I really, really hate zombies. I think they’re ugly and gross and all-around unpleasant to look at or think about. But something about “Paragon of Good” Captain America as a gruesome, flesh-eating, corpse-colored zombie holds a certain juxtapositional appeal, even to me. And so, I had little doubt in my mind that the Marvel Legends Zombie Captain America figure would be a top seller, regardless of how the What If? show was ultimately received. And, well—he has indeed sold like wildfire! Is this brain-eating Sentinel of Liberty’s success deserved? Here’s my review…

Of everything Hasbro announced for their What If? lineup of merch prior to the Disney+ show’s release, their Captain America Zombie Legends figure seemed like the most guaranteed merchandising hit. As things turned out, What If? ended up being a winner with both critics and audiences, and the whole line of Marvel Legends What If? figures has been tough to find in stores at retail.

I thought the Marvel Zombies What If? episode was the weakest installment of the show by a landslide, but fans have speedily purchased droves of merch for it nonetheless. Funko capitalized with a multitude of zombie Pops from the episode, but Hasbro just has the sole Zombie Cap six inch figure for its zombie ranks—is it worth hunting down?

First off, let’s get the obvious and most outstanding detail out of the way: this is a beautifully-sculpted vile monster with new tooling from top-to-bottom. I suspect the unfortunately high cost of unique tooling is why Hasbro only created this one Marvel Legends zombie figure, honestly.

This is easily the most horrific Marvel Legends action figure Hasbro has ever released, with huge holes in Zombie Cap’s costume and skin revealing gory leg and rib bones and chunks of missing flesh. It’s genuinely a bit shocking that Disney greenlit this at all!

The asymmetrical design of this action figure adds to its unsettling nature, including the missing boot and surprisingly clean bare right foot. There’s a generous amount of weathering and blood deco elsewhere on this figure, though, so I can get past the pristine right foot.

The teethy, gaping mouthed portrait is absolutely the right choice for the head, with the blank eyes driving home that this really ain’t the Boy Scout Steve Rogers we’re accustomed to.

While Hasbro probably could have gone the way of vintage McFarlane Toys and omitted loads of articulation in favor of the insane amount of detailing present, the big H packed in super-articulation as always, including:

• Ball-Jointed Head, Hips and Upper Torso
• Ball-Hinge Shoulders
• Double-Hinged Knees and Elbows
• Swivel-Hinge Wrists
• Swivel Waist/Thighs/Biceps/Left Boot
• Hinged Feet with Ankle Rockers

The rest of this figure is so extraordinarily executed that it’s a bit more of a disappointment when you get to the one included accessory (sorry, no Watcher Build-A-Figure piece here!): a standard ML Captain America shield with straps on the interior.

While the blood-stained deco on the shield is super-cool, I never find this manner of straps to work well—the shield can hang loosely off Zombie Cap’s arm, but it’s not good for much else. I really wish it had a true handle or could be pegged into place permanently.

Overall: An excellent outing by Hasbro and a beautifully done action figure of a disgustingly monstrous Captain America. The only real flaw I have to complain about is the awkwardness of the shield’s strap limiting its usefulness as a prop. I thought the Zombies episode of What If? sucked and was easily the worst of the series, but I wouldn’t mind more Marvel Legends Zombies of this caliber. This figure is available for a buck below MSRP on Amazon as of writing, and I’d advise picking it up if you haven’t yet and know you’ll want this–the aftermarket prices for this 6″ Zombie Captain America are all but guaranteed to soar once retailers are fully sold-out.

GRADE: A