Marvel Studios Just Revealed a New Name for the MCU’s Raft Prison in 2025 Disney+ Show

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Captain America: Civil War first showed us The Raft in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s a high-security prison built underwater specifically to hold super-powered criminals. Following the events of Captain America: Brave New World, The Raft now holds five MCU villains: Baron Zemo, The Leader, Thaddeus Ross, and two characters who originally appeared in Netflix’s Defenders series. The prison was also the setting for a mysterious after-credits scene in Captain America 4, where Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns alluded to Avengers: Doomsday and warned of “others,” potentially hinting at the arrival of Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom and other threats from across the Multiverse.

So, in episode 2 of Marvel Zombies, our group of surviving heroes finally reaches what they believe is a safe haven – the City on the Sea. Turns out, it’s actually the Raft! You might remember the Raft from other Marvel stories – it used to be a super-max prison, holding the MCU’s most dangerous villains. But now, in this zombie apocalypse, it’s been turned into a refuge for survivors, using the surrounding water as a (somewhat shaky) defense against the undead. It’s a clever repurposing, but as you can imagine, nothing is ever truly safe in a zombie story!

Randall Park’s Jimmy Woo explained that the City on the Sea was “one of the last safe places on Earth,” because, as far as anyone knew, zombies couldn’t swim. After rescuing survivors from the Marvel Zombies group at a checkpoint in New Orleans-likely one of several-the former prison ship headed towards safety.

When the group arrived at the New Orleans security checkpoint, they were asked if they had brought a “tribute.” They responded with a herd of cows. This suggests that anyone hoping to live in the City on the Sea needs to offer something to the community, and it must be approved by its leader – an unexpected villain from the MCU.

It was unexpected, but the leader of the City on the Sea was revealed to be Baron Zemo. Rama Vallury took over the role from Daniel Bruhl as the MCU villain. Wyatt Russell’s John Walker served as Zemo’s right-hand man, though he didn’t ultimately become U.S. Agent.

Since the Marvel Zombies timeline didn’t diverge from the main timeline until 2018, the events of Captain America: Civil War most likely still happened as we know them. This suggests that Zemo was probably held as a prisoner at the Raft before the zombie outbreak started, and he then took charge, turning it into the City on the Sea.

After the City on the Sea took control, the Raft transformed from a jail into a safe haven. Those who live there now have access to plenty of food and sleep on cozy bunk beds where the cells used to be. The people of the city clearly admire their leader, as they all shouted “Zemo” before he began speaking.

It seems the city floating on the sea was hiding a significant problem, and even Zemo knew about it. The only danger to his safe haven was Zombie Namor and the undead people of Talokan, who could potentially reach the city by swimming.

The Civil War antagonist told the newly arrived survivors, “He’s hungry, and we discovered the only solution is to give him food,” then released their holding cell, sending them to the underwater kingdom as sustenance, only to have the survivors return.

In the end, Namor and the people of Talokan boarded the city and brutally killed everyone who lived there, causing it to flood. Because of this, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova was one of 24 people killed in Marvel Zombies, sacrificing herself so that others could get away.

The Raft Might Be Key to the Avengers’ Survival in Secret Wars

Regarding the situation on Earth-616, the most significant prisoners remaining at the Raft are Baron Zemo, Thaddeus Ross (also known as Red Hulk), and Samuel Sterns, who is The Leader.

As of now, there haven’t been any reports or credible rumors about the return of those characters to the MCU in the near future. This makes it unclear when we might see the Raft again, especially after its appearance in the Multiverse-focused Marvel Zombies.

It’s worth noting that the Raft has appeared in the last three Captain America projects – Civil War, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Brave New World. Because of this, the prison might show up again if Captain America 5 is made, although that seems less likely given that Brave New World may not have been financially successful for Disney.

There’s been talk that the Raft might have a bigger role to play in the MCU, especially with Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon. The 2015 event Secret Wars included a Life Raft capable of withstanding the final multiversal collapses, so it’s conceivable the prison could be enhanced to serve a similar function in the MCU version of the story.

Considering fans recently witnessed the Raft being used as a safe haven for those surviving a zombie outbreak, it makes sense to explore using it as a refuge at the end of the Multiverse, too.

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2025-10-03 20:36