Doing Marvel Zombies Was a ‘No-Brainer’ Says What If’s AC Bradley

Marvel’s What If collection on Disney+ is about to dig into the numerous tales unfolding all all through the MCU’s freshly minted multiverse, a lot of which bear putting similarities to chunks of the cinematic canon established in earlier movies. But among the collection’ particular universes will delve into realities that might be nearly not possible to manifest exterior of animation.

As Marvel Studio’s first animated challenge set firmly throughout the MCU—and one about exploring a multiverse of far-flung potentialities—What If is within the distinctive place of with the ability to get slightly wild by way of pulling from Marvel’s deep catalog of well-known tales. When io9 not too long ago spoke with What If’s govt producer Brad Winderbaum, head author A.C. Bradley, and director Bryan Andrews, all of them emphasised how the collection being animated freed them up creatively to go greater than they might have been capable of in any other case. “Had it not been animated, we wouldn’t have been able to really plumb the depths of the MCU like we have,” Winderbaum mentioned. “It’s almost infinite what you’re able to do in the animated space, so if you could dream it, you can do it. You want to go back to the Project Rebirth lab? It’s just as easy as going back to Knowhere.”

While a lot of What If’s episodes rework acquainted beats from the MCU, the collection may also draw from Marvel’s comics. In every other circumstance, incorporating the outbreak of a zombifying pathogen into the MCU would considerably derail your entire challenge. But Bradley defined how the thought to toss zombies into the blender got here to her early on after Marvel head Kevin Feige requested for pitches for the present’s first season. “I think I might have mentioned it early on as a ‘What if we did this’ kind of pie in the sky throwaway not thinking at first that there actually has been the very famous run,” Bradley recalled. “Brad was excited, and then Kevin [Feige] kind of surprised us by being like, ‘Yeah, no. You’re doing Marvel Zombies.’’”

Bradley identified that extra so than any of What If’s different self-contained entries, the Marvel Zombies episode is one for which individuals may wish to brush up on the comics—written by Robert Kirkman, artwork by Sean Phillips, and covers by Arthur Suydam—in preparation. “The fun part of Marvel Zombies, at least for me, was to delve into that initial run,” Bradley mentioned. “Probably more than any other what episode. We drew directly from the comic for inspiration and for actual specific scenes, because it is so good and less from the movies.”

One of the fascinating and doubtlessly trickier bits of adapting Marvel Zombies for the MCU boils right down to who all goes to indicate up. In all the Ultimate Fantastic Four zombie plots written by Mark Millar and illustrated by Greg Land, the Fantastic Four characteristic fairly largely within the discovery of the zombified universe. Similarly, X-Men characters like Magneto and Wolverine play necessary roles in Kirkman’s story. Considering what’s deliberate for years to come back on the large display, it’s unlikely that any of technically-Marvel’s-but-not-yet-in-the-MCU chunks of IP will pop up in What If.

As a lot flexibility the collection being animated afforded the crew, Andrews acknowledged that there have been some limitations on what they have been capable of do resulting from time and budgetary constraints, however finally, they did pour the majority of their fleshed-out concepts into the present. “We were still able to tell it the way we wanted to and show the things that we wanted to show,” Andrews mentioned. “I think animation allows us the freedom to do that. So we could be big and bold and crazy and expand, which is awesome, and I think that’s what the multiverse should do, and what the story is these stories are going to do.”

What If hits Disney+ on August 11. Keep an eye fixed on io9 this week for extra.

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