Marvel Zombies Ending Explained: Every Shocking Death and the Season 2 Verdict

Marvel Zombies season 1 just wrapped, and yeah, that was an Avengers: Infinity War-level cliffhanger. Four episodes, a whole lot of bodies, and an ending that basically yanked the rug and the floorboards. This show isn’t adapting the 2005 Robert Kirkman comic beat-for-beat, and like the What If...? Zombies?! episode it spins out of, the best (and most ruthless) part is that anybody can die. But the curveball is how many big questions it leaves hanging. So let’s talk about what actually went down, who’s dead, who probably isn’t, and whether we’re getting a season 2.

So... what actually happened in that finale?

The last stand is all about keeping Infinity Hulk — Bruce Banner juiced with the power of all six Infinity Stones — out of the zombified Scarlet Witch’s claws. Wanda, now styling herself as the Queen of the Dead/The Red Queen, rolls in with her undead army and turns the tide.

Quick reality check on Infinity Hulk: for five years he’s been parked in Paris doing nothing but soaking up cosmic energy. He’s absurdly powerful, sure, but he’s also exhausted and out of practice. That’s why even zombie Thor gives him a fight. And when Hulk glances over at Kamala mid-battle, Wanda pounces and starts siphoning the Stones’ energy right out of him.

Meanwhile, the battlefield looks like a slaughterhouse. The Kamar-Taj defenders get wiped. Valkyrie takes a spear through the gut courtesy of zombie Okoye. Blade gets vaporized by zombie Thor. Shang-Chi is bitten (again) and teetering on the edge. Spider-Man’s seconds from becoming lunch for a giant zombie (almost certainly Hope). Scott Lang’s poor jarred head is about to get smashed. It’s bad.

Wanda promises Kamala she can reset reality and bring everyone back — if Kamala lends her power. Since Wanda’s been hunting Kamala from the jump because those bangles let her actually control and channel the Stones’ energy, Kamala caves. Their powers merge, there’s a massive blast that ripples off planet, and Kamala suddenly wakes up in a bright, zombie-free Jersey, hanging with Kate and Riri like the apocalypse never happened.

The illusion twist (and why Kamala matters)

It’s a lie. Riri — who somehow survived a bite back in episode 1 thanks to whatever she injected herself with — cuts through the illusion long enough to show Kamala the real world: still crawling with zombies and absolutely not okay. She’s fighting off walkers on the fly while hacking Wanda’s veil, and she gets through to Kamala for a moment. The season ends on Kamala realizing she handed Wanda exactly what she wanted, capped by a final jump-scare of the Scarlet Witch’s actual undead face. Fun!

The 101 here: Wanda needs Kamala alive. Kamala’s bangles are basically the key to steering the Infinity Stones’ power after Wanda absorbs it. That’s why Kamala doesn’t get zombified — she’s more useful as a battery in a dream prison.

Roll call: where everyone stands after season 1

• Confirmed dead before or during season 1: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Yelena Belova, Kate Bishop (appears only in Wanda’s illusion later), Namor, Melina Vostokoff, Red Guardian, Thanos, Baron Zemo, Ghost, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Death Dealer, Jimmy Woo.
• Confirmed dead in the finale: London Master, Rintrah, Sara, Blade, Thor (zombie), Hawkeye (zombie), Hank Pym (zombie), Janet Van Dyne (zombie).
• Probably alive (for now): Spider-Man (seconds from being eaten, likely displaced by the Kamala/Wanda/Infinity blast), Scott Lang (jar intact thanks to the blast), Katy (what looked like bites were actually zombies chomping the Ten Rings on her wrists, not skin), Valkyrie (impaled but no on-screen death), Riri (alive and hacking through Wanda’s illusion).
• On the brink: Shang-Chi (bitten again and starting to turn, but the blast interrupts before it finishes).
• MIA but not necessarily dead: Bucky Barnes. Last we saw back in What If...? Zombies?!, Wanda hurled him into the distance. He’s not mentioned in season 1 and we never saw a body, which in TV-land means the door’s wide open.

Inside baseball: the 'anyone can die' thing actually matters here

Because this timeline isn’t shackled to MCU continuity, the show really does shoot major characters in the head and keep moving. That’s part of why this cliffhanger stings: the people who look dead are probably dead, and the people we didn’t see die might still be in play. If there’s a season 2, Spider-Man feels like the obvious lead to tag in alongside Kamala.

Season 2 odds

Official renewal? Not yet. But Marvel Television head Brad Winderbaum and showrunner Bryan Andrews are basically saying: if people show up, more episodes will happen. As they told ComicBook.com, the ask is simple — subscribe to Disney+ and watch the show.

'If that happens, they will get more. And we are excited. We're ready.'

Andrews also told Variety there’s 'so much material' for a second season. Early signs are decent: critics are lukewarm at 67% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience score is 82%, and the show is already topping Disney+ charts — #1 in the UK Today list. No global viewing numbers yet, but that heat doesn’t hurt.

Marvel Zombies is streaming now on Disney+.