WARNING: The following contains spoilers for What If…? Season 1, Episode 5, “What If… Zombies?!” streaming now on Disney+.
One of the great things about “What If… Zombies?!” is that the alternate reality gets to do its own thing, not even needing to follow the Marvel Zombies comic lore that inspired this dark apocalypse. In this case, Hank Pym unleashes a virus from the Quantum Realm that turns people into the undead, pushing them to feed and spread the infection. Pym himself infects Captain America, and from then on, Earth’s mightiest heroes are lost. With that in mind, let’s dissect the episode’s most merciless zombie fatalities, sadly centered around some of our favorite characters.
5. HAPPY HOGAN’S FACE BLAST
Happy Hogan ends up wielding Iron Man’s gauntlet as he fights with the resistance, using Tony’s repulsor rays to blast enemies away. As they prep to take a train from Grand Central Station to a New Jersey military base, though, his cute moment of going “Blam!” and shooting up the place turns to sheer horror. He’s hooked via grappling line by an undead Hawkeye, dragged into a dark tunnel and infected.
He then comes out to feed on Sharon Carter, shooting at her but sloppily missing. When he gets close enough, though, and is about to fire again, Agent 13 grabs his arm and presses it on his skull so Happy literally blows his face off. She takes the gauntlet for herself, leaving Spider-Man sad another father-figure got canned.
4. SHARON CARTER’S GRIMY EXPLOSION
Sharon, herself, meets a grim fate when the train departs for the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, as Steve Rogers has snuck aboard. Zombie Cap mauls and infects her, and while his attack is stymied thanks to Bucky Barnes’ intervention, Sharon rises up to attack her colleague.
However, as she snarls, Hope/Wasp flies into her mouth. It seems like she’s eaten her, but Hope then enlarges from inside Sharon, blowing her guts all over the train car in a play on the “Thanus theory.” It leaves Hope disgusted as Okoye jokes about cleaning up the area with hand sanitizer. Sadly, Hope would get cut and infected from being a swelling inside agent.
3. THE NEW YORK GENOCIDE
In the opening sequence, Bruce Banner finds New York in dire straits, and, in a nod to the Avengers: Infinity War opening battle, comes face to face with Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian, this time on his own. However, zombie versions of Iron Man, Wong and Doctor Strange emerge, this time as villains. Luckily, as they all attack, Bruce gets some help from Strange’s Cloak of Levitation.
It grabs Wong as he uses a portal to try to eat Banner, breaking the sorcerer’s spell so it closes and slices the mage’s head off. As for Strange and the Black Order assassins, a swarm of ants arrive, eat their skin off clean and drop their corpses to the ground. This is due to Hope, who touches down and blasts Stark’s head off. One of her giant ants then eats the head to leave Bruce’s stomach churning as he calls the entire ordeal “disgusting.”
2. STEVE ROGERS IS SLICED UP
On the train to New Jersey, just before Sharon gets killed, Bucky decides to go one-on-one with Steve. He fires his machine gun at Zombie Cap, but the creature blocks all the shots with his shield, only for Bucky to kick him towards the exit door. Cap then flings the shield, but Bucky catches it and chucks it back at a high-velocity, akin to The Winter Soldier’s rooftop scene.
It slices straight through Steve, akin to a Mortal Kombat Fatality from Kung Lao, with both halves then dropping off onto the tracks. It’s a horrific end to their friendship as Bucky admits this is the end of the line, taking on the shield and effectively becoming the new Cap.
1. SAM WILSON GETS CUT IN HALF
The reason why Bucky has to don the mantle is there’s no Sam Wilson around. At the train station, Falcon flies in, attacking Bucky and Okoye, even landing his signature kick on Bucky. However, Okoye improvises and leaps off the balcony with her spear, slicing Sam straight down the middle just as he is about to eat Bucky.
It’s quite graphic, despite the guts being kept obscure, resonating heavily as the most terrifying murder in the episode. Bucky, though, undercuts the moment with levity, joking that while he should be sad, he isn’t. It pokes fun at their rivalry while also proving Bucky’s conditioned to life in a world where everyone’s expendable.
What If…? releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.
About The Author
