This MCU Disaster Should Have Copied Marvel Zombies’ Ending

by

is definitely among the strongest animated offerings from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This Disney+ original series brings together fan-favorite characters from across the Multiverse Saga for a massive crossover event, even larger in scope than Avengers: Infinity War, and takes place in a bleak, post-apocalyptic world. Inspired by the Robert Kirkman comic book of the same name, Marvel Zombies demonstrates that newer MCU heroes – like Ms. Marvel, played by Iman Vellani, and Shang-Chi, portrayed by Simu Liu – have the potential to become as legendary as Iron Man or Captain America.

, receiving a variety of responses from both fans and critics. Whether you enjoy it or not, the miniseries cleverly utilizes the established world of the MCU, and in some cases, even more effectively than the main films. Marvel Zombies particularly shines with its surprising conclusion, which subverts expectations and offers a uniquely dark take within the Marvel universe. Interestingly, Marvel Zombies shows that its ending could have been even more impactful if it had been used in a particularly unsuccessful MCU film – one that currently has a low 46% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In fact, this one adjustment might have significantly improved the entire MCU Multiverse Saga.

Marvel Zombies Steals Quantumania’s Perfect Ending

Marvel Zombies is easily one of the darkest stories in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The series doesn’t shy away from grim themes, culminating in a truly tragic finale. After years of surviving zombie attacks and the Queen of the Dead, Kamala Khan and her allies get a fighting chance when Spider-Man and the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj enlist their help. They face off against the Scarlet Witch and her undead army, and Kamala discovers the reason the Queen has been fixated on her: Wanda needs Kamala’s powers to absorb the Infinity energy from the Hulk. Wanda claims she can use this energy to reset the universe and revive everyone. After a long struggle, Kamala finally accepts Wanda’s hand and appears to wake up in a perfect world where her friends and family are alive and civilization is restored-but something feels wrong. Kamala begins to see strange glitches, revealing this idyllic reality isn’t real-it’s a vision created by the Queen of the Dead. Just as Kamala understands this horrifying truth, the screen goes black with a final scare from the undead Wanda Maximoff, ending the season and leaving viewers to wonder about the terrible fate awaiting the young Ms. Marvel due to her choice. It’s a remarkably dark conclusion, fitting for such a bleak series, and the kind of bold thematic direction the MCU has been lacking lately.

A stronger conclusion to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, one of the MCU’s biggest letdowns, would have significantly improved the film. The movie serves as the kickoff to Phase 5 and introduces Kang the Conqueror, initially intended as the primary villain of the Multiverse Saga. Given this was Kang’s first on-screen appearance, many viewers anticipated he would win in Quantumania, establishing him as a truly formidable threat before facing the Avengers. However, fans were surprised when Ant-Man and his team somehow defeated Kang and escaped the Quantum Realm. The final scene bears a striking resemblance to the ending of Marvel Zombies, showing Scott Lang enjoying a peaceful return to normal life, relieved to be free of the ordeal with Kang. He then hesitates, questioning internally if he truly defeated Kang or if he’s been tricked into thinking the danger has passed. For a fleeting moment, viewers are on the edge of their seats, expecting a dramatic twist. Unfortunately, Scott quickly dismisses these concerns and goes about his day. Quantumania then concludes with a lighthearted joke, squandering what could have been one of the MCU’s most impactful endings. If the Ant-Man film had been brave enough to deliver a dark conclusion like Marvel Zombies, the outcome might have been very different. A chilling twist revealing Scott Lang still trapped within the Quantum Realm, believing he’s free, would have been the ideal way to conclude Quantumania and establish a more serious tone for the Multiverse Saga. Instead, the film opted for a predictable and uninspired ending, solidifying its place as a major disappointment in MCU history.

Quantumania Botched Kang the Conqueror’s Introduction

A major issue with the ending of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is that it doesn’t do justice to the character of Kang the Conqueror. As many know, Marvel Studios planned for Kang and his different versions to be the main villains of the Multiverse Saga, leading to a big battle with the Avengers in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. However, this film didn’t really build excitement for that storyline. Even with a great performance by Jonathan Majors, Kang doesn’t come across as the serious threat he needs to be to challenge the Avengers. One of the biggest complaints about the movie is that Kang is defeated too easily, first by a swarm of ants and then by being tricked into destroying himself. Although there were likely plans to show that this version of Kang survived his apparent death in the Quantum Realm, the fact remains that Ant-Man and his team already beat him. If some of the weakest Avengers could defeat Kang, it’s hard to believe the full team wouldn’t be able to do the same in The Kang Dynasty.

One of the things Quantumania did was introduce different versions of Kang, like Pharaoh Rama-Tut, the Scarlet Centurion, and Immortus. This clearly hinted at The Kang Dynasty, but many viewers were disappointed. If Kang had won against Ant-Man and the Wasp, his various selves might have felt like a much bigger danger to the Avengers. Instead, losing to the MCU’s smallest heroes makes it seem like Kang isn’t powerful enough to justify such a large conflict. A more tragic ending, where the characters in Quantumania actually failed, would have made all the difference. The world would have seen Kang the Conqueror as the major, Thanos-level threat he was intended to be, rather than just a one-time bad guy. By avoiding a truly dark conclusion, the MCU mishandled the introduction of Kang the Conqueror and created problems for the entire Multiverse Saga. Now, two years later, Marvel Zombies shows just how amazing and frightening Quantumania‘s ending could have been.

The MCU Still Hasn’t Recovered From Quantumania

The third Ant-Man film didn’t just stumble with its introduction of Kang the Conqueror; it also created significant problems for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Whether you enjoyed it or not, the box office results speak for themselves: after largely negative feedback from both critics and fans, Quantumania underperformed. While it wasn’t the lowest-grossing MCU film ever, it was definitely one of the most disheartening. Quantumania was intended to kick off the next phase of the Multiverse Saga and present a villain capable of challenging the Avengers. Instead, it damaged viewers’ faith in the MCU. Following Quantumania’s poor performance in theaters, other Marvel movies haven’t fared well at the box office either. Less than a year later, The Marvels became the biggest financial failure in the franchise’s history. Even movies that received positive reviews, like Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, haven’t achieved the same success as comparable films from the Infinity Saga. Quantumania seriously hurt Marvel’s brand, damaging the studio’s reputation and eroding viewer confidence. Two years later, the consequences of this failure are still apparent as the MCU attempts to regain audience trust.

Reports have consistently shown that Quantumania was expected to be a huge success. Before this film, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) had been experiencing a dip in quality, and Marvel was counting on it to rebuild trust in their brand. That’s why the negative response to the Ant-Man sequel was so impactful, forcing Marvel to quickly rethink its strategy. The film’s poor reviews and box office performance certainly contributed to the decision to move away from the Kang the Conqueror storyline and focus instead on Doctor Doom. The subsequent accusations against Jonathan Majors only provided Marvel with an easy justification to make the change. Now that Doctor Doom has replaced Kang as the central villain of the Multiverse Saga, Quantumania has little relevance within the MCU.

Marvel Zombies really highlights what a chance Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania missed. With just a few different choices, the Ant-Man sequel could have been much more impactful, setting up Kang the Conqueror to become one of the MCU’s most iconic villains. As it stands, the movie has largely been forgotten less than two years after it came out, and newer, stronger projects only emphasize how good it *could* have been.

Marvel Zombies and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are available to stream on Disney+.

Read More

2025-10-03 04:41