Marvel Zombies 2
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''Marvel Zombies 2'' is a five-issue
limited series In the field of comic books, and particularly in the United States, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined ...
published from October
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
- February
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
by comics publisher
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
. The series was written by
Robert Kirkman Robert Kirkman (; born November 30, 1978)Löchel, Ingo"The Walking Dead: Die Comic-Serie – Robert Kirkman" Zauberspiegel. Retrieved February 17, 2013. is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for co-creat ...
with art by
Sean Phillips Sean Phillips (born 27 January 1965) is a British comic book artist, best known for his collaborations with Ed Brubaker on comics including '' Sleeper'', ''Incognito'', the ''Criminal'' series of comics, '' Fatale'', '' The Fade Out'', and '' ...
and
Arthur Suydam Arthur Suydam (; born May 18, 1953) is an American comic book artist known for his work on Marvel Zombies, Deadpool, Black Panther, and KISS Zombies. He has done artwork for magazines including '' Heavy Metal'', ''Epic Illustrated'' and '' Nation ...
. It is part of the ''
Marvel Zombies ''Marvel Zombies'' is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the ''Ma ...
'' series.


Publication history

The Marvel Zombie concept first appeared in ''
Ultimate Fantastic Four ''Ultimate Fantastic Four'' is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running ''Fantastic Four'' comic book franchise as part of the Ultimate Marvel imprint. The Ultimate ...
'' #21-23 (2005), in which almost all of the superheroes on Earth became flesh-eating zombies after being infected by an alien virus. The Marvel Zombie phenomenon then continued with the ''
Marvel Zombies ''Marvel Zombies'' is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the ''Ma ...
'' metaseries that was published from December 2005 to April 2006. In the series, the zombie superheroes eat the human race to near-extinction then begin to travel the universe to search for even more sources of food. Even before the release of the ''Marvel Zombies'' metaseries, illustrator
Sean Phillips Sean Phillips (born 27 January 1965) is a British comic book artist, best known for his collaborations with Ed Brubaker on comics including '' Sleeper'', ''Incognito'', the ''Criminal'' series of comics, '' Fatale'', '' The Fade Out'', and '' ...
stated that he wouldn't mind illustrating a sequel but only if
Robert Kirkman Robert Kirkman (; born November 30, 1978)Löchel, Ingo"The Walking Dead: Die Comic-Serie – Robert Kirkman" Zauberspiegel. Retrieved February 17, 2013. is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for co-creat ...
returned to write it. Concurrently, Kirkman warned the readers to not automatically expect a sequel yet he didn't rule out the possibility completely. In 2007, a single comic came out, called '' Marvel Zombies: Dead Days.'' ''Dead Days'' is a prequel to the Marvel Zombies series, in which the zombie infection spreads throughout the world and the superheroes try and create a plan to save the human race. Lastly, there's '' Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness'', a crossover five-issue series published in 2007. The series is set before and during the prequel ''Dead Days'', where
Ash Williams Ashley Joanna "Ash" Williams is a fictional character and the protagonist of the '' Evil Dead'' franchise. Created by Sam Raimi, he is portrayed by Bruce Campbell and is the only character to appear in each entry of the series, including a po ...
is transported into the ''Marvel Zombies'' universe and must fight the zombies while trying to escape back to his own universe.


Plot

Forty years after leaving Earth, the cosmic-powered zombies have systematically devoured all other life in their universe, as well as infected the Titan
Thanos Thanos () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 (cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Devia ...
, the mutant Phoenix, Shi'ar warrior
Gladiator A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...
and former Herald of Galactus, Firelord, with the zombie plague. They then decide to return to Earth and rebuild the interdimensional portal that
Magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...
destroyed forty years ago, in hope of finding more food. On their way to Earth, they encounter
Ego the Living Planet Ego the Living Planet is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Thor'' #132 (September 1966) and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. The character ha ...
. Surprised that there is a living planet, the zombies don't hesitate to devour him. On Earth, an elderly
Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...
rules the surviving humans in New Wakanda, but he is in a power struggle with the new generation of Acolytes, a team of mutant supervillains who praised Magneto, and their leader, Malcolm Cortez, the disillusioned son of
Fabian Cortez Tatiana Caban Bethany Cabe Caber Caber is a character in Marvel Comics. Caber is one of the Celtic gods of Avalon, a warrior god. Caber is a friend of Leir and usually accompanies him in battle. Cable Danielle Cage Danielle "Dani" C ...
, an old friend of T'Challa. An Acolyte assassin attacks the Panther in his sleep and nearly disembowels him, but the Panther is saved from death by the
Wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...
 – who remains a zombie but who is now cured of her hunger – when she deliberately infects him in order to 'save' him. After devouring the assassin, the two struggle with how to manage their hunger, while the cosmic zombies continue their approach to Earth. During their interstellar travel back to Earth,
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
and
Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. in 1972, he was the first Af ...
gradually lose their hunger and begin to act rationally once again.
Giant Man Giant-Man is the alias used by several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually in association with the alias Ant-Man. Hank Pym first appeared as Giant-Man in ''Tales to Astonish'' #49, though he had appea ...
wishes to start a "breeding program" to create more human food. A battle ensues because of Spider-Man and Luke Cage's new insight, knowing what they have done is wrong now that their hunger has subsided enough to allow them to think rationally. The humans erect an impenetrable barrier, with most of the cosmic-powered zombies outside trying to find a way in. Inside the barrier, Spider-Man and Luke Cage help kill Gladiator. Because of that, the humans gain trust in the two and repair their injuries sustained in the fight against gladiator (Spider-Man's ripped torso and Luke Cage's cybernetic lower half of body). Spider-Man then reveals that the other zombies seek the dimensional teleporter, which is said to be stored in the base. Knowing that the zombies will not depart without the device, the heroes prepare for the next battle. In doing so, Reynolds reveals that he had uncovered Colonel America's partially functioning brain and had spliced it into the body of T'Challa's deceased and zombified son, T'Channa, creating a delusional, non-hungry Colonel America. An enraged Black Panther attacks Reynolds for this, but soon relents upon seeing his edge into violence, though he refuses to forgive Reynolds for this transgression. Meanwhile, at the Baxter Building, Giant-Man and his team scour the building in search of the device, battling the
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...
's defense systems, but to no avail, they cannot find it.
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
, having seen
Forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to the ...
in his original Iron Man armor earlier when he ransacked the ruins of Stark International, deduces that he must also have activated the defense systems inside the building and taken the portal. With this in mind, Giant-Man leads his team back to New Wakanda to retrieve the device. Giant-Man's team arrives outside New Wakanda, where Black Panther, Luke Cage, Wasp, Hawkeye, and Spider-Man are waiting. Panther offers a barter; handing over the device in exchange for sparing the people of New Wakanda. Hank and Tony agree, and the force field is lowered. However, they are soon double-crossed when Black Panther's team engages Giant-Man's in combat. Giant-Man's zombies gain the upper hand, with Iron Man gaining access to the human's base, preparing to feast on the remaining humans, only to be met by Colonel America, Forge in the original Iron Man armor, and the remaining Acolytes. Giant-Man and the remnants of his team break into the facility and attack the safe room holding the remaining civilians. However, as Giant-Man is about to feast on Black Panther's wife, Lisa, he is surprised to realize that he has lost his hunger. Giant-Man then convinces the zombies that their hunger is in fact gone, and while he is successful, they are interrupted by an enraged and starving
Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...
. The Hulk kills several of the zombies (Phoenix, Firelord, Hawkeye, and Iron Man) as they attempt to stop him from eating the remaining humans. Reynolds, having fallen in love with Wasp and believing her to be dead, offers himself to be devoured by the Hulk to stop the Hulk's rampage, with the belief that he has nothing left to live for. The Hulk consumes Reynolds and then reverts to Banner, who requests to be killed by the survivors to prevent the Hulk from ever returning. 3 weeks later, the zombies aid the remaining humans in the restoration and repair of New Wakanda. They then hold a memorial for Iron Man, Firelord, Phoenix, and Hawkeye for their sacrifices during the Hulk's rampage. Later, the zombies are called to a meeting with Malcolm to discuss using the inter-dimensional portal to transport the remaining humans to another universe. However, Malcolm reveals that he intentionally sabotaged the device to not work, claiming that he never wants to know what civilization is like and that he would enjoy ruling over New Wakanda alone. He then announces that he would be getting rid of the zombies to prevent them from getting in the way of his plans, and also reveals that he murdered T'Challa's son, T'Channa, and that one day, he would murder T'Challa's grandson. Malcolm then activates the machine and the zombies are hurled into another dimension. Forge then arrives and confronts Malcolm over his actions, only to be knocked unconscious by Malcolm, who proclaims that they're someone else's problem now.


Collected editions

The series has been collected into a single volume: *''Marvel Zombies 2'' (collects #1-5, 128 pages, hardcover, June 2008, ) *''Marvel Zombies 2'' (collects #1-5, 120 pages, softcover, May 2009, / )


Merchandise

There is a very large amount of merchandise based on the zombie superhero characters of ''Marvel Zombies''. Diamond Select have produced Marvel Zombie
Minimates Minimates are a block-styled miniature action figure originally created by Art Asylum in 2002, and released by Diamond Select Toys as of 2007. The basic Minimate figure design has a tall humanoid body with 14 points of joint, articulation. Release ...
, action figures, statues, and a number of mini busts. Along with figurines, there is also "Marvel Zombie" clothing, including sweatshirts and T-shirts that have pictures of the zombie superheroes themselves or covers from the multiple comic books. Stores such as the popular retailer
Hot Topic Hot Topic, Inc. is an American fast-fashion company specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming, and most of the ...
carry a lot of the zombie comic book merchandise. There is also a collection of the ''Marvel Zombie'' comic book covers, featuring the art of
Arthur Suydam Arthur Suydam (; born May 18, 1953) is an American comic book artist known for his work on Marvel Zombies, Deadpool, Black Panther, and KISS Zombies. He has done artwork for magazines including '' Heavy Metal'', ''Epic Illustrated'' and '' Nation ...
,
Greg Land Greg Land (born 1956) is an American Comic book creator, comic book artist, best known for his work on books such as ''Uncanny X-Men'', ''Birds of Prey (comics), Birds of Prey'', and ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four''. Career Greg La ...
and Kyle Hotz.


In other media


Film

*In '' Spider-Man: Far From Home'', set in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
,
Mysterio Mysterio is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #13 (June 1964). He is one of the super ...
creates an illusion of a zombified Iron Man, which is inspired by the cover of the first issue of ''Marvel Zombies 2''.


See also

*''
Marvel Zombies ''Marvel Zombies'' is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the ''Ma ...
'' *''
Marvel Zombies 3 ''Marvel Zombies 3'' is a four-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics beginning in October 2008. It is part of the ''Marvel Zombies'' series. The series is written by Fred Van Lente, penciled by Kev Walker, with covers by Greg ...
'' *'' Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness'' *'' Marvel Zombies: Dead Days''


References


External links

* * *
Talking ''Marvel Zombies'' With Robert Kirkman
Newsarama ''Newsarama'' is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website ''GamesRadar+'', also owned by Future US. Hi ...

''Marvel Zombies vs AOD panels'' at Dread Central
* , PopCultureShock {{Marvel Zombies Marvel Zombies Comics by Robert Kirkman fr:Marvel Zombies