Landing on Disney+ on September 24th is the new Marvel Animation limited series ‘Marvel Zombies’, which spins off from the zombie-filled episode of ‘What If…?’ and loosely adapts the comic book run.
While Marvel’s Disney+ output has been somewhat hit-and-miss, the Marvel Animation team has been enjoying much more success, and ‘Marvel Zombies’ certainly counts as one of those.
It may not be perfect, but it’s certainly a lot of gory, darkly-hued entertainment.
Zeb Wells has enjoyed unusual power in the Marvel world, overseeing much of the animated output, but with good reason –– he and his writing team have crafted sharp, clever takes on the MCU, with ‘Zombies’ as no exception.
It’s not for the faint of heart and certainly dives into some dark areas (don’t get attached to all the characters, even some well-known ones), but it delivers the Young Avengers action many have been waiting for on the big screen, albeit in bite-sized chunks.
Bryan Andrews’ direction is also solid. Though the animation might not be the most advanced, it’s certainly stylish enough and gets the job done.
Featuring the usual mix of MCU veteran performers and some talented voice types who imitate others, this is a great showcase particularly for the infectious enthusiasm of Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan and the usual great work of Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova. Kudos also to Simu Liu, whose Shang-Chi really goes through it in this story, and to Todd Williams, who voices a very different version of Blade from any we’ve seen before.
‘Marvel Zombies’ is by turns full of action and drama, some impressive set-pieces and ideas, and emotionally fun performances from MCU actors and others.
It’s funny despite the post-apocalyptic storyline, and with just four episodes, doesn’t outstay its welcome.
After the Avengers are overtaken by a zombie plague, a desperate group of survivors discover the key to bringing an end to the super-powered undead, racing across a dystopian landscape and risking life and limb to save their world.
Who stars in ‘Marvel Zombies’?
Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan
Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova
Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff
David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov
Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
Awkwafina as Katy Chen Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop Randall Park as Jimmy Woo
Todd Williams as Blade Knight
‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ receives 8 out of 10 stars.
Launching on Disney+ with its initial two episodes on 29th January (before going to a weekly schedule for the remaining eight), ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ is a diverting take on the Spidey mythos that brings the character back to the time even before Tom Holland’s Peter Parker met the Avengers.
Yet while it was originally developed as a series outlining the Holland incarnation’s origin story (which Marvel Studios chose to skip on the big screen since we pretty much known it all already), this has instead been converted to show the early days of an alternate Peter Parker, here voiced by Hudson Thames, who is not the MCU’s Pete.
That scenario is confirmed early on when we see Doctor Strange appear from a portal and wrangle a strange spider-like creature back to the universe we’re used to. Instead, what we get is this Peter Parker being bitten by a mysterious spider left behind and putting the resulting powers to familiar use.
If that early description has you rolling your eyes and dreading that you’re in for yet another take on Spider-Man’s well-utilized origin, think again. The new series skips forward in time to find Peter already wearing a basic (yet entertainingly steampunk) version of his suit and busy doing good around New York.
This is a universe where the Avengers exist, and when the show opens, they’re going through the internal strife as shown in ‘Civil War’ (the Sokovia Accords also exist here), but Peter doesn’t link up with them, and they’re shown very much in classic Marvel comics style rather than the cinematic variations.
Along the way, we meet several characters that comic book fans will recognize, but portrayed in fresh new ways, including Lonnie Lincoln, known as Tombstone, who here is a friendly, strong high school friend of Peter’s… at least until he’s forced to work with a local gang.
Perhaps the biggest shift is in Norman Osborn, voiced with effortless panache by Colman Domingo, who is Peter’s sponsor and supporter here (at least in the early going).
With Jeff Trammell, previously of ‘Craig of the Creek,’ the tone of the show is light and zippy, Peter displaying his talent for puns while fighting crime and facing the standard Spider-Man issues of balancing his “work” and his attempts to have a life as a teenager.
Trammell and his team have found a new way into the story that still feels right for both Parker and Spidey, and the action is entertaining.
On the visual side of things, this is very much styled to mimic classic ‘Spider-Man’ comics, blended with the experience of the Marvel Animated team from the seasons of working on ‘What If…?’
Thames, who has had the advantage of playing the Tom Holland/MCU version of Parker/Spidey in ‘What If…?’ already, here finds a relatable, easygoing gear for the character in this alternate universe.
His Peter is charming and sometimes chaotic, but always familiar enough.
The May Parker of this universe has already lost her Ben, and while that weight of grief is felt, she’s also a lively, warm character very much in the Marisa Tomei mold of the role.
While she might not get as much to do as that version just yet (at this point in this Spider-Man’s story, she has no idea Peter is swinging around town battling wrongdoers), Wahlgren gives her the right amount of energy.
Domingo’s been putting in great performances elsewhere for years, and his take on Osborn drips with both style and just enough subtle menace that you truly wonder about the character’s true intentions.
As we mentioned earlier, Lonnie is quite different from the Tombstone of the comics, but certainly ends up in a situation that will sour his intentions. And Byrd makes that journey believable.
Though the character shares a name with a famous Fantastic Four foe (the Wizard), here he’s more of an uptight scientist working for OsCorp who is tasked with overseeing the interns –– including Peter –– and would clearly rather be doing anything else.
With veteran character performer Paul F. Thompkins in the role, he’s a snarky delight, the perfect mix of frustrated wannabe genius and bad boss.
Though we perhaps didn’t need yet another Spidey variant swinging across our screens, ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ more than makes its case as a worthy successor to the likes of ‘What If…’
The sort of family-friendly entertainment that works well in animated form, it its bursting with comic book and MCU Easter eggs, but never forgets to tell a good story. Like its opening theme, a remix of the classic Spider-Man cartoon opening credits, it’s a welcome refresh and lively Spider-outing.
If you enjoy these initial 10 episodes, there’s good news that a second season is already in development.
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What’s the plot of ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’?
‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ explores Peter Parker’s (Hudson Thames) origin story and early days using the Spider-Man persona. The series is set in an alternate timeline within the multiverse where Norman Osborn (Colman Domingo) becomes Parker’s mentor instead of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), as happens in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “Sacred Timeline”.
Who is in the cast of ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’?
