it will air the same year as Spider-Man: Freshman Year. There will certainly be no shortage of Marvel series on Disney+ in 2023 though, with Secret Invasion, Agatha Harkness: House of Harkness, Ironheart, Loki season 2, and Armor Wars. What If...? season 2, and X-Men '97 expected to premiere that year. Marvel Zombies very well may be the most anticipated animated Marvel series however, especially now that it has a TV-MA rating. With all of that in 2023, there is certainly plenty to keep audiences attention until Marvel Zombies premieres.
Source: Marvel Studios
