Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Marvel Zombies episodes 1-4The MCU’s new Marvel Zombies series has arrived, featuring a horde of blood-soaked Easter eggs and references. As the undead rise to claim one of the darkest timelines in the entire Marvel multiverse, there are several nods and ties to be found, connecting to the greater MCU and beyond.
Spinning out the events seen in Marvel’s What If…? season 1, Marvel Zombies is a four-part animated epic featuring the remnants of humanity and its surviving heroes desperately trying to survive the superpowered undead. With multiple connections throughout this incredibly dark version of the MCU, here is every Easter egg, reference, and fun MCU factoid we found in Marvel Zombies.
All MCU Easter Eggs, References, and Connections In Marvel Zombies
Young Avengers Assemble – Marvel Zombies opens with Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel, Riri Williams’ Ironheart, and Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye as a trio of surviving heroes in the zombie apocalypse, effectively serving as one of our first official Young Avengers team-ups (despite being outside the main MCU timeline).
The Uhura/”Number One” – Riri confirms the truck she’s been working on is called The Uhura, named after the classic Star Trek character, connecting to Riri’s established “Trekkie” status both in the comics and the MCU. The same goes for Kamala quoting Patrick Stewart’s Picard once the heroes are ready to travel.
Ms. Marvel v Captain Marvel – Because the zombie virus first spread in 2018, Kamala’s failed attempt to take on her undead idol serves as their first meeting in this dark MCU timeline.
The North Institute – First revealed in 2020’s Back Widow, The North Institute in Ohio was the SHIELD cognitive research facility that was secretly run by Hydra agents developing the Winter Soldier Program, the same facility infiltrated by Alexei Shostakov’s Red Guardian on behalf of the Soviets.
Red Room Programming – The mind control technology Melina Vostokoff uses on the zombie hordes to protect the North Institute is the same tech she used on pigs in Black Widow, before it was applied to Dreykov’s Red Room operatives.
Ms. Marvel’s Sloth Baby – A classic winged baby sloth patch can be seen on Kamala’s shoulder. A recurring Easter egg, the sloth baby is a stuffed animal owned by Ms. Marvel in the comics and serves as the mascot and name of her YouTube channel in the MCU (Sloth Baby Productions).
Fastball (Zombie) Special – When the Queen of the Dead’s hordes attack the North Institute, the undead Abomination throws Captain America right at the fortified facility, a zombified version of the classic Fastball Special made popular by Wolverine and Colossus in the comics.
Red Guardian vs Captain America (Almost) – Infiltrating the North Institute, Red Guardian finally gets his wish to fight Captain America for real, albeit half of him. This is because Zombie Captain America lost his lower half after he was severed in two by his own shield (thrown by Bucky Barnes in What If…?’s original zombie episode).
San Francisco (The Origin Point) – Marvel Zombies episode 2 opens with a flashback to San Francisco during the initial zombie outbreak in 2018, caused by the Quantum Realm virus Janet Van Dyne brought with her when she was brought back by Hank (also seen in What If…? season 1). However, this flashback is specifically focused on Shang-Chi, Katie, and Jimmy Woo being saved by The Mandarin.
A New Ten Rings Power? – After Shang-Chi was bitten on the arm, his father gave him the Ten Rings, stopping the infection and keeping him from turning. This implies the Ten Rings we’ve seen in the main MCU may also grant more powers than we currently know about.
Skrull Gangs – In the present-day MCU zombie apocalypse, a large gang of Skrulls is shown attacking Shang-Chi and company, connecting to the reveal in Secret Invasion that there were a million Skrulls secretly living on Earth for years.
The Raft – Marvel Zombies reveals that Baron Zemo turned the supermax prison known as The Raft into an ocean sanctuary for survivors, a perfect place to survive the zombie apocalypse…were it not for Namor and his hordes of undead Talokanils.
“I No Longer Consume Blood” – Aboard The Raft, Marvel Zombies’ Blade Knight claims he no longer needs to consume blood. While the reason is not specified, it may be due to his new status as Khonshu’s avatar and the additional powers granted by the Egyptian moon god.
A Hulk Containment Cell – During the attack from the Talokan horde, Zemo activates a containment unit on Namor made for the Hulk. This is not unlike the containment cell built for Bruce Banner on SHIELD’s first Helicarrier.
What If…? Season One Survivors – Marvel Zombies episode 3 opens by revealing what happened to the survivors of What If…?’s zombie episode. Spider-Man, a one-legged Black Panther (a nod to the original Marvel Zombies comics), and Ant-Man’s head fought Zombie Thanos with help from Thor, Rocket, and Groot. However, Spider-Man and Ant-Man were the only survivors, saved by the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj.
The Watcher – During the flashback revealing what happened to Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Ant-Man, Uatu the Watcher can be seen observing the climactic battle with Zombie Thanos. Notably, The Watcher has made a cameo appearance in every animated MCU project released thus far.
Masters of the Mystic Arts – Multiple Masters of the Mystic Arts from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are featured in Marvel Zombies, including the London Master, Sara Wolfe, and the green Minotaur named Rintrah.
Khonshu Knows The Asgardians – Marvel Zombies confirms that Khonshu is familiar with the gods of Asgard, supporting the idea that the banished member of the Ennead Council is still connected and has history with other MCU deities.
Odin – A statue of the All-Father Odin is featured in the Asgardian stronghold on Earth.
“Revels” – Multiple Asgardians are shown celebrating at a big feast with the word “revels” being used several times, a likely nod to Age of Ultron’s “revels” and the party that was held at Avengers Tower right before Ultron himself was born.
Winter Soldier Rock Music – While it’s hard to tell, it sounds like a rock version of the Winter Soldier’s theme can be heard playing at the Asgardian party in Marvel Zombies episode 3.
Wanda Still Wants A Child’s Powers – Rather than wanting America Chavez and her power to travel the multiverse as she did in Multiverse of Madness, Wanda Maximoff wants Kamala Khan, seeking Ms. Marvel’s powers to seemingly amplify her own.
The Scarlet Witch vs Thor – A classic “Who Would Win” superhero showdown long debated by MCU fans, Wanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch is the victor over Thor, eventually infecting him and turning the God of Thunder into one of her undead Scions.
Ms. Marvel & Spider-Man – Despite being an alt-MCU timeline, Marvel Zombies is the first time Ms. Marvel meets Spider-Man face-to-face, a team-up MCU fans have been begging for since Kamala’s Disney+ show.
Infinity Hulk (Anchor Being?) – Having absorbed all the Infinity Stones’ energies after Black Panther sacrificed himself to end Zombie Thanos, the Hulk is referred to as an “anchor point” for all this raw power. That said, one has to wonder if that might make this new “Infinity Hulk” this MCU reality’s multiversal “Anchor Being”, a concept first introduced in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Hulk v Ambomination – While it seemed like we were about to get a rematch between the Ambomination and Hulk, Infinity Hulk wipes out the undead Emil Blonsky with a single blast of Infinity Stone energy, subverting expectations for a major showdown (just like She-Hulk did in its finale episode).
“On Your Left” – Infinity Hulk is supported by the remaining heroes in Marvel Zombies’ final episode, beginning with Shang-Chi’s Ten Rings knocking Wanda Maximoff back into her own horde, having flown over Hulk’s left shoulder (which can’t be a coincidence as the heroes arrive via portals a la Endgame).
A Major Thor: Ragnarok Evolution – Zombie Thor v Infinity Hulk is certainly a major upgrade from their iconic gladiator showdown in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, especially with how it ends with Hulk similarly uppercutting Thor high into the air before slamming him back down as he he did on Sakaar…though this time with a much more gruesome and gory end for the God of Thunder.
A Worldwide Westview – Thanks to Kamala’s power from the Noor dimension, Wanda Maximoff’s Queen of Dead was seemingly able to veil the entire world in a false reality of her own making, not unlike what she did with Westview in the main MCU timeline.
Red Dagger – In this false reality, Kamala is shown at the end of Marvel Zombies episode 4 with Riri and Kate, while also admiring a boy with a red scarf across the street. This looks to be Kareem aka Red Dagger, the hero from Pakistan whom Kamala met and briefly teamed up with in her Disney+ series.