What If? Marvel Zombies - 10 Things You Need To Know

10. The Marvel Zombies Debuted In Fantastic Four

Even though Marvel Zombies are one of the most popular comics in recent years, they didn't originate in the conventional Marvel world.

By the time the 2000s rolled around, Marvel editorial believed new readers were turned off by comics since their stories were tied to decades of convoluted continuity. To counter this, Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, Bryan Hitch and others were tasked with forging a reboot for modern readers that existed alongside the traditional comics called Ultimate Marvel.

Not only did these retellings of Spider-Man, X-Men, and the Fantastic Four help Marvel get out of their slump, these stories were universally praised. In fact, readers were eager to see these heroes crossover with the original Marvel line-up.

And when Ultimate Reed Richards journeyed to another universe in Ultimate Fantastic Four #21, readers believed this highly teased crossover was going to happen. However, Ultimate Reed soon learned he had arrived in a world infested by undead superheroes and supervillains who craved human flesh.

This story was hailed as a masterpiece, inspiring the creation of an official Marvel Zombies series several months later written by Mark Millar, Greg Land and Walking Dead creator himself, Robert Kirkman.