The secret behind the newest breed of Marvel Zombies has some seriously dark implications for a classic Hulk character.

After fending off hordes of roving zombies and slinking through the New York City subway tunnels in the pages of Marvel Zombies: Dawn of Decay #3, Bruce Banner and Groot finally find themselves within reach of Avengers Tower, where they are hoping to craft an antidote for the virus that has swept the city. Just when it seems as though all might not be lost, Groot unleashes a powerful sneeze directly into Banner’s face. Surprisingly, this doesn’t transform Banner into another of the plant-based zombies, which in turn confirms that the outbreak was never Groot’s fault to begin with. Instead, its origins lie in a seemingly ordinary pen given to Captain America by one General Thunderbolt Ross, or possibly an imposter of him.

• Written by THOMAS KRAJEWSKI
• Art by JASON MUHR
• Colors by RACHELLE ROSENBERG
• Letters by VC’s TRAVIS LANHAM
• Design by KAT WALKINGTON
• Main cover art by JASON MUHR & MATT MILLA
• Variant covers by MARK BAGLEY & EDGAR DELGADO and SEAN “CHEEKS” GALLOWAY

General Ross has been a permanent fixture of Bruce Banner’s story from the very beginning, with the two making their comic book debut together in the pages of 1962’s The Incredible Hulk #1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. After an illustrious military career serving overseas, General Ross was stationed in New Mexico where he would not only meet Bruce Banner, but watch as the brilliant scientist was transformed into the Hulk fans know best today. In the years since, General Ross has near-constantly hounded the Hulk at every opportunity, even going toe-to-toe with his old foe as a Red Hulk of his own.

The undying hordes of Marvel Zombies: Dawn of Decay are just the latest in a long line of cannibalistic creepers, the first of which were introduced in 2005’s Ultimate Fantastic Four #21 by writer Mark Millar and artist Greg Land. Thanks to the sudden appearance of an infected Sentry from across the Multiverse, the denizens of Earth-2149 became the first to be overwhelmed by zombie hordes. When their Fantastic Four fell to the zombie plague, their continued intelligence allowed them to come up with a plot to invade and infect further worlds across the Multiverse.

Fans of Marvel Zombies are currently awaiting the upcoming animated miniseries of the same name. Spun out of the events of Marvel Studios’ animated What If…? which saw the undying hordes of heroes and villains come to form during its first season, Marvel Zombies is set to feature zombified versions of numerous fan-favorites including Clint Barton, Steve Rogers, Carol Danvers, Eternals‘ Ikaris, and Black Panther‘s Okoye. It was recently confirmed that a whole host of actors from previous Marvel Cinematic Universe projects will be returning for the series, including Shang-Chi‘s Simu Liu, Black Widow‘s Florence Pugh, and Ironheart‘s Dominique Thorne.

Marvel Zombies: Dawn of Decay #3 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.

Source: Marvel Comics

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