Blood Meets Brains: Marvel Showrunner Teases Gory Yet Gripping MCU TV-MA Series

Marvel Zombies is almost here, and it’s bringing more blood and horror to the MCU than we’ve ever seen before. The new animated miniseries hits Disney+ on October 3, 2025, and will run for four episodes. Showrunner and director Bryan Andrews recently spoke with Collider about the challenge of making a gory zombie apocalypse in the Marvel universe , without letting the blood overshadow the story.

The series is a spin-off from the “What If… Zombies?!” episode of Marvel’s What If…? and continues the story in a single, connected narrative. According to Andrews, it was originally imagined as a full-length movie, but was later split into four episodes. Even so, it’s still designed to feel like one wild, cinematic ride.

Marvel Zombies is Marvel Studios Animation’s first TV-MA series, and Andrews made it clear that this rating isn’t about shock value — it’s about telling a darker, more intense story. “The rating comes from the level of violence and intensity of the moments that the characters find themselves in. And yeah, blood gets spilled, and we want to be able to see that,” he said.

But while the show will have its share of gore, Andrews stressed that it’s not about showing as much blood as possible just for the sake of it. “It’s not about providing just a tremendous amount of gore. We could have easily done that, but we didn’t need to,” he explained. “There is some gore, but it isn’t about just the gore, you know what I mean?”

Instead, Andrews and his team focused on making sure every violent moment fits the story. The deaths will be brutal, but they also serve a purpose in moving the plot forward and deepening the characters’ struggles. “Character-driven, emotion, people dealing with stuff. All that good stuff,” Andrews said. “It’s just that when something happens and it’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, I just got ripped apart. Oh, damn.’ But we move on because it’s not about… ‘Look at all the things that we’re doing! Wow!’”

The same approach applies to language. While the show has a few curse words, Andrews said they only use them when it feels right for the scene. “We did try not to be gratuitous about it, but there’s a couple key parts where someone does say something because it just fits. Like that’s what I would say in that moment.”

Fans can still expect plenty of shocking moments. The series will feature zombified versions of Marvel heroes and villains, including the infected Scarlet Witch, a grotesque Captain America, and the return of zombie Okoye. But Andrews hinted that some surprises are being kept secret until the show airs. “We hope that there are some surprises still left, so you can see the episode and go, ‘What?’”

Marvel Zombies premieres October 3 on Disney+, promising a mix of intense action, horror, and emotional storytelling, with just enough gore to make you squirm without losing sight of the heart of the story.

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