The MCU‘s most ominous scene just got even more terrifying. Not all timelines in the Marvel multiverse count with the same luck. Some of them lack a few major heroes, some of them are inhabited by animal versions of Marvel’s icons, and some of them are wiped out in nightmarish apocalypses before any hero gets a chance to react.
Marvel’s main timeline has gone through its fair share of annihilation-level events, all of which have been averted or reversed. One of the most famous is Thanos’ attack in The Infinity Gauntlet, where he sets out to collect the Infinity Stones. Likewise, Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War presents the biggest tragedy in MCU history in the form of Thanos’ victory.
Both The Infinity Gauntlet and Avengers: Infinity War feature a similar scene where Thanos sends an ominous message to Earth, carried by a defeated hero.
Marvel Zombies Reinvents Bruce Banner & Silver Surfer’s “Thanos Is Coming” Scene
Marvel Zombies: Red Band #3; Written by Ethan S. Parker & Griffin Sheridan; Art by Jan Bazaldua & Erick Arciniega
In Marvel Zombies: Red Band #3, as Doctor Strange talks to Wong about the zombie virus and Stephen’s infected body, the Silver Surfer crashes through the Sanctum Sanctorum’s ceiling. Mirroring Norrin Radd’s arrival in The Infinity Gauntlet #1 and Bruce Banner’s return to Earth in Avengers: Infinity War, the Silver Surfer tells Wong and Strange, “God is coming!” In only one page, Marvel Zombies: Red Band sets up a much bigger threat than Thanos.
Marvel Zombies: Red Band #3 doubles down on the void’s ominous presence by having Silver Surfer reach out to Thanos for help. Whereas Earth-616’s Norrin Radd saw Thanos’ imminent arrival as a nightmare, this timeline’s Norrin sees Thanos as the universe’s only hope. Later on, Thanos, wielding five of the Infinity Gems, is just as shocked by the sight of the Grandmaster being eaten by a group of infected heroes.
Silver Surfer calls the void “God,” and Spider-Man senses how all zombies are connected as a hive to the void, which transfers a spiral symbol to his mind through his symbiote suit. These hints, of course, tease a massively powerful version of Knull, god of the void. In Marvel Zombies: Red Band‘s universe, Knull may not only be the creator of the symbiotes, but also the creator of the zombie virus.
Marvel’s Zombies Are More Dangerous Than The Symbiotes
Marvel’s Zombies Could Do Some Real Damage If They Successfully Invaded Important Timelines
While Knull’s symbiotes are one of the biggest and most powerful species in the Marvel Universe, Marvel’s zombies are far more dangerous, as the virus spreads exponentially and weaponizes every host’s powers. Symbiotes can bond to almost anyone and enhance their strength, but Marvel Zombies retain their superpowers and part of their intelligence. They nearly overran Earth-1610 in the Ultimate Universe, proved a challenge for Thanos in Secret Wars, and have overpowered heroes as strong as Hyperion.
Marvel’s zombie virus spreads fast enough to instantly transform top-tier powerhouses and overwhelm entire universes. Characters as powerful as Jean Grey and the Hulk have fallen, and curing them is not a possibility. Since no symbiote has appeared in Marvel Zombies: Red Band so far, whatever Knull could be planning may earn itself a spot among the biggest apocalypses in Marvel history.
Marvel Zombies: Red Band #3 is now available from Marvel Comics.