Marvel Zombies introduces the Valley of the Broken Gods, a new locale for Marvel Studios, and it is peak MCU. The otherworldly location debuted as a part of Zombie's flesh-craving premiere. It pops up as Kamala Khan, Kate Bishop, and Riri Williams make their way across the zombie-infested wasteland, looking for a cure to their world's undead plight.
It emerges in the story as a massive crater cutting a mountain in half, which the trio of Young Avengers decides to use as a shortcut on this quest across the American countryside. They get a little more than they bargained for, driving through the valley only to discover the secret hidden within the rock formations' stony walls.
Passing through the Valley of the Broken Gods, Kate, Kamala, and Riri soon realize that this is no mere shortcut but a battleground for some of the undead universe's most powerful zombified Avengers.
At the time of their journey, the trio spot large flashes in the sky, only to uncover that a zombified Ikaris (as played by Richard Madden in Eternals) and Captain Marvel have engaged in a never-ending battle between one another in an epic clash of super-powered titans.
Being as powerful as they are, it would seem that this quote/unquote valley was created by the pair of duelling undead fiends, with one colliding with the earth and creating this large mountain-side crater.
This is such a fascinating idea for the MCU, essentially being this eternal battleground for the pair of ultra-powerful zombies.
Given that both characters are undead, there is not much either can do to stop the other, meaning the two former heroes have now been damned to clash for the rest of eternity. Anyone who gets in their way will likely end up collateral damage for their titanic comic book clash.
That is exactly what happens for Kamala and friends. After realizing the true nature of the valley they just passed through and spotting Captain Marvel and Ikaris tussling in the sky, Kamala, Kate, and Riri come across a zombified horde, getting stranded within the Valley of the Broken Gods.
After a blast from the god-like battle takes out their armored vehicle, the teenage trio heads out on foot, only to meet an army of undead. This resulted in a blood-spewing fight that left Kate Bishop dead and Kamala seemingly in the care of the ultra-badass Blade Knight (a combination of Blade and Moon Knight).
According to Marvel Studios' "Guide to Marvel Zombies" (released on social media alongside the new series), the Valley of the Broken Gods is located in central Pennsylvania.
It is listed as one of the series' primary undead locations, joining the likes of New York City, the City on the Sea, and Wakanda as a tentpole setting of the new animated series.
Marvel Zombies is streaming in its skin-crawling entirety on Disney+. The four-part R-rated series tells the story of a Marvel universe ravaged by an undead virus, leaving some of the MCU's most powerful heroes as flesh-craving zombies. The new series stars several returning MCU stars, including Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, and Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams.
Will the Valley of the Broken Gods Return in the MCU?
Given how unique an idea the Valley of the Broken Gods is for the MCU, it would not be surprising if fans start clamoring to see its return elsewhere in the comic book franchise.
This seems to be an original creation for the new Marvel Zombies series, meaning there is no comic precedent for where it could possibly show up next. While it is cool, it does not seem likely that the new Marvel Studios locale will come back in any meaningful way, but that does not mean its spirit will not carry over into future projects.
The Valley of the Broken Gods was clearly created as a wasteland-based colosseum where some of Marvel Zombies' most powerful zombified heroes would battle.
Luckily for fans, this idea will likely return in the next few years. With the upcoming release of Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, audiences can expect the emergence of the iconic Marvel Comics location, Battleworld. This is essentially a planet-wide Valley of the Broken Gods, where heroes from separate universes fight for the survival of their realities.
While these heroes will probably not be zombified like in the new animated Disney+ series, it could fill the void the Valley of the Broken Gods left behind.
