Nearly 10 MCU veterans who have appeared in live-action projects will be reprising their roles in Marvel Studios' upcoming animated Marvel Zombies series.
Marvel Zombies is among the most anticipated upcoming projects on the MCU's 2025 slate. It is a spin-off of a What If...? Season 1 episode and will be one of two 2025 MCU projects to be R-rated (it will actually be rated TV-MA, which is the TV equivalent to R).
Like What If...?, Marvel Zombies will not only be bringing back some of the biggest characters the MCU has introduced thus far but also the A-list actors that played them in live-action.
All Nine MCU Actors Confirmed for Marvel Zombies
Disney revealed a written sneak peek of Marvel Zombies on the House of Mouse's official website. Included in the confirmed information were some of the MCU actors who will return to their roles for the upcoming animated series.
Awkwafina - Katy
Awkwafina will return to the MCU for Marvel Zombies for the first time since Shang-Chi. She will reprise her role as Katy, Shang-Chi's best friend.
Katy will be one of the survivors in the alternate zombified universe who must fight to stay uninfected. She will likely bring a lot of comedic relief to the team, and many are likely looking forward to seeing Awkwafina interact with other MCU actors she didn't get to share the screen with in Shang-Chi.
David Harbour - Red Guardian
David Harbour is going to have a major year in the MCU. He is one of 17 already established characters in the franchise to come back in 2025 (read which 17 characters will be featured in 2025 MCU projects), but he won't be featured in only one project.
Instead, he will reprise his role in live-action (Thunderbolts*) and animation (Marvel Zombies).
In the latter, Harbour's Red Guardian will be another one of the survivors teaming up to fight off the infected horde of zombies. Like Awkwafina, Harbour can bring a lot of comedy to the forefront, but he can also display his fighting skills, so fans can expect to see him at the center of many action sequences.
Simu Liu - Shang-Chi
Many fans have been upset that Simu Liu has been absent from the live-action realm of the MCU since his debut in Shang-Chi. He did briefly appear in What If...? Season 3, though, alongside Kate Bishop, but fans want to see him way more. Those same people will at least be glad to hear he will return for Marvel Zombies.
Shang-Chi will be yet another survivor trying to fight his way through the horde of zombies and the powerful, corrupted leaders that are a part of them.
Shang-Chi and Katy will likely share screen time as they are best friends, but Zombies will also allow the character to interact with other major MCU heroes for the first time.
After Marvel Zombies, Liu is expected to be featured in Avengers: Doomsday, and Marvel may have already spoiled the role he will play in that film.
Elizabeth Olsen - Scarlet Witch
Since Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch seemingly perished in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, many have wondered if or when she would reprise her role in the MCU.
Olsen did appear in What If...? as a powerful zombified version of herself, and that storyline will continue in Zombies. Scarlet Witch will not be one of the uninfected heroes like Shang-Chi and Red Guardian but will instead be one of the main antagonists the survivors have to face.
Randall Park - Jimmy Woo
Randall Park's Jimmy Woo has become a bit of a legend to many MCU fans. After initially appearing in Ant-Man and The Wasp, he returned for WandaVision and then Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (read more about why Ant-Man's Judy Greer wasn't featured in Quantumania).
Park will also be coming back for Marvel Zombies as one of the survivors. Jimmy will have his work cut out for him, but luckily, he will be with some of the franchise's most capable superheroes.
Florence Pugh - Yelena Belova
Like David Harbour, Florence Pugh is set to appear in multiple 2025 MCU projects. She will reprise her role as Yelena Belova in Thunderbolts* and Marvel Zombies.
Yelena will be one of the survivors in Zombies. Fans will likely see her and Red Guardian work together, as they did in Black Widow. However, she will also be reunited with Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop for the first time since the two crossed paths in Hawkeye.
Hailee Steinfeld - Kate Bishop
Hailee Steinfeld is another MCU actress fans want to see more of. She was introduced in the Hawkeye Disney+ series (a show recently teased to be getting a second season) but hasn't had an extensive role in the franchise since then, specifically in live-action.
As mentioned, Kate did make an appearance in What If...? Season 3 in a Wild West setting, but beyond that, she has been noticeably absent.
Once again, Kate will be one of the survivors featured in Marvel Zombies. She will interact with many, if not all, other survivors. Yet, fans will mainly be interested in seeing her around Yelena.
Dominique Thorne - Ironheart
Dominique Thorne is another MCU actress featured in multiple 2025 projects. After starring in her Disney+ series titled Ironheart, which has already made MCU history, Thorne will bring her talents to Marvel Zombies.
Playing Riri Williams (aka Ironheart), Thorne will be another one of the survivors. One of the show's most interesting aspects could be if Ironheart and a zombie Iron Man face off against each other, resulting in an armor vs. armor showdown between two of the MCU's best minds.
Iman Vellani - Ms. Marvel
Iman Vellani had a huge MCU debut in her Disney+ series titled Ms. Marvel, and she then returned to the franchise in The Marvels.
She will be one of the most integral characters in the entire series, potentially leading the group of survivors. Fans can expect her to be focused on more than other survivors.
Marvel Zombies will premiere on Disney+ on October 3.
