Zombies

> "Zombies, shamblers, the undead, whatever you wanna call them, when it comes to killing them, it’s all about the brain."
>
> Scott Ward, *Army of the Dead*

**Zombies** were what became of humans who were affected by the mysterious pandemic that swept through Las Vegas. It was most easily transferred from zombie to human by bite. Most animals could be affected by a bite as well. Zombies resembled their pre-transformation form, but developed new physiological traits.

## Biology

### Shamblers

Shamblers are members of the human race that have been infected and turned. They appear similar to their human selves, but over time their flesh begins to rot. Their eyes yellow and become bloodshot. They're attracted to body heat, and so become aggressive to humans and other animals. Their bodies are able to withstand great strain, receiving gunshot wounds without faltering. A person who is bitten by an average zombie will become a shambler.

#### Sun coma

Lacking the forethought to avoid it, shamblers who spend too much time in the sun can start to melt and glue themselves to each other and their surroundings. They dry out and eventually enter a coma-like state, being unable to awaken, and appear to be normal rotting corpses. They revive for a few hours when it rains, until they lose the moisture again.

#### Hibernation

Like a sun coma, shamblers also sometimes enter a state of hibernation. Lack of food causes their bodies to shut down to conserve energy. Shamblers in this state will not react to nearby movement, however they can be awakened by being touched, shining a light in their eyes, or by loud noises.

### Alphas

> "They're not what you think they are. They're smarter, they're faster, they're organized."
>
> Lilly, *Army of the Dead*

Alphas are smarter variants of the more common shamblers, capable of organizing into a form of society. They're self aware and capable of forming relationships, and more aware of their surroundings, enabling them to dodge attacks and engage in other decisive actions. A person who is bitten by Zeus will become an alpha, as he's closest to the source of the zombie infection, and as such has the most potent bite. Unlike shamblers, the body of an alpha doesn't decay, and in fact may be strengthened during the transition from their previous human body. The flesh does still gain a death-like appearance, however.

### Other variants

#### King-class alphas

Closest to the source of the zombie infection, a king-class zombie's bite creates alphas instead of shamblers, and the alphas he turns will follow his command. They're stronger than other alphas, and even intelligent enough to develop plans and use tools, such as a protective mask or a horse. Zeus is the only known king-class zombie.

#### Zombie animals

Animals can also be infected, and unlike humans, they seem to retain their intelligence, which was already animalistic in the first place. Valentine the tiger, Wildfire the horse, and some number of dogs have been infected with the zombie affliction. Birds are unaffected.

#### Sentinels

Among the Las Vegas horde there were at least four sentinels. It's unknown how or why such machines came to join the horde. They have a metal skeletal structure and their eyes glow blue. Zombie androids are only ever seen among alphas, and act similarly to alphas.

#### Second-generation zombies

It's possible, at least if Zeus is the sire, for zombies to produce offspring. Not much is known about such creatures, as the only one known to exist never fully developed. When Zeus and Athena's fetus was removed from Athena's womb, its skin had a blue glow, which faded in the open air. It's unknown what the requirements of zombie reproduction are.

#### Scott Ward

There were peculiarities with Scott Ward's brief zombie infection that indicated he might have been a new type of zombie. He was killed before this could be confirmed, however he appeared to maintain a level of his human sentience, as he seemed to call out to his daughter twice as a zombie. If this is indeed what happened, he is the only known zombie to have spoken.

## History

### Milwaukee outbreak

A zombie outbreak occurred in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2004. Details of this outbreak are largely unknown.

### Las Vegas outbreak

When Zeus was being transported from Area 51, he broke out of his containment cage. He headed into Las Vegas where he began infecting people, and the city ultimately fell to the quickly growing horde of zombies.

The chaos of the outbreak in America shook up the world, notably impacting European financial institutions.

### Zombie wars

As time went on the shamblers largely continued to persist (though many ended up drying themselves out in the sun), but the alphas formed a rudimentary society. They developed rules and formed a kingdom, where the alphas followed Zeus with almost worshipful reverence. Throughout this time the United States military engaged the zombies in what would come to colloquially be known as the zombie wars.

### Götterdämmerung heist

When a nuclear strike was announced on Las Vegas, the military forces in the quarantine zone were pulled out, and as a result the Las Vengeance team was able to sneak inside for their mission to crack Bly Tanaka's safe. They engaged both shamblers and the alpha society, notably killing Athena (and as a result her baby), which caused Zeus to launch an all-out attack on the intruders. Many alphas were killed, ultimately including Zeus himself.

Shortly after the human intrusion, the nuclear blast wiped out the city, presumably killing all remaining zombies.

## Notable zombies

### Alphas

ZeusAthenaAlpha GeneralBurt CummingsKellyBissellMaria Cruz's killerMikey Guzman's killer

### Shamblers

Laura WardForrest Griffin's killerZombie ElvisThe brideTrap-trigger shamblerTrap-trigger shambler

## Gallery

Behind the FX of Army of the Dead's Alpha Zombies - Netflix
## Trivia

* 130 zombies were killed onscreen in *Army of the Dead*, as tallied by Netflix for their YouTube channel.
* Birds are not affected by the zombie infection.
* Normally a bite seems to be required to convert a person to a zombie, however, the first man turned by Zeus, Bissell, was never bitten.
* An early, unused concept involved male zombies procreating by raping human women.
* According to Zack Snyder, zombie parts, in particular heads, can be grafted onto mismatched bodies and maintain their function. Notably, Zeus would have been able to save Athena by attaching her living head to another zombie's body.

## References

Shay Hatten, Zack Snyder, Joby Harold (writers) & Zack Snyder (director) (May 14, 2021). *Army of the Dead*.
Peter Aperlo (author) (June 1, 2021). *Army of the Dead: A Film by Zack Snyder: The Making of the Film*. Great Britain: Titan Books.

 p.169
3. ↑ Zack Snyder confirms the existence of zombie dogs in *Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas* via "League of Mayhem: Army of the Dead Special with Zack Snyder"
Shay Hatten (writer) & Matthias Schweighöfer (director) (October 29, 2021). *Army of Thieves*.
5. ↑ *Snyder School* episode 4, "World Building"