Marvel Zombies was initially conceived as one big epic story, but turning it into a movie would’ve meant leaving Spider-Man out. Although Sony owns all the movie rights and TV rights, both in terms of live-action and animation, Marvel is allowed in certain formats, given that the runtime stays below a certain threshold. Elaborating on it, the show creators, Brad Winderbaum & Bryan Andrews, told WHO LET US OUT:
Well, you know, uh, for Spider-Man, there’s certain, you know, we have certain rights to the character and Sony has other rights to the character. So, we’re we we can, um, we can use Spider-Man in half hour animation.
This specific tactic was also used to realize Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man without infringing on Sony’s rights, while also facilitating his inclusion in Marvel Studios Animation’s first-ever TV-MA-rated production.
Spider-Man’s Licensing Limitations Ultimately Benefited Marvel Zombies
Marvel’s Zombies is undoubtedly the most highly anticipated installment in the MCU’s animated line-up, and for good reason. Set to feature the Avengers, who are overtaken by the plague, pitting them against the remaining survivors, it’d have been a shame if Marvel’s biggest IP wasn’t part of it.
Although on paper it might seem the webhead’s inclusion came at a compromise for what was intended to be one epic story, it helped the creators, who confessed that the episodic approach elevated the storytelling.
But that meant that we had to take our big epic story um, and break it into four chapters, which I actually think helped the storytelling. In terms of other characters.
Set to premiere later this week, the forthcoming Disney+ series will also not hold back from the genre’s graphic nature.
Marvel Zombies Won’t Shy Away From the Genre’s Visceral Stakes
MCU, for the longest time, avoided delving into more mature themes, which is understandable following Disney’s oversight. However, in recent years, the CBM giant has broken away from the formula with projects like Deadpool 3 and Daredevil, and Marvel Zombies aims to push those limits even further.
Considering zombie media are synonymous with intense gore and gut-wrenching stakes, irrespective of the medium, executive Brad Winderbaum said they wanted to stay true to the genre’s roots and what makes it stand out.
Bryan and I are fans of the genre. We love zombie movies, and were excited to make a show that was true to that genre. We needed to ensure that Marvel Zombies had the deadly stakes and visceral moments of graphic violence that zombie films have, to show how bleak and dangerous the universe is. That meant Marvel Zombies had to be a TV-MA series.
It’s pretty evident that the upcoming Disney+ series won’t be another run-of-the-mill addition in the streamer’s catalog, and fans of superheroes and zombies are in for a wild ride.
Are you excited about the show? Comment below!
Marvel Zombies will premiere on September 24 on Disney+ (USA).
