Marvel Zombies Confirms That the MCU Ruined the Best Avengers Villain Arc

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The animated series *Marvel Zombies* introduces a compelling villain who would have been a great challenge for the Avengers. As a continuation of the *What If…?* episode featuring zombies, the show is set in a world overrun by the undead. With most of the Avengers turned into zombies, the remaining heroes—including Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, Yelena Belova, and Shang-Chi—team up to stop the outbreak. *Marvel Zombies* stands out as one of the MCU’s most distinctive animated offerings thanks to its horror elements and intense action, and the central villain is a major highlight.

In *Marvel Zombies*, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) returns as a terrifying villain – the Queen of the Dead. Once an Avenger, she’s now infected with a zombie virus and, despite appearing in only two of the show’s episodes, is central to the story. Wanda gathers a zombie army and tries to use the Infinity Stones to control the universe, making her a huge threat. The series demonstrates that Wanda could have been a compelling villain in a full-length *Avengers* movie.

Marvel Zombies Proves the Scarlet Witch Would Have Been an Amazing Avengers Villain

Even with limited screen time, Wanda is a compelling villain in *Marvel Zombies*. Every scene showcasing her intimidating presence and glowing red eyes effectively highlights her incredible power. Even when she’s not visible, simply hearing her name creates a sense of fear, as she’s established as the terrifying Queen of the Dead. Elizabeth Olsen’s voice acting perfectly captures Wanda’s evil nature and intentions. *Marvel Zombies* presents a truly formidable version of the Scarlet Witch, and it feels like a fitting, if unsettling, direction for the character given her complex history in the MCU.

As a huge Marvel fan, I was really disappointed with how they handled Wanda Maximoff. After the incredible character development in *WandaVision* and her transformation into the Scarlet Witch, I truly believed she could become one of the MCU’s greatest villains, a real Avengers-level threat. She had so much potential! But instead of building her up slowly over time, they threw her into *Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness* and, frankly, wasted her. She was terrifyingly powerful, yes, but her villain arc felt rushed and ultimately ended with her just… sacrificing herself. It felt like a huge missed opportunity. They could have spent years crafting a truly compelling story with her as a major antagonist, but instead, they squandered it in what I thought was a pretty average *Doctor Strange* film.

Given the uncertain future for Wanda Maximoff, it’s disheartening to consider how much stronger her story could have been within the main Marvel Cinematic Universe. The *Marvel Zombies* series proves just how powerful and intimidating the Scarlet Witch can be as a villain, which makes her storyline in the primary MCU timeline feel even more underwhelming. It would have been a more impactful decision to feature Wanda as the antagonist in a new *Avengers* film instead of rushing to introduce Doctor Doom. Elizabeth Olsen has brilliantly developed Wanda over six projects, creating a complex character who often struggles between heroism and villainy. While Wanda shines even in the simple story of *Marvel Zombies*, she would have been even more compelling as a threat to the Avengers, fighting against those she once called friends. The dynamic of Earth’s heroes battling a former teammate is a fascinating idea that the MCU unfortunately missed out on.

The MCU Has Mishandled Its Villains Since Thanos and Avengers: Endgame

Most viewers were thrilled by the Avengers’ fight against Thanos in *Avengers: Infinity War* and *Avengers: Endgame*. Since then, it’s been hard for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to create another villain as compelling as Thanos. While characters like Namor, Green Goblin, and the Void have been memorable with their powers and complex personalities, the MCU’s search for a villain to fill Thanos’s shoes hasn’t gone smoothly.

Jonathan Majors first played Kang the Conqueror in the Disney+ series *Loki*, and then made his big-screen debut in *Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania* (2023). However, the movie didn’t receive good reviews and didn’t perform well in theaters. Combined with Majors’ subsequent legal issues, this effectively ended his run as the character. Now, all eyes are on Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Doctor Doom in *Avengers: Doomsday* (2026), but he faces an uphill battle to reach the same level of impact as Thanos.

As a big MCU fan, I’m a little disappointed with how things are shaping up for *Doomsday*. Doctor Doom hasn’t had a proper introduction – we only got a quick glimpse of him at the end of *The Fantastic Four: First Steps*. It feels like Marvel is stumbling as they try to build a new, Avengers-level threat. They *had* Scarlet Witch, a really powerful and interesting character, and could have made her an amazing villain – maybe even better than Thanos – but it feels like they dropped the ball on that opportunity.

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2025-10-08 17:49