Next on Spidey’s list of Web-Warriors is a Spider-Man who hunts the creatures that destroyed his world: ZOMBIES!
Well, much like the What If…? episode, that was heartbreaking! Poor Zombie Hunter Spider-Man ended the team-up the same he began it… alone. Unless you count a body-less Ant-Man making constant head puns and a sentient cloak, but I don’t think he does…
This episode was actually requested by a surprising number of people. And who am I to deny the fans? Web-Warriors, after all, was created to showcase the different Spidey’s that you all wanted to see! Now I chose to do this episode a bit differently. Instead of Zombie Hunter Spider-Man going in for an interview, I had Spidey go to him, like the gang did in Episode 4 of the series.
This allowed me to set the episode after the events of What If…? and create a brand new narrative for both Spiders to engage in! Of course, however, this didn’t come without my usual order of callbacks and references!
Easter Eggs
Zombie Hunter HQ
One of the coolest parts about the What If…? episode was the Zombie Hunter HQ! A bunch of subway cars suspended in the air by a giant spider web!? Ignoring the fact that Spider-Man’s web fluid dissolves in an hour, this is such a cool concept and I love it so much. So when it came to designing the inside for the set, I made sure to build longer instead of wider.
Comparing Notes
Zombie Hunter Spider-Man is the same as the MCU Spider-Man up until Infinity War. Which, if you’re watching the Face Front Original Series The End of the Marvel Universe, you know is where my universe also takes a different path. So when figuring out about his life, Spidey finds that he and Zombie Hunter Spider-Man are essentially the same person, who went through all of the same events in life! Except for, you know, the Zombie Apocalypse…
The Plan
Peter states that King T’Challa is in Wakanda lining up a satellite array to broadcast the Mind Stone cure worldwide. If you’ll remember, that’s how the episode ended. With the survivors of the team on the way to Wakanda. The second array at Stark Industries was made up by me, but I thought it would make for a good ultimate goal/challenge for our friendly neighborhood Zombie Hunter Spider-Man! Also… there was a zombie Thanos waiting for them, and that’s game over, so I definitely didn’t wanna go that route!
Return of the Marvel Zombies!
I had two wonderful zombie figures with Iron Man and Captain America! The two key Avengers! But they died, like, almost immediately and quite easily in the show. So to use them, I had to find a way to bring them back! Which led to the 3rd zombie…
The Hulk Couldn’t Stop Her
Wanda Maximoff! If we recall, she was probably the most powerful zombie, being fed by Vision, and destroying anyone that got in her way with her undead Chaos Magic! Last we saw her, she was fighting the Hulk, but since The Watcher pulled her out of the a portal to use against Infinity Ultron, I’m gonna assume she won that fight. If anyone can revive dead zombies, it’s an undead Scarlet Witch!
Remembering the Team
After Wanda revives Cap and Iron Man, Zombie Hunter Spider-Man realizes that it’s basically a lost cause. Looking at Peter ready to fight reminded him of his old team. Happy Hogan, Okoye, the Winter Soldier, Sharon Carter, and of course, Hope VanDyne. Zombie hunters that fought to the bitter end. Unable to stomach losing another friend, he sends Peter on his way, hoping he’ll got on to a better world.
Smile for Me
“If we don’t keep smiling when they can’t, then we might as well be gone too.” Something Zombie Hunter Spider-Man told Hope that Aunt May said to him. Which is why in the episode, when Hope sacrificed herself, she told Peter to smile for her. Wanting to carry on the feeling of, well, hope, Zombie Hunter tells Peter to smile for him. Even as he stays behind, mirroring Wasp’s sacrifice. Hope would be proud.
Merch
Is Zombie Hunter Spider-Man your favorite Web-Warrior? Do you want people to know that everywhere you go? Then don’t forget to stop by the Merch Store and grab this awesome Zombie Hunter Spider-Man T-Shirt! In cosmic purple or shadowy black!
Remember, once we hit 100 Merch sales, anyone that purchased even a single piece has a chance to win the Marvel Legends Spider-Man: No Way Home 3-Pack! Click Here for more details on that!
That’s a wrap on the Zombie Hunter Episode! This one was a lot of fun to make. From the destroyed Stark Industries lobby to the throat-destroying zombie grunts (yes, that was all me). It’s definitely probably the saddest ending to a Web-Warriors episode. But Peter made Zombie Hunter promise to stay alive, so he has to! Right? RIGHT!??
We’ll see. And the next episode is a big one. Bigger than the rest! Maybe even superior to all that came before it! But who is it? Well, you’ll have to wait and see! Anyways, that’s it for me, Face Front True Believers, and I’ll see you in the Multiverse!
